My First Trip: to Three Floyds to Meet MYSELF

Before my world travels began, my Maker just had to take me to the place where she was inspired to create me: Three Floyds Brewery - a.k.a. FFF - home of Gumballhead the beer. It's a wheat beer, but different than any other wheat beer you've ever tasted. It is highly hopped with Amarillos - Deb's most favoritist (is that a word?) hops ever. They impart a slightly sweet, citrusy flavor - somewhat grapefruity, somewhat apricoty (hey - it's my blog, I'll make up words if I want!!!). What really gets you is the aroma. Mmmmmmm............

You must try this beer on draft to get the real Gumballhead experience. It's pretty darn good in the bottle, but on draft, it's heavenly.

FFF has a motto which really speaks to me and describes their brewery (and their beers) succinctly: "It's Not Normal." Leaning toward brewering extremism, these are not beers for the faint of heart!

Here's ME sitting on a table in the brewpub. I don't mean to brag or anything, but they do seem to feature MY image all over the place. They say Alpha King is their "flagship" beer, but we know better, don't we??????

They use these nifty six-pack cartons to hold mustard and other condiments.

Anyway, I digress. The brewery is a great place to hang out. Not only do they have pictures of ME all over the place, they also have many wonderful beers on draft and in the bottle. And Three Floyds is confident. Unlike most breweries we have visited, they are not afraid to put competitors' beers on the menu. There are usually several FFF beers on tap (I'm guessing about 6 to 8 at a time); as well as a nice list of guest drafts - some from the US, some imported (at least a half dozen at a time) - and then a good number of domestic and imported bottles - always something from Belgium, which I have learned to really love!

Can you find ME in the above picture? I'm sitting on a Gumballhead tap handle - surrounded by taps of great beers that were available that day. If you look closely, above the taps, you'll also see MY head on a platter on the big, original painting that was used on the label of FFF anniversary ale, "Fantabulous Resplendence."

So, on a typical visit, I may have a Gumballhead or a Dreadnaught Imperial IPA, or something seasonal on tap with limited availability (such as the recent Travissimo, which is sadly all gone - but it was a hoppy IPA on nitro - went down really smooth); and then I'll move on to some really fabulous guest draft (for example, this summer I have been enjoying a Belgian Red-Brown, slightly sour "Monk's" ale, really made by Belgian monks). They have had the Kasteel Rouge on draft for several months - a wonderfully cherry beer that's great with dessert. It's a "sipper" - not a session beer! (I'll share photos of my recent trip to that brewery, located in Ingelmunster, Belgium, soon!).

The atmosphere is a bit funky - like maybe being in somebody's makeshift garage bar. This is reminiscent of the old days before the brewpub opened three years ago - we would stand around in the unheated brewery with our winter coats on, (well, you know Gumballhead wouldn't be caught dead in a winter coat, but my friends had to wear them) drinking FFF beer from plastic cups - oh, those were the days!!!! Or were they? Now, we get heat AND food, and all those guest beers, and real glassware - who could ask for anything more? It has mostly gray walls, concrete floors, some funky Ikea furniture - and lots of posters (and some original beer label art). Music and movie styles seem to change daily, based on the whim of whomever is behind the bar. People are friendly; it's crowded evenings and weekends, but nice and empty on Sunday afternoons (you'll sometimes find me in here then). From the dining room, you can look through a large window at the brewery itself (if you can see past the huge picture of ME - above).

They have some pretty wonderful food, too - chefs are allowed a little freedom to experiment with not only pub fare, but also fine cuisine. I especially like the pizzas and flatbreads, the turkey burger, and the chili!!!

So how do you get here? It's located on the south side of the town known as Munster, Indiana - hidden away in the rear of an industrial park. From I-80/94, take Calumet Ave. south - through Munster, keep going......... past 45th.....across the r.r. tracks...... turn right on Superior (there's a really nice war memorial park on the corner), then left on Indiana. Look for the water tower, FFF is right in front of it. Visit their website at: http://www.threefloyds.com/.

Keep in mind if you're from out of town that Indiana state law prohibits the sale of packaged spirits on Sundays, so if you go on a Sunday, you cannot buy bottled beer to go at the brewery! (However, it is close to the Illinois state line, and FFF beer is available in Illinois stores on Sundays).

My next stop: The new Crown Brewery in nearby Crown Point, Indiana!