Three from Ballast Point

On a recent trip to Florida, I tried Victory at Sea by Ballast Point Brewery that is based in San Diego.  I have heard good things about the brewery and wanted to try a few more of their offerings.  I picked up a couple of mix 6-packs to try a few different beers and three that I picked up from Ballast Point were: 1) Pale Ale (4.6% ABV and 23 IBU), 2) Calico Amber Ale (5.5% ABV and 45 IBU), 3) Sculpin IPA (7% ABV and 70 IU).  All of these beers were very good and I really liked the Calico Amber Ale the best - it had a great malt background and just the right level of hop bitterness.  I can recommend all of these beers, and for me, the Calico Amber Ale was the best.

Website description - Pale Ale - "There’s no wonder why our Pale Ale is so popular—it is skillfully crafted in the style of the Kolsch beers of Cologne, Germany. We’ve chosen German hops for aroma, and rounded out the recipe with a blend of American and German malts.  While it is very much like a Pilsner, our Pale Ale is fermented at ale temperatures, giving it a subdued fruitiness—a perfect compliment to the crispness of the wheat and maltiness of the Munich malt. If you like a lighter brew but also like the complexity of craft beers, then our Pale Ale is for you."

Website description - Calico Amber Ale - "Inspired by traditional English ESBs, our Calico Amber Ale is as American as it could be. A rich complexity comes from four types of malt—but it’s those distinct American hops that offer a crisp bitterness and unique floral aroma.  To round out our traditional-English-yet-very-American Amber Ale, we use a proprietary yeast to develop a fruity, Madeira-like richness. Try one today, and find out what a gold medal beer tastes like!"

Website description - Sculpin IPA - "The Sculpin is a testament to our humble beginnings as Home Brew Mart. It showcases bright flavors and aromas of apricot, peach, mango & lemon. The lighter body also brings out the crispness of the hops.  This delicious Ballast Point Ale won a gold medal at the World Beer Cup 2010 in the International Pale Ale category. The Sculpin fish has poisonous spikes on it’s fins that can give a strong sting.  Ironically, the meat from a Sculpin is considered some of the tastiest. Something that has a sting but tastes great, sounds like a Ballast Point India Pale Ale."

URL - http://www.ballastpoint.com

Florida Mancation 2012 Beer List

First, a shout-out and thank you to Tom Reagin for picking up some Cigar City Madura Brown Ale (5.5% ABV and 25 IBU).  This was a really nice brown ale and a great selection to start the weekend festivities once we made it to Naples.  Madura is very easy to drink and would probably go well with a nice cigar like it is named after.  The next day, after a jet boat ride and lunch, we made our way to Total Wine and I picked up a nice selection of brew to sample over the weekend. 

Coronado – Islander IPA (7%ABV) – American IPA

Cigar City – Jai Alai – (7.5% ABV and 70 IBU)) – American IPA

Bell’s – Oberon Ale (5.8% ABV) – American Pale Wheat Ale

Smuttynose – (FinestKind) IPA (6.9% ABV) – American IPA

Ballast Point – Victory at Sea (10% ABV and IBU) – Imperial / Double Porter

Terrapin – Hopsecutioner (7.3% ABV and 78 IBU) – American IPA

Great Divide – Yeti – (9.5% ABV and 75 IBU) – Imperial Stout

Unibroue – La Fin Monde (9.5% ABV and 19 IBU) – Triple-style Golden Ale

Stone – Arrogant Bastard (7.2% ABV) and Classified IBU) – American Strong Ale

  

Also sampled at some of the restaurants we dined at are as follows:

Harpoon IPA – (5.9% ABV and 42 IBU) – American IPA

Dogfish Head – 90 Minute IPA (9% ABV and 90 IBU) – Imperial / Double IPA

Boston Beer – Sam Adams Alpine Spring (5.5% ABV and 19 IBU) – Kellerbier /Zwickelbier

  

The favorites of the weekend were the Ballast Point - Victory at Sea and everyone thought this was a really good beer and it is just a fantastic Imperial Porter.  Another favorite of mine was the Cigar City Jai Alai IPA and I would highly recommend trying more beers from Cigar City.  I would be nice if they distributed here in Colorado, maybe in the not-to-distant future, this will come to fruition.  Until that occurs, I will just purchase more from Cigar City when I travel to Florida.