Ballast Point Abandon Ship Smoked Lager

Brewed by Ballast Point Brewing Company
Style: Smoked
San Diego, California USA

Sampled at BP (Linda Vista) - Pours a clear golden color with a faint off white head. Light lacing. Aroma is mainly smoke and light toasted malt. Flavor is much of the same with some light esters in there. A smooth, easy drinking medium body beer. For me, the smoke was dominating, but not over bearing. A nice beer.

Clear copper colored body. Light honey and chewy caramel malt nose, moderately sweet. Very light notes of toasted bread, very light smoke noticed, but pleasant nonetheless. Rich, full, vinous texture, pleasant charred toast and crusty grains, some unbaked dough and granola picked up. Very smooth and full, a well-made helles style beneath the very mild smoke, I like this one a lot.

G.A.B.F. 2008: Deep copper with a wisp off-white head. The aroma has somemild smoke- more woody with an estery apple hint and toast. Cramy palate. Mild smoke in the flavor- a touch of cocoa and toast. Peat is evident as well, palying the predominate role in offering any smoke/earthiness. Has a decent grassy hop bitter finish. Not bad, but needs more smoke.

On tap at stone. Pours a dark amber color. Bready caramel malts and grassy hops with campfire smoke and salted bacon. The smoke was well under control and not over the top. A well balanced smoked in my opinion.

On tap at Live Wire. Created a decent serving of fluffy heading while it was to hard to determine the color of the beer since the bar was so dark. The aroma was mild with only a hint sign of roast malt. The flavor was overly tart and felt it was unripe with only the faintest taste of a smoked malt profile.

SDFOB 2008. Draft. Pours darker amber no real head. Pleasant smoke salmon flavors. Finishes clean with some hop tones. I liked this one!

clear amber, always thin but solid sheet.. smoked malt nose, smokey peat flavors, somewhat ashy but clean..a little hop bitterness in the back and finish. had 2 of these, the first without knowing it was a smoked style....truth is, i didnt even notice the smoke in the first pint, but i was drinking to drink rather than analyze....i suppose that means that this was smokey but strongly subtle. the important thing though is that about 20 minutes before the first pint, i found myself smack dab in the middle of a crazy movie-like car chase through residential streets and alleyways. i was driving down a street and this white car jumps out of the alley way through the street and across into the alley again...he’s going to 70 mph...and 2 seconds later, 3 cop cars, sirens blaring...getting air across the street im on, right in fucking front me...i keep going straight and stop at a stop sign before the street goes up a steep hill. then, 5 cop cars appear at the top and speed down it and all 5 of them do movie-style 180s less than 10 feet in front of my car, sirens blaring, i was 90% sure one of these pigs was going to smash right into my car but they were so precisely starsky & hutch, they all went back up the hill, screetched to the left, and the sirens got softer and softer...did i mention that i was high as fuck to begin with.

Pours clear copper with a small ring of off-white bubbles. Light aroma of smoked corn. Taste is weak until the beer warms. Once it does, it is a pleasant smoked malt with some meat/bacon flavors. A little iron. Good, but I just want more smoke in my smoked beer.