Ballast Point Big Eye IPA

Brewed by Ballast Point Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
San Diego, California USA

Bottle. Head is initially average sized, frothy, off-white, mostly lasting. Body is clear medium amber. Aroma is lightly malty (toasted grain/cereal), moderately hoppy (resin, grapefruit, apricot), lightly yeasty (dough), with light notes of dust, black tea, dried papaya, hint of vegetables. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, watery/velvety texture, lively carbonation, lightly to moderately astringent. The aroma is a bit rough around the edges, and I’m not a fan of the mostly-green/resinous hop aroma, so while it’s mostly ok and to style, it’s just not that attractive. The mouth experience is not particularly good either...rather citric and astringent. Couldn’t enjoy this one.

Pours a nice copper/amber, quite clear, with a medium sized white head that leaves quite a bit of lacing... I get more malt in the nose than hops... Some citrus and grassy/piney hops get through.... Tastes a wee bit creamy, the alcohol comes through as well... Hops are quite present, but again the malt is a bit too sweet for me... Good beer overall, but the alcohol and sweetness of the malt left me wanting a bit more...

damn good ipa. very strong in the nose, huge hops, bitter but manageable. very grassy and orange. bottle from bevmo palo alto

Bomber. Poured a clear copper-amber color with a thick, rocky off-white head that slowly receded and left nice lacing. Aroma of fresh, juicy citrus fruit (orange, tangerine, apricot, and peach) and some floral, leafy hops. Smooth, fruity entry with hints of orange and tangerine greets the tongue and slowly transitions into a fresh, leafy hoppiness with a slight undertone of caramel malt that pairs well with the hops to create a dry, earthy finish. Moderate carbonation and nice mouthfeel. Easy to drink and pretty good.

22oz bomber. Excellent pour. Deep reddish-amber.Long-lasting head with nice lacing. Nose was like bread and something else I couldn’t identify. Somewhat off. Taste was just bitter, with nothing else added. I detected no malt, no citrus, no nothing. Mouthfeel was quite nice. Finish was metallic. I did not finish the bottle.

Hops rule supreme in this one, unsurprisingly. This felt like a light IIPA, hopped beyond its backbone. Aroma was great taste was sticky without the goodness.

Bottle. Pretty clear orange amber with small white head. Nose has heavy floral, grassy, and citrus hop notes amidst some malts. Also noted a whiff of solvent. Like Jamie says, it is a bit too grassy. I by grassy I mean it tastes like I am eating grass. Regular mow the lawn grass, not marijuana. just to be clear.

Bottle from Sams, Durham. You know that you have had a shit ton of beer when you say, just another well crafted, flavorful, superbly balanced SD IPA. And that is what you get with Big Eye, jaded drinker or not. The beer starts out, after the handsome pour, with a big burst of floral aromas and flavors. But you really do get a nice toasted malt backbone here, for a slightly distinctive personality. Quite fine.