Ballast Point Calico Amber Ale

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

On cask at Ballast Point during the RBSG Pub Crawl Tour on 08/01/2008. Clear dark amber body with a large creamy light tan head. Big floral hop aroma. Light caramel and floral hop flavor. Medium light body with moderate carbonation.

Cask. Dry-hopped with Amarillo. Rich amber beer with a dark cream colored head. Big summer fruit aroma with light roasty, nutty malts. Caramel flavor with big summer fruits. Medium-light bodied. Summer fruit lingers with light malt and a light nuttiness.

Draft... RBSG’08... Clear copper ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Great retention. Sweaty, biscuity aroma. Medium-bodied with lively carbonation. Leans on the bitter side of balance. Just a trace of caramel. Finishes crisp and bitter.

Pours amber with a dense tan head. The aroma has toasted nutty malt that is smooth and lightly sweet. Medium clean body with a small amount of carbonation. The flavor starts with the aroma traits, hints of dark fruit and some spicy phenolic traits. The finish is much of the same. Decent amber, but nothing I need to revisit.

On tap at the brewery for RBSG 08. Pours a brown-amber with a small, tan head. Sweet aroma, of hops and malt. Taste is a nice combination of sharp, burnt malt and bitter hops. Lingering bitterness. Tasty amber ale.

On tap at the brewery. Golden amber color with a thick tan head that leaves substantial lacing. Citrus hops dripping with caramel compose the aroma. Flavor is much the same, with candied orange hops and a toasty caramel maltiness. Perhaps not enough bitterness to counter the sweetness. Full flavored and smooth, a little dirty on the palate, but very drinkable.

From tap at San Clemente. Pours deep golden orange with a lacing white head. Solid hoppy and light wooden aroma. Flavour dry and breadish yet with a nice hoppy flavour on top. Dense malty finish with a lingering hoppy spiced finish with a nice dry bitterness into the far finish.

A subdued, lightly foamy head atop a classic looking amber/brown pour. A touch more citrus or even a tiny bit more sour than your average amber beer. Aroma isn’t very strong, but does smell good when you get close to it. A very smooth and flavorful amber, without quite as much as malty sweetness as others in the category. Not too sweet, not too bitter. A fine balance. Highly recommended amber, and another fine ale from Ballast Point.