Ballast Point Calico Amber Ale

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

120z bottle. The aroma was of light grapefruity hops, caramel, and toffee. Poured a clear dark orange color. The head was thick, rocky, and off white with good retention and lacing. Good looking beer. Medium bodied and slightly sweet without any significant hop bitterness. Spicy malt flavors came out up front with some brown sugar and flowery hops. Distinct graham cracker and some caramel emerged at the end. Solid amber. There’s a good chance that even a casual beer drinker would like this one.

From a 22 oz bottle this poured an attractive copper color with off-white head and good lacing. Nose of caramel malts and floral and citrus hops. Smooth mouthfeel. Favor of light fruit and citrus and a long bitter finish. For its type, excellent, and one of the better ambers I have seen.

22oz bottle. Clear red-amber color, average head with lasting foam. Malty and herbal/grass aroma. Nice full caramel maltiness with a spicy hop flavor that balances really well. Well, the aroma is a little bland and subtle, but the flavor has a really nice balance. Not amazing, but well done and really drinkable.

Bottle from Wine Warehouse in Charlottesville. Dark red pour with a quickly dissipating medium head. Fruity malt aroma. Grainy taste balanced by a nice bitterness.

Copper/amber in colour, thick lingering off-white coloured head, excellent lacing. The aroma is of citrus, lots of hops, caramel malts, lightly sweet, earthy. The flavour is fairly sweet, lots of caramel malts, juicy, some light citrus hops. Lightly sweet mouthfeel, medium/light body, medium carbonation. Finishes sweet with some lingering citrus hop bite.

This is quite good stuff, excellent bitterness balanced with caramel sweetness and citrus hops. Would love this to be a regular.

355ml bottle obtained in a trade with JohnnyJ, thanks John.
Opened on December 30, 2007
No date.

Bottle. Pours a dark amber body with a foamy white head, 2 fingers or so. Aroma is hops; pine, citrus, grapefruit. Flavor is bitterness with a solid malt backbone. Enough pine comes through to create honey like flavors. Not bad.

bottle poured an amber color with a two finger light tan head that fell to a thin layer. carbonation is steady and the aroma has bitter citrus hops, caramel malt, floral, and grass. mouth feel is medium with heavy carbonation. flavor is typical of an amber ale with nicely flavored hops. bitterness on the sides of the tongue finishes drying and lightly salty. this is like a cross of a bitter and an amber ale. good flavor but lacks the excitement i was looking for from ballast point.

Objectively speaking: Earthy/caramelly, rather standard US amber ale.
I like: Fine citrusy hop notions, but not limited to that, also well integrated toasty and earthy nuances. Orangey, almost juicy palate with pleasant tea reminiscent inclinations.
I dislike: Not as aromatic as I’d hoped from a Ballast Point. Rather dull lean palate.