Ballast Point Calico Amber Ale

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

It’s nice to see another great brewery distributed in RI. Pours out a clear amber (duh) with a fizzy beige head, leaving no lacing. The nose consists of wet hay, earthy honey, toffee and dry fruits with a bit of peppery spice. The initial flavours are rich and malty, and the finish is dry and piney, with a resin-like bite. Yeasty fruit esters round out the flavour and give a sherry-like impression. The mouthfeel is slick and thin with sharp carbonation.

Bottle. Poured a deep amber body with thin head. Aroma is caramel, musty. Flavor is a thick sweet malt, caramel and light sharp tones sometime being metallic. Hoppy ESB. Syrupy mouthfeel.

Tasting at Dennis’. Pours a clear amber with an off-white head and a bit of lacings. Some bitterness with a light sweetness. Malty aromas of caramel. Heavy hoppy aromas of pine and citrus. Medium bodied. Soft carbonation. Short, dry finish.

12 oz. brown bottle served in a shaker pint. Poured a deep amber with a thick fine bubbled off white head. Plenty of carbonation. Light hop aroma with some caramel malt. Creamy mouthfeel. Solid malt base without a lot of sweetness. Decent hop bite for an amber. Nice lacing on the glass. Amber Ales tend to be boring to me, but this is a really solid beer that I could drink over an evening.

A- Pours a deep dark orangish color with a small, off white head. S- Smells of grain, hops, a tad sweet. T- It has a piney hop taste as well as a subdued spiciness. There is a slight refreshing nutty flavor. Leaves a slight bitter flavor in the mouth for quite a while following the first sip. M- Slightly carbonated, average viscosity... not too thick not too thin, just about right. D- This beer is highly refreshing and drinkable.

Deep amber with medium amberish head, very dense. Outspoken C-hops, hopcake, caramel, well balanced nose. Hoppy, bitter, hopcake, bit of orangemarmalade; ends metallic. Very slick and well-bodied. Nice amber ale, almost an IPA.

Amber with a big white head. Very hoppy aroma, not explicitly American in character which is pretty refreshing. Lots of peppery earthy notes combined with some grapefruit and toffee. Body is quite bitter and a bit sweet which works together well. Spritzy mouthful tends to be a bit on the abrasive side. Simple but enjoyable combination of crystal malt flavours and some fresh resiny hops, tasting more english than American now. Sharp, quick finish.

Poured from a bottle on a hot san diego spring day. great amber red with a plentiful off-white head. Nice malty, toffee like aromas abound. Smooth feel on your tongue with a little carbonation. Flavors are solid and good of maltiness, citrus, pine, and delicate hops. Good tasty brew.