Ballast Point Calico Amber Ale

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

Bottle. A very pretty nose of floral hops and roasted malt. Pours a rich amber with a rocky off-white head. Excellent head retention. Excellent balance on the palate. Decent amount of grassy hops and sweetly roasted malt with neither being excessive. Medium to full bodied. Fairly creamy. Like other offering from this brewery, it is rock solid.

Date: 12/01/2005
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewery

clear dark amber, fine beige head, sweet nutty malt aroma with a hint of chocolate, solid hop flavor on a well balanced cqrmel malt base, nice lingering bitter finish

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **+/4

Bomber from Bottle Barn; nose of grassy hops with some toffee; copper with a medium beige head; flavor is nice light hop bitterness with some background caramel. Nice Bitter!

One of the better one’s I sampled on my trip to San Diego. Poured a robust amber color with good head. Strong aroma and taste. Very hoppy with strong flavor of roasted malts. A good choice.

Bottle poured a clear reddish amber with a small lingering amber head. Aromas of carmel, tasted malt and a hint of fruitiness. Palate was light bodied and crisp. Flavors of toasted malt, carmel and a hint of cocoa with a smooth bitter finish.

Draft at San Clemente Pizza Port. This tasted more like an amber ale than an ESB to me. There wasn’t much flavor besides the normal dull caramel malt in most amber ales.

Rerate. sampled at Obriens, same general impressions. (For the style this was good; I’m just not a huge fan of the style. Poured a reddish amber; aroma of toffee and slight citrus hops. Flavor was about the same; dry finish.)

Roasted nutty toffee aroma accompanied by some crisp citrus hops. Pours a red amber color with a small thin white head. Flavor is nice medium bitter hops with a roasty toffee malt backbone. Finishes crisp and mildly dry.