Ballast Point Fathom India Pale Lager

Brewed by Ballast Point Brewing Company
Style: European Strong Lager
San Diego, California USA

Appearance: Pours a clear amber with 1/8 inch of white head. Didn’t leave much lacing at all. Aroma: Honey dew, orange rind and zest. Taste: Grapefruity hops that starts out fruity but finishes bitter. Mouthfeel: Really thin, and a bit juicy. Overall: An incredible lager, probably the best smelling and tasting lager. That’s probably because it has so many characteristics that I like out of a West Coast Pale or India Pale Ale.

Draught at the brewery. Orange tinted gold color with a lasting white head. Lots of hops in the aroma with flowers, mangos, and peaches adding fruit to the spicy and grassy notes that some more euro hops seem to be adding. The flavor has some light and toasty malt with lots of hop flavor (mango, peach, grapefruit peel) and more bitterness than the sculpin that I had right before. Medium bodied with smooth carbonation. Cool mix of fruity with grassy and spicy hops. I’d definitely like to have this one again.

A killer beer, but what style is this? Can’t really be rated as a lager at all, it’s really a very light bodied pale ale, very hoppy, citrs hop nose, no malt character can shine through the hop flavors and aromas, tasty

Super clear beer...hoppy nose, hoppy flavors. Nice old fruit flavors with both a touch of sweetness and lasting bitterness in the finish. Interesting and definitely a success.

Tap @ Hamilton’s. This is not the first IPL I’ve had, but its definitely the best. Pours clear gold with a one-finger white head. Moderate lacing. Sweet, floral hop aroma. Lots of pine and lemongrass, less of the grapefruit/citrus. Sharp, crisp resin bite up front. Mellows a little into a grapefruit-lemon-orange peel sweetness. The lager back enhances the West Coast IPA feel, giving it a sweet finish. I could drink this all night its so smooth. Very well done.

Draft. Amber beer with a whitish head. Grapefruit aroma. Grapefruit and pine flavor with light mineral and malt, and a bit of summer fruit. Medium bodied. Nice bitterness. Grapefruit and summerfruit lingers with a bit of malt.

On tap at Stone. Hazy yellow with fluffy, light head. Smell is hoppy and lightly fruity. Taste is not IPA. Bitter yes, but has the lager smack. Not as sweet as I thought from the nose. Has a distinct bitterness to it.

On draft at Hamilton’s. Appearance is a translucent light orange hue, moderate white foam dissipates mostly, huge lacing on the glass. Smell is clean and crisp biscuit malts, moderate grassy hops, some cotton candy sweetness. Taste is initially pale bread/biscuit malts soon followed by grassy and earthy bittering hops, hints of tea leaves, citrus, and pine, lager yeast, finishes thick and malts with slight alcohol burn. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, watery texture with oily resin residual, amped-up carbonation is detracting from the flavor. Drinkability is high, nice balance of malts and hops in a lager framework, carbonation is overly high, but this is very drinkable for a unique style.