Uneventful lower-rung pale-toned Eastern Euro tedium with skunked malt musk, mossy barley-oats-corn easement, and dry popcorn hop fizz flops, befouling grassy hay backdrop of rudimentary dortmunder styling.
Monthly Archives: January 2009
BALTIKA GOLDEN LAGER (#5)
Clear-bottled, pearly-headed, waxen-bodied pale lager brings warbled corn-dried vegetal lightness to thin white-breaded blandness and deadened spiciness. Phenol flicker undoes banana-clove clip as soapiness ensues. Buy cheap buttery popcorn instead.
(BALTIKA) DON SOUTHERN LAGER
Problematic straw-hued pearly-headed pale lager retains repugnant skunked cannabis waft, soapy corn sugared butterscotch glut, and lazy apricot-tangerine reticence. Sticky honeyed wheat access dissolved by desultory diacetyl mustiness draping withered phenol hop resin of moderate-bodied bohemian-styled knockoff.
BALTIKA DARK LAGER (#4)
Smoked chocolate barleymalt lag, sagging spiced-hop bittering, and lax dry nuttiness offer shoddy Copper Ale-ish respite. Cheap burgundy-Scotch midst, oily mouthfeel, and flighty prune finish decrease value further.
BALTIKA CLASSIC LAGER (#3)
Efficient pale-bodied grassy-hopped lager with light rye-dried wheat-toasted barley-corn entry giving way to zesty lemon prompt stays lightweight but not dull.
BALLAST POINT YELLOWTAIL PALE ALE
Musty grassy-hopped wheat graining and faded grapefruit-apricot fruiting reach thin bread-crusted spine. Closer to flaccid light-bodied pilsner or wavering Kolsch, as its mundane diacetyl splurge sabotages muted citric finish.
BALLAST POINT WAHOO WHEAT BEER
Middling light-bodied beige-hazed Belgian-styled hefeweizen places arid coriander-spiced lemon-meringued curacao orange zest atop peppery-hopped tongue tingle. Latent butterscotch sweetness befits cracked wheat spine but soured orange peel finish lacks oomph.
BALLAST POINT CALICO COPPER E.S.B.
Unanticipated fruity-malt aromatics plus up-front oats-toasted berry-nut infusion saddle peaceful sweetness countering moderate hop bittering. No points taken away for being only moderately ‘Bitter’ since detailed grain enhancement and succinct spiced hop zip proved worthy.
BALLAST POINT CALICO COPPER AMBER ALE
Quaffed at San Diego’s Seaport Village’s Asaggio, a Chicago-styled thick-crust pizza joint with Cubs-Sox-Bears memorabilia. Replacing same-named E.S.B. listed below, this pleasurable medium body sweetens its cracked wheat spine with apple-pear-apricot fruiting to counter snuggly orange-peeled bittering. Honeyed oats gird mild caramel malt creaminess.
BALLAST POINT BLACK MARLIN PORTER
Creamy crimsoned mahogany lactose porter guides honeyed oats waft towards creamy black chocolate frontage and buttery vanilla backdrop. Oily hops embitter roasted barleymalts, securing receded blackstrap molasses, burnt toast, charred wood, and earthen peat illusions. Sweet milky lactose texture, chewy chocolate liqueuer spell, and sinister cappuccino finish are saving grace.
BALLAST POINT BIG EYE INDIA PALE ALE
Bitter spruce-hopped entry promptly aided by sticky caramel malt sweetness and bright citrus scurry of medium-bodied splendor. Organic grain roast exudes punctual midrange vibrancy, emphasizing mild chestnut illusions to piney orange-peeled grapefruit rind finish.
BALLANTINE INDIA PALE ALE
Well-balanced tawny-hazed IPA retains sharp wood-smoked hop spicing, ample grain roast, easygoing pale malt sweetness, and recessive dried fruiting. Unlike regular blue collar Ballantine Ale old folks buy for $2 a six pack, this is the real deal. It shows what a large brewery could do when they seriously attempt to craft ales/ beers in small batches.