Off-putting skunked cabbage waft camouflages analogous dead grass odor of dreary pale-cleared pearly-headed dry-bodied lightweight. Sweet creamed corn entry demeaned by soapy lemon-fizzed cereal-oats dankness to thin butterscotch finish, turning disturbingly metallic.
All posts by John Fortunato
BALTIKA EXTRA LAGER (#9)
Wickedly inept 8% alcohol deviance can’t propel dismal corn syrupy clear-toned mess. Cloying honeyed maltose goo further undermined by astringent peppered hops.
BALTIKA EXPORT LAGER (#7)
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.
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.