Ballast Point Calico Amber Ale

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

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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On growler. Spumous, off-white head; creamy fluff. Luxurious rings and sheets of lace. Clear, amber body. Malty aroma with honey and caramel highlighting, yeast, alcoholic hops, fruity and citrusy, a touch of dark bread. Mouth is medium, lightly wet, lightly carbonated, lightly dry. Malty flavor with pollen, sugar, grapefruit rind, pine--rather bitter. Long bitter aftertaste, with underlying malts that provide a protective shield over the tongue, while still allowing the bitterness through.

Courtesy of a fine Mystery beer swap participant. Aroma is a blend of spicy/citric hops and rich caramel. Body is orange.brown and holds a fluffy white head about a finger thick and mostly lasting. flavor matches the aroma...spicy/citrus hops with caramel malts beneath. Nice sweet/bitter interplay. Finish leaves sweet caramel malt playing ont he tongue with muted notes of pine intermingled.

12oz bottle poured a clear amber color with an off white head. Aroma was citrus hops and a nice sweet caramel with some notes of fruit from the yeast. The taste had a great citrus bitterness with a good malt backing. I would consider this one more of an American Amber than a Bitter.

Yet another good bottle from Zug4abby. Thanks again! Pours a deep copper with an off white head. Nice color. Nice citrus hop aroma, like an IPA. For an amber, this is hoppy, which is ok by me. Toffee and nutty malt flavors nicely offset by the spicy and herbal hops. Bitter finish with some fruitiness sneaking out. West coast bitterness meets English style maltiness. This is more like a pale or IPA to me. But damn good.

I really enjoyed this brew, but thought it was more of an IPA than an ESB. However, I have not been exposed to very many hoppy bitters. The body was dark amber colored with a light khaki colored head. The aroma was chocolate and grapefruit with some pine. The taste was dry chocolate with some wood. There was also a decent dry finish. This was interesting and would make a nice session beer.

On tap at Ballast Point. This copper ale poured with a medium off-white head. The malt flavors are very well blended, but are a bit overwhelmed by the hops. Overall, this was a very; satisfying brew.

Pours a clear orange copper with a moderate beige head. Aroma of some piney citrus, caramel malts, some toasted grain. This is quite hoppy and bitter, though the balance is there. The flavor is more pine and then turns to citrus. Medium bodied, soft moderate carbonation. Good beer.

22 oz bottle. Point Loma Seafood - San Diego. Ballast Point redeems itself after the Yellowtail incident. Drank perfect with a hearty fish sandwich. Copper color - thick head. Medium body with FULL flavor. Bitter finish. Beautiful beer. My full rec.

UPDATED: JUN 10, 2006 This beer is a brilliantly clear brown-tinged amber color that is topped by a frothy, one-finger thick tan colored head, that even leaves some lacing patterns as I work my way through this glass. The aroma is nicely hoppy up front with notes of sweet orange peel being dominant. An interesting herbal note soon follows, but leads to a solid toasty grain note. Underneath is a solid caramel note that adds to the secondary, yet noticeable malt character. The nose really strikes a nice balance, definitely leaning towards the hoppy side of the spectrum, but it has a nice malt backbone.

The beer is well enough carbonated to cause a nice prickle of carbonation as it passes through my mouth. A solid bitterness accompanies the carbonation and adds to the sharp quality of this brew. The beer is fairly light on the palate, there is an ample malt body, but it seems to be balanced quite well by the lingering bitterness, which makes one want to take another sip (or at least this one does). There is lots of American hop character here as well; notes of grapefruit, orange peel and even a bit of resinous pine like character are certainly the dominant note up front. The malt character is not as noticeable as it was in the aroma, it really plays even more of a supporting role here. Perhaps a hint of toasted malt notes peek through, and the sweeter malt notes are not even really all that noticeably, except that they allow the citrus-like hop notes to come to the fore.

This is a fabulous example of an Amber ale, hoppy and flavorful, like a hoppy Pale Ale even. I definitely recommend this to those sick of bland craft brewed Amber ales. A 22oz of this beer is the perfect amount as well; it allows for a mini-quaffing session, which is what this beer is made for.

<font size=-4>Purchased at: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/arizona/scottsd Brewing Co, Scottsdale, AZ<font size=-1>

22 oz Bottle. A real good floral aroma. Amber body with off white head. Good medium bodied citrus flavor. This was a good refreshing brew outside as it was over 100 degrees.