Ballast Point Indra Kunindra

Brewed by Ballast Point Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
San Diego, California USA

Serve in Lager glass, Tumbler

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Bottle from Holiday.pours dark and stouty with a frothy full covering of dense tan bubbles. Smells medicinal, like cough drops, then you get the curry with some seemingly capsicum tingle in the nostril, then the dry herbalness of the kaffir leaf. So, yeah, you can detect each of those in the nose...does it combine well for a beer aroma? No 100% convinced. Flavors seem to mend together more than the nose did, you can taste the cayene, the madras, and the lime leaf, especially in the finish where it seems to really take hold and linger...add to this the almost powdery cocoa flavor of the malts...what you get, is...well, interesting I guess...but beers with a shit ton of spices always have a weird medicinal character to them and this beer is no different, at least at first..except I think I’m really digging the cayenne influence...and as a indian food cooker, its interesting to see these ingrediants coming together in a beer...and it could even pair well with similar food, but its still a bit medicinal, but this has already started to subside through the first pour. It is spicy too..not only with the indian spices, but the chile does give it a nice solid heat. We’ll have to see how I feel after the whole bottle.

On tap at Ballast Point. Very unique maybe like a Joseph Conrad story (but wrong continent). Dark color looks like a stout but then spices give it an unique flavor. Not sweet but also not too spicy. Not for purists but have to commend Ballast Point for an out-of-the-box creation.

Pours dark with a light full head. You definitely get the curry and cumin in the aroma. Not an aroma you would expect from you beer, very unique. You get the cumin taste upfront but the pepper does hit you in the tailend and lasts in the aftertaste. Interesting beer for sure. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Wow, this beer is awesome. The curry and coconut really shine with the kaffir, cumin and caynne pepper playing supporting roles. Well balanced, not sweet, med bodied. Extremely well put together and very unique beer.

Draft at pony bar with Andrew. Pours a deep black body with thin brown lacing. Aroma is curry, Indian food, oats, sweet vanilla. Mouthfeel is syrupy with notes of curry, coconut, chocolate and vanilla; however dominated by chili peppers. A truly unique brew.

On tap at pony bar with James. This beer is phenomenal! Super unique... Roasty lactic stout, pine, hot curry cooled by those mint crumbs you see at Indian restaurants near the host counter. Love it.

Bottle shared by a friend at the Smuttynose tasting at Ale Wine & Spirits on 4/27/12. Clear reddish brown pour with a thin tan head. Herbal aroma of mostly sage along with some roast. So strong on the herbal character I’m not picking up much else from the nose, except for lime as it warmed up. Chocolate flavor up front giving way to crisp lime and sweet coconut. Then the herbal/spicy character comes through before a warm cayenne finish. Bizarre brew, but not bad.

Wow...just wow. I have never tried such a unique beer (and probably never will!). Sweet madras curry, candied banana, honey and coconut as well as some unidentifiable (to me) spice or leaf. In the mouth it’s medium bodied with curry, coconut and lovely hot pepper sting on the tail. Much better than it sounds. My only problem with this is that it was slightly tough going through a whole pint as summer starts to hit here in Japan. Having said that, it was a pleasant stray from well worn paths and an unexpected delight.

Bottle. Bizarre and interesting. Chocolate and curry and coconut milk? Real strange upfront. Kaffir lime, curry with cayenne. Reaaly weird but interesting. A few sips and it’s gets to be too much

A+ effort and I applaud them for the risk taking. I just think this was poorly conceived. Interesting aroma that was good, beautiful palate and beautiful appearance. However, the taste of this beer was just confused and the flavors should never be in beer in my opinion. It was undrinkable.

On tap at Ballast Point. Truly unique in every way. Deep dark obsidian pour with ruby highlights and a medium but creamy and long lasting brown head. Thin curtains of velvety lacing. Pungent but pleasing aroma of lime, mild coconut, melted bittersweet chocolate and toasted herbs. The curry hits you first then draws you into a complex, mind-bending vortex of favors. Tart lime, roasted malt, chocolate, coconut, sour apple and other herbal, botanical notes. A few sips in you start to get the chili pepper burn and lingers throughout but doesn’t interfere with the flavors. That said, If you’re not a fan of hot dishes (or spicy brews) then you’d probably have a harder time getting past the chilies in this one. Despite the burn the texture is quite silky and the finish is long, flavorful and packs a big final kick of lime and curry. Might be the most interesting brew I’ve ever had and I’m thrilled I had a chance to try it before it kicked.