Ballast Point Tongue Buckler Imperial Red Ale

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Bottle. Pours dark red with a small white head. Awesome hop aroma of pine and grapefruit with hints of grass and peach. Huge hop flavor of pine, grass, grapefruit, orange and peach lightly balanced by some subtle caramel. Overwhelming but tasty bitter hop finish with a touch of alcohol. Great beer.

Really looked forward to this one and it didn't disappoint! Incredible hop aroma and a real sweet malty body. Well balanced and oh so drinkable! -Rated via BeerBuddy

Bomber poured a clear reddish amber with lasting amber head. Aromas of carmel, earthiness, orange, tangerine, pine and grapefuit. Palate was medium bodied and smooth with a dry finish. Flavors of carmel, grapefruit, orange zest, pine and light eartrhiness with a smooth dry lingering bitter finish.

Tap at the Boilermaker, Philly - 24/05/12. Dark amber orange with a small head that soon thins. Pine aroma, toasty malt, hops and grapefruit on the nose. Taste follows on from the nose with sweet caramel malt, citrus hop, sweet candies. Medium bodied with an alcohol kick.

Fresh aromas of yeast, bready malts and earthy hops. Darkened red/amber with some nice lacing against the glass. Very earthy bitter hops on the top with syrupy caramel malt undertones. There is a huge presence of alcohol on the finish. Overall, this is a delicious red ale with a lot of hops and alcohol. Intense and well done. A- rating.

A very nice red ale, dk why I always forget to rate my ballast point beers. Hoppy, not quite a tongue buckler but close.

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours fairly hazy reddish copper color with a nice 2 finger dense light khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Some good spotty lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of caramel, mango, orange rind, grapefruit, toast, molasses, pine, floral, grass, and herbal spiciness. Pretty good aromas with nice balance; but have a bit of a stale hop feeling to them. Taste of orange zest, grapefruit, caramel, molasses, toast, floral, pine, bread, earth, and herbal spiciness. Fair amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, pine, caramel, toast, molasses, earth, floral, and herbal spiciness on the finish for a while. Good flavor balance with maltiness; but has quite a bit of the old hops taste. A bit of cloying hop bitterness and sweetness. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a fairly creamy and slightly slick mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is pretty well hidden with only a decent warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a pretty good imperial red ale. Some decent flavor balance and complexity; and quite smooth to sip on. I have a feeling this was quite a bit old, but it was still pretty enjoyable.

Bomber. Pours clear mahogany, looking like orangy-brown fall foliage through indirect light. Nose is rich, heavy resiny hops and a huge malt bill. Almost barleywiney nose. Tastes very astringent and resiny, with a huge hop bill that tells me the 107 claim is likely right on the money. The malt is there, but cannot match the hops in this. Mild vinous fruit flavors late, and some caramel malt, but the hops are center stage here. This one is unique, but way too astringent to be great.

Well, Ballast Point offers some great stuff, and this imperial red is a good heavy hitter. Nice red ale aroma emanates from a turbid, red punch. Good imperial, but no 4 + territory for me. A bit unbalanced for a red, but the hops showcased are nice and pungent.

A - Pours a fairly clear red with a bit of orange mixed in with a finger of frothy tannish head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some nice lacing. S - Aroma is full of grapefruit, pineapple, citrus, and pine hops with sweet caramel malts and a bit of dark fruit and booze. T - Starts off with lots of grapefruit, pineapple, orange, and other citrus hops and bitterness with some sweet caramel malts. Through the middle, the pine hops come through with even more bitterness and a touch of dark fruits. The finish is a mix of grapefruit, citrus, and pine hops with some bitterness, some caramel malts, and some booze. M - Medium-plus bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth and a bit resiny with a dry and bitter finish. D - Very drinkable. Nice big hoppy Imperial Red. Good strong hop profile and bitterness throughout with enough malt flavor to balance things out a bit.