PDubyah: Beer - #98 - Ballast Point

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Beer - #98 - Ballast Point - Big Eye IPA

Big Eye IPA is Brewed by Ballast Point Brewing Company in the style of an India Pale Ale (IPA)
and that all happens in San Diego, California USA.

If you have fallen for the IPA style like we have, Big Eye will be a welcome addition to your repertoire. You’ll revel in Big Eye’s bitter, hoppy flavor thanks to the American Columbus and Centennial hops that are used to flavor and dry hop our flagship IPA. We thank our hops every day that the English loved their bitters—or else the IPA style may not have been born to help the beer survive the journey from Cape Hope to India back in the 18th century.

I like the self confidence that they have in this. In the American way this is a 6.5% ABV beer, in a giant 650ml bottle, which looks very old world in style, but not that i'd generally comment on the container. 650ml though is an awkward sized thing though, a glass and a half.

I'm expecting bitter and grassy from the hops, and I'm also expecting a warm malty finish. Is what I expect from this.

The aroma is instantly familiar bitter beer smell, it's fantastic deep rimu colour, and has a fair head on it. So far so good.

The hops are twangy and there is the undernote of the malts and caramel. It isn't overly grassy (hoppy) and has a decent length. Yeah that's not half bad. I get also a floral taste, which is nicer than it sounds and is actually a bit pleasant. I don't think I can rave about this being a leader or breaking new ground for a beer, but it's in the leading breakaway pack. But it is very competent, very very competent. and accomplished, and that's pretty much on the money for an beer, and this would be a beer for a session.

The sad thing is that as a session beer I find that I'm home alone enjoying this, Neville-no-mates, and that's a pity because I wish there were others here and I could get all up in the face about how much of a party in my mouth this is. I started, as I always do with a new beer, enjoying and savouring each sip (gulp) and with this I just ended up enjoying it as a quaffing beer. It's sneakily a very good beer.

If you like IPA you could do a lot worse than getting your own party in a bottle, the Pdubyah-o-meter doesn't have an issue with making this an easy 8 random things from its own random measure, resulting in something I'd go out of my way to drink.

Not all the way to San Diego to drink, but if there is ever an opportunity, and after we've been to Sea World then Ballast Point would be getting a reservation for a big night in.