The Vendome Wine and Spirits Beer Panel met for the second time, on March 9, 2017. Again we sampled five different beers again, but this time all of the beers were from one brewery – Ballast Point, in San Diego, California. In addition to the Vendome panelists, there were two representatives from Ballast Point, Nicholas and Joey. These two gentlemen put on a fine presentation, supplying the beer and providing loads of information about each sample. If these reviews intrigue you or pique your interest, get yourself over to Vendome Wine and Spirits in Fullerton and use my code, “VEN10C” to get a 10% discount off the purchase price. Oh, and please read responsibly!
The rating system:
0 – I wouldn’t offer this beer to my worst enemy.
1 – I wouldn’t pay for this beer, but it’s alrigjht.
2 – Tasty, but easily forgettable.
3 – I’ve had better, I’ve had worse.
4 – I can see myself buying this beer and ordering seconds.
5 – Just hook up the beer straight to my veins.
Bonito: 4.5% ABV 20 IBU Rating – 3
This Blonde Ale pours clear yellow with a ¾” white head that lasts forever (and left substantial lacing, even in a 2 oz. plastic sample cup). The aroma is a little bit of lemon, but very slight, with just a hint of malt. The flavor is a slight hoppy bitterness, with a little malt at the back end. It fades to a very slight, but pleasant bitterness in the dry finish. The body is light, with high-medium carbonation.
This is a typical Blonde Ale in that the aromas and flavors are quite mild. The 20 IBU is just slightly high for the style (more typically around 15 IBU), which gives the impression of being a little more dry than most Blondes. Overall, it’s a tasty and thirst quenching beer, but not one I would order again (I’m not much of a Blonde Ale drinker – I prefer bigger, more robust flavors). If you like Blonde Ales, you might like this a lot (or you might not, it’s a little more hoppy than a typical Blonde).
Sculpin: 7% ABV 70 IBU Rating – 4
Is there anybody in Southern California who has never had a Sculpin IPA? I doubt it. Sculpin is Ballast Point’s flagship beer – and for good reason. It’s very good, and it’s one of my go-to IPAs.
Sculpin pours a clear golden color, shading toward orange, with an ivory ½” head that fades to a substantial ring. The aroma is citrus, grapefruit and tropical. The flavor is well balanced for an IPA. It’s bitter (but not an overwhelming bitter bomb), with notes of grapefruit, citrus and pine. The body is medium as is the carbonation level.
This is a great example of a West Coast style IPA. If you like IPAs, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Grapefruit Sculpin: 7% ABV 70 IBU Rating – 4
Grapefruit Sculpin is just what you would expect from the name – Sculpin with grapefruit added. The appearance, body, mouth feel, and carbonation level is exactly the same as Sculpin. Here is how the other attributes compare to Sculpin.
The aroma is similar, but slightly sweeter with a little extra grapefruit on the nose. The flavor is grapefruit, of course, but not as strong as one might expect, and not quite as bitter (have you ever eaten a grapefruit half with a little bit of sugar on top?). The nice bittersweet fades to a strong grapefruit flavor for a few seconds. The aftertaste is also bittersweet, and very pleasant.
So what about Grapefruit Sculpin? It’s very good, just like Sculpin, but there is definitely an added layer of depth in the taste. Try drinking Sculpiin and Grapefruit Sculpin side-by-side and you will see what I mean. The differences are noticeable, but nuanced and easy to miss if one is not paying attention. I highly recommend Sculpin and Grapefruit Sculpin.
Manta Ray: 8.5% ABV 70 IBU Rating – 5
This beer is the heavy hitter among these five brews. Manta Ray, a Double IPA, is a new release from Ballast Point.
Manta Ray pours clear yellow with a ¼” white head. The aroma is tropical, bitter, melon, and pine. The flavor is citrus and pine, but well balanced and smooth. The malty sweetness comes through, but is well covered by citrus, piney bitterness and melon. The body is medium to medium-high with low-medium carbonation and a smooth, creamy mouth feel. The alcohol is fairly high, although low to medium for the style, and is not noticeable in the flavor.
This beer is AWESOME – the best of the evening. I bought a 6-pack before I left Vendome (yes, I used my discount code). I highly recommend this beer to any serious IPA or DIPA drinker.
Barmy: 12% ABV 32 IBU Rating – 4
Barmy is a strong Golden Ale brewed with orange blossom honey and apricots. It pours a clear golden yellow with an ivory head that rapidly fades to a fairly thin ring. The aroma is sweet, cider-like, but with no alcohol (surprising, given the high alcohol content).
The flavor is all about the fruit, similar to a mead. It’s sweet, but there is a noticeable apricot tartness, and notes of orange. The alcohol comes through late on the palate, but it’s not hot or unpleasant. Carbonation is low, with medium-heavy body.
Barmy is excellent. It is bursting with flavor, and easy to drink. Be careful, however, at 12% ABV, a little goes a long way. This is another Ballast Point brew that I can highly recommend.
Well, there you have it. Ballast Point Brewing is truly one of the West Coast’s finest breweries (BTW, I toured their Miramar brewing facility on February 6, 2017). If you want to give any of these beers (or all of them) a try, go to Vendome in Fullerton and purchase them. Be sure to use code “VEN10C” to get a 10% discount off the price of these beers. If you can’t get down to Vendome in Fullerton, then by all means, buy them wherever you can.
Cheers!