Beer 212: Ballast Point Samplers for Everyone!

There was so much beer consumed during the great beer-cation of 2012. It is a full two weeks since my return and I'm still writing about the beers consumed on that trip.  I'm so glad that Gary agrees to my hare-brained schemes!

Ballast Point Brewing Company was one of the first breweries we visited and it was definitely among the highlights of this trip.  Honestly for some reason I had decided I didn't like Ballast Point because they were big and hoppy.  I don't know what is wrong with me sometimes.  Seriously.  Look how happy I am drinking their beer!

Sadly not all were mine.

I had three sample pours:

Mmm...mmm...good!

On the left is the Barmy Ale.  Lovely golden ale with a fluffy head that disappeared quickly.  It smelled of apricots and drank with a honey tinged smoothness.  The ABV is 10% on this bad boy...but you would never know it from the taste.  Delicious!  

In the middle is the barrel aged Piper Down Scotch Ale.  This one was aged in bourbon barrels and you can smell it right away...oak, vanilla and bourbon.  The flavor is oaked with lots of malt and vanilla.  There was also some underlying fruit in the flavor.  Another great beer.  

I finished with the Black Marlin Porter.  It looked like cola with a thick tan head.  It smells of roasted malt and coffee.  There's an almost smokiness to the flavor along with chocolate, roast coffee, some licorice even.  Very complex.

Gary's sampler...I totally should have drank
 it when he was in the men's room!

Ballast Point is going in my top 25 list although I'm at a loss as to which specific beer makes it.  Cheers!