Calm Before the Storm
Ballast Point Brewing Company in San Diego, California, United States 🇺🇸
Cream Ale Rotating|
Score
6.92
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Calm Before the Storm came from a quest for a warm weather alternative to our Victory at Sea Imperial Porter. Like its more robust cousin, we infuse a punch of flavor using cold brewed Caffé Calabria coffee and a hint of vanilla. But this time, we added it to a lighter-bodied golden cream ale. The end result is a surprisingly bright, coffee-forward beer that’s perfectly refreshing.
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6.3/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle from Tanakaya. Pours a deep gold with a small white head. Grassy aromas with some light coffee, fruit and cream. Vanilla comes out a little as it warms. Vanilla overwhelms the palate with a bitter espresso-like finish that lingers with some hop bitterness in there too. Kind of weird to be honest. Body is a little watery, but it’s interesting. --- Beer merged from original tick of Calm Before The Storm on 06 Sep 2015 at 20:45 - Score: 6
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Sep 2015
at 05:55
6.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 7
12 ounce bottle from Beer Run. Clear copper, large foamy off-white head, good retention. Aroma of coffee, corn, pale malt. The taste is coffee, corn, pale malt, grassy hops, a faint bit of vanilla. Medium bodied, mild lingering bitterness.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Aug 2015
at 20:54
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Draught @ Whole Foods 7th Ave Pub, San Diego, CA Pours dark orange with a smooth head. Aroma of creamy malts, caramel, toffee, syrup and vanilla. Taste is sweetish, malty, creamy and caramely with some vanilla, toffee and syrup. Finish is sweet, sugary and caramely with some creamy notes, vanilla and toffee. Sweet and smooth.
Tried
on 23 Aug 2015
at 22:42
7.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
Pours gold into a shaker. White head with little retention recedes to mottle surface. Vanilla and coffee aromas. Sweet coffee and vanilla upfront turning to caramel and marshmallow in the medium length finish. Surprising order to the taste... expected the opposite.
Tried
on 21 Aug 2015
at 16:05
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
12 oz bottle poured. I’m really entertained that all of these Ballast Point beer names stick to a theme, and almost tell a story. I know I’m watching to see what’s next. Pours a bright golden color with a fading foam head. Fresh coffee bean aroma. Flavor is thick and creamy, heavy with coffee and sweet vanilla coffee creamer, exactly as advertised. The espresso roasted flavor has quite the similarity to the Victory at Sea. Very accurate to the goal here, and very well executed. Unique addition to the cream ale style, much due to the overwhelming wealth of flavor going on here. Damn tasty.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Aug 2015
at 22:06
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
This was poured into a pint glass.
The appearance was a nice looking transparent hazy burnt orange to ruddy yellow color. A one finger white foamy head started and glided gently into the beer. Lacing was semi-sticky and mostly messy in its arrangement around the glass.
The smell had a nice sweet vanilla rolling into a light bitter to sweet cocoa and a sly bitter coffee bean to balance.
The taste was sticky sweet with the vanilla taking hold to gloss over the sweet contour of the cocoa. Light bitter coffee beans come back nicely. A smooth sweet vanilla/coffee aftertaste rolls into the finish.
On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a really nice sessionability about it. Carbonation runs nice and smooth underneath. Not as creamy on my tongue, but nice.
Overall, for a cream ale, this one is a bit different, mostly hits the marks of the style. A bit different, but I say try it if you see it.
The appearance was a nice looking transparent hazy burnt orange to ruddy yellow color. A one finger white foamy head started and glided gently into the beer. Lacing was semi-sticky and mostly messy in its arrangement around the glass.
The smell had a nice sweet vanilla rolling into a light bitter to sweet cocoa and a sly bitter coffee bean to balance.
The taste was sticky sweet with the vanilla taking hold to gloss over the sweet contour of the cocoa. Light bitter coffee beans come back nicely. A smooth sweet vanilla/coffee aftertaste rolls into the finish.
On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a really nice sessionability about it. Carbonation runs nice and smooth underneath. Not as creamy on my tongue, but nice.
Overall, for a cream ale, this one is a bit different, mostly hits the marks of the style. A bit different, but I say try it if you see it.
Tried
on 19 Aug 2015
at 16:14