Ballast Point California Kölsch
Editor’s Note: Previously known as Yellowtail Pale Ale
The beer that launched Ballast Point. Our original Pale Ale is a rich golden brew, crafted with aromatic German hops and rounded out with a blend of American and Munich malts. While it’s hopped like a lager, we ferment it like an ale to create a smooth, bright taste that has just a hint of fruit and spice. It’s extremely drinkable, like a Kolsch should be, yet complex, like a good craft beer demands.
The beer that launched Ballast Point. Our original Pale Ale is a rich golden brew, crafted with aromatic German hops and rounded out with a blend of American and Munich malts. While it’s hopped like a lager, we ferment it like an ale to create a smooth, bright taste that has just a hint of fruit and spice. It’s extremely drinkable, like a Kolsch should be, yet complex, like a good craft beer demands.
3
813 reviews
San Diego, United States
Community reviews
On tap at Ballast Point Temecula. Clear light gold color. Legitimate kolsch, plain, malty, watery, decent really compared to what you'd get in Cologne. Satisfying, but the style is kinda lame.
Aroma: Hoppy light aroma.
Appearence: golden, clear, minimal.
taste: Medium sweet, Light bitter, light sour.
Palate: very light body with a thin texture and a soft carbonation.
Feels like a corona.
355ml bottle at home. Pours clear yellow orange golden with an off white head with lacing. Aroma: biscuit malts, toasted, light hay, moderate hoppy, citrus, a little pepper. Taste: light to moderate sweet, light malts, grassy, hint of spices. Medium Bodied, soft carbonation, slight oily texture. Dry-ish finish
Pleasant malty aroma. Medium white head, hazy golden color. Medium sweet, light bitterness. Medium to high carbonation.
Bottle at Vista village Pub. Clear Golden with little head. Malty aroma and taste.
12oz bottle. Clean and dry without a huge hop presence. I like this (lower) alcohol, session-able beers, especially when they aren't short on flavor. The malts are light but substantive with cereal notes. The hops are more on the grassy side. Everything comes together seamlessly.
Editor’s Note: Previously known as Yellowtail Pale AleThe beer that launched Ballast Point. Our original Pale Ale is a rich golden brew, crafted with aromatic German hops and rounded out with a blend of American and Munich malts. While it’s hopped like a lager, we ferment it like an ale to create a smooth, bright taste that has just a hint of fruit and spice. It’s extremely drinkable, like a Kolsch should be, yet complex, like a good craft beer demands.
Bottle from Facebook in Menlo Park, CA. Aroma is sweet nuts, acorns maybe. Taste is sweet and mildly nutty since it's a Kolsch and ultimately fairly boring.
Draft taproom. Pours golden with a white head. Aroma is sweat, grasses. Flavor is biscuit, bitter grasses, burnt caramel. Solid. Perhaps not completely kolsch like.
I like it. Not my favorite kolsch but still a very pleasant brew
Light but very good smell of spices...kinda like bubblegum...nice cloudy look...taste is lighter than expected...more watery with some very light sweetness (bubblegum) And some lemongrass...too watery though...at black market pre-opening...
Not great for me with an aftertaste I don't like. .............................
LCI. Uit de fles geschonken. Nice lager-ish beer, malty and fresh. Nothing special.
To my surprise this really feels like a kolsh. Very easy to drink. Smooth malts, light sweetness. Surprisingly good! (On tap at Parkside)
风格：Kölsch
酒精度：5.2%vol
原麦汁浓度：11.7°P
灌装日期：2017.01.04
饮用日期：2017.05.30
饮用温度：4℃-8℃
外观：非常干净通透的亮赤金色，色度估计在6左右，泡沫稳定后如薄雾漂浮在酒体上。
香气：适度的蜂蜜甘甜感的麦芽气息配合轻微酒花香气的感觉，一些水啤金属酸气息。
味道：入口轻微的酒花香气配合并不算浅薄的酒体，适度的麦芽清亮甘甜味，收口一些清苦、一些酸感、轻微的甘甜。回味酒花清香持久性不错。平衡性不错。
口感：沙口感中等略偏上，酒体中等偏下但不浅薄，入口顺滑能持久感受到适度的麦芽甘甜，收口展现出适度的清苦，延展性很不错，表现出清爽的特性。
总体印象：科隆啤酒是一款经典的使用艾尔酵母上发酵，但模仿拉格啤酒进行贮藏的风格。一般在装瓶时再进行过滤，使得酒体更为干净。这款Ballast Point出产的科隆啤酒还是体现出了该风格的基本特征——适度的麦芽蜂蜜甘甜酒花清苦感、非常干净清爽的酒体、顺滑不过干的酒体，使得该款酒平衡而易饮。类似捷克皮尔森，科隆啤酒也是一种清爽的可以不断饮用的啤酒，同样也配餐百搭。
建议饮用温度3℃-8℃
Can at home, all alone. Clear golden with a huge head. The aroma is citrus and corny grain. Lots of lemon soap. The body is light and effervescent, the flavor is grainy with a bit of turpentine after taste. Lemony and crisp finish. Not the best kolsch.
I think this is actually decent, I like it more than I expected to. It pours clear yellow/orange with a quick fading bit of foam. The aroma is to the malty side, sort of a sugary vanilla, plus notes like roses and citrus. The flavor is slightly malty, too. Not overly malty, but this beer isn’t a hop explosion. I could drink this again.
This is the cask aged version from their SD pub. It's very citrusy, and the lemon and lime are quite strong. It has a nice rounded full body for a kolsch, almost puts it out of the style.
On tap. Pours a clear golden color with a head that fades quickly. Aroma of citrus, fruit and bit of malt sweetness. Taste of fruit and slight malt sweetness. Mild bitterness and a clean finish. Light body and quite smooth. Not bad but doesn’t come across as a true Kolsch.
Tap at the Hair of the Dog, Phrom Phong Ballast Point tap takeover. Poured a clear light amber with a frothy white head. The aroma is grainy malt, cardboard, light fruit. The flavour is light bitter light sweet with a light watery light fruit light hop bitter palate. Medium to light bodied with average carbonation. Kinda light all round really and a little bland.
Bottle from a 7Eleven in San Diego. Clear golden with a medium white head. Quite sweet with malt, grass, some perfume and light hops. The body was on the light side. Soft and easy to drink.
Kölsch? I’m sure the original "pale ale" name was leaving hop heads disappointed but this is no Kölsch either. Crisp but that’s about it.
Bottle. Pours clear golden, no head. Aroma is strong pale malts, sweet, yet totally unlike a real Kölsch. Body is medium, with a soft but crisp carbonation, a bit oily on the tongue. Light bitterness, little sweetness. Palate lingers with some sweetness. Nothing off, but not much reminiscence of a Kölsch.
12 oz bottle. Man this isn’t good. The pour is a darker golden orange with a thick white head that leaves a bit of lace as it falls. This is nothing like you’d expect from a kölsch. It’s way too dark. The aroma is metallic and malty. There is a light yeast, but this is not clean or crisp. It’s got a little bit of a sweet caramel to it as well, which I’m not a fan of. The flavor is much of the same. The heavy malt and light sweet yeast don’t match up when you’re wanting in a kölsch. The mouth feel is definitely thicker and heavier than it should be with a softer carbonation and a lingering metallic malty sweetness. This isn’t good at all.
Bottle pour. Clear golden yellow with a small white head. Aroma is corn and banana. Medium body. Light sweet with a small bitter finish.
A crisp but bitter and a tad sour Kolsch style beer. It is one of my least favorite Ballast Point beers.
Pale golden color with a white soapy head of foam. Aromas and flavors consisted of sweet cereal, delicate florals, light lemon tang, subtle banana and spicy hops.
355ml bottle from Beervana. Santiago, November 2016. Pours a clear golden color with a big white frothy head that diminishes quickly but leaves a nice film. Aroma is well balanced with floral and perfumey hops very clear right away. Grainy and bready malts as backbone, fruity touches, mostly of melon and a hint of banana. A bit spicy. Interesting as an alternative to Belgian Witbiers. Taste is mellow, quite neutral with mild fruity and spicy flavors. Cereal and bready notes dominate. Interesting. Very refreshing, lager like. A bit watery, but that’s OK. Medium carbonation. Very nice twist on a Kölsch. I would gladly have this in my fridge as a Session beer.
Poured from bottle. Full frothy head. Cloudy orange tan color. Light fruits, light hops. Lively carbonation. Light body. It's decent. Some spice. Musk.
Poured from a can. Cloudy gold. Almost no head or aroma. Sweet fruity taste. Pretty good.