Grunion Pale Ale | Ballast Point Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Ballast Point Brewing Company
California, United States
ballastpoint.com
Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.50%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
Our Grunion Pale Ale wasn’t born on a beach, but in a backyard. Originating from an employee-only home brew contest, this award-winning hoppy pale ale is named after the tiny local fish known for late night frolics on shore. A pair of new hop varieties lend strong yet balanced summer melon aromas and herbal flavors, while a soft caramel malt sweetness holds it all together.
Added by barleytimes619 on 10-02-2013
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 1,421 | Reviews: 263
4.73/5 rDev +16.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Crisp pale ale with a nice finish that makes you smack you lips and get ready for that next sip. Floral and very well balanced bouquet of hops the whole way through. First time I have picked it up and I have concern I might never put it down!
244 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Crisp pale ale with a nice finish that makes you smack you lips and get ready for that next sip. Floral and very well balanced bouquet of hops the whole way through. First time I have picked it up and I have concern I might never put it down!
244 characters
3.77/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.03/5 rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Nice bitterness, sits really well in the mouth and lingers a bit but not for too long. Not much aroma but makes up for it in taste. A nice pale ale all around, not too complex but rather straight to the point. Will definitely buy again.
236 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Nice bitterness, sits really well in the mouth and lingers a bit but not for too long. Not much aroma but makes up for it in taste. A nice pale ale all around, not too complex but rather straight to the point. Will definitely buy again.
236 characters
3.75/5 rDev -7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.01/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pours light gold-gold with a white head and very nice lacing. Aroma is fairly weak, but is indicative of a standard pale ale with piney and citrus aromas. Taste is a bit stronger than the aroma would have you expecting. An even blend of citrus and pine with breadiness in the malt - which is in the background - but it is there. Feel is medium carbonated and medium mouthfeel. Overall, a good Pale Ale. Nothing to complain about here. Certainly drinkable and a bit dry on the finish which I like.
496 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pours light gold-gold with a white head and very nice lacing. Aroma is fairly weak, but is indicative of a standard pale ale with piney and citrus aromas. Taste is a bit stronger than the aroma would have you expecting. An even blend of citrus and pine with breadiness in the malt - which is in the background - but it is there. Feel is medium carbonated and medium mouthfeel. Overall, a good Pale Ale. Nothing to complain about here. Certainly drinkable and a bit dry on the finish which I like.
496 characters
4.16/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.77/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Got one at GSA Party, UCSD.
Felt very much like an IPA. It is unbalanced for a pale ale, as all I got was the hoppiness, but could not discern the malt back.
157 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Got one at GSA Party, UCSD.
Felt very much like an IPA. It is unbalanced for a pale ale, as all I got was the hoppiness, but could not discern the malt back.
157 characters
4.5/5 rDev +10.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
3.3/5 rDev -18.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
L: light golden, clear, thin head
S: Grapefruit rind, slightly grassy, piney
T: Bitter up front, grapefruit rind, slight lemon, with a metallic tone. Minimal malt, doesn't develop when chill comes off
F: thin, with lingering bitterness
O: My first Ballast Point beer, not taken with it. The bittering is not balanced with malt sweetness or yeast fruitiness.
364 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
L: light golden, clear, thin head
S: Grapefruit rind, slightly grassy, piney
T: Bitter up front, grapefruit rind, slight lemon, with a metallic tone. Minimal malt, doesn't develop when chill comes off
F: thin, with lingering bitterness
O: My first Ballast Point beer, not taken with it. The bittering is not balanced with malt sweetness or yeast fruitiness.
364 characters
4.08/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
2.95/5 rDev -27.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
To be clear, my taste buds are not quite refined, but here's my take anyway (partially for my own reference later). This was a fine beer, and good. But, it wasn't really notable. I purchased it thinking it was an IPA and found it to taste kind of like an IPA but have less kick. Then I log on here and found it's a pale ale (hey look, the label says that too).
If an Indian from New Delhi offers to make a meal, I hope for a meal that's absolutely New Delhi-ish. An Indian from Hyderabad ought to make a dish that's his version of Indian cuisine, complete with overkill turmeric with a side dish of a sermon on the health benefits of turmeric and drinking water from copper vessels. If a Mexican offers to prepare a meal, I hope he's wearing a sombrero, speaks nothing but Spanish, and makes something that's all Mex and no Tex.
Perhaps that's my problem with pale ales. Though generally likable, I appreciate the up front, overkill harshness of a DIPA / Imperial IPA, followed by a very long lasting finish. Therefore, to me, this pale ale seems maybe too likable. Maybe like somebody wanted to crank it to eleven, but instead there was a committee that determined most people would prefer a good loud 5 or 6.
1,226 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
To be clear, my taste buds are not quite refined, but here's my take anyway (partially for my own reference later). This was a fine beer, and good. But, it wasn't really notable. I purchased it thinking it was an IPA and found it to taste kind of like an IPA but have less kick. Then I log on here and found it's a pale ale (hey look, the label says that too).
If an Indian from New Delhi offers to make a meal, I hope for a meal that's absolutely New Delhi-ish. An Indian from Hyderabad ought to make a dish that's his version of Indian cuisine, complete with overkill turmeric with a side dish of a sermon on the health benefits of turmeric and drinking water from copper vessels. If a Mexican offers to prepare a meal, I hope he's wearing a sombrero, speaks nothing but Spanish, and makes something that's all Mex and no Tex.
Perhaps that's my problem with pale ales. Though generally likable, I appreciate the up front, overkill harshness of a DIPA / Imperial IPA, followed by a very long lasting finish. Therefore, to me, this pale ale seems maybe too likable. Maybe like somebody wanted to crank it to eleven, but instead there was a committee that determined most people would prefer a good loud 5 or 6.
1,226 characters
3.87/5 rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Amber orange color with a thick two finger head with decent retention.
Nice citrusy aroma with notes of tangerines, pine, grapefruit, slightly toasted malts, melon and American yeast.
Bitter flavor with notes of pine, grapefruit, tangerines, slightly toasted malts, onion, caramel and melon. Dry aftertaste with a pungent bitterness.
Light to medium body with appropriate carbonation.
Very good exemplar of traditional second generation hoppy APA (IPA borderline) with bold citrusy, piney and spicy notes. Not world changer, but it is flawless.
544 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Amber orange color with a thick two finger head with decent retention.
Nice citrusy aroma with notes of tangerines, pine, grapefruit, slightly toasted malts, melon and American yeast.
Bitter flavor with notes of pine, grapefruit, tangerines, slightly toasted malts, onion, caramel and melon. Dry aftertaste with a pungent bitterness.
Light to medium body with appropriate carbonation.
Very good exemplar of traditional second generation hoppy APA (IPA borderline) with bold citrusy, piney and spicy notes. Not world changer, but it is flawless.
544 characters
3.93/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.54/5 rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
4.25/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.97/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.12/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.88/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.04/5 rDev -25.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Grunion Pale Ale from Ballast Point Brewing Company
Beer rating:
4.07 out of
5 with
1,421 ratings
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