Come About Imperial Stout
Ballast Point Brewing Company

 

Presentation: Sampled at the 7th Annual San Diego Strong Ale Festival which was hosted at the Pizza Port in Carlsbad during the first weekend in December. Listed as 8.4% ABV on the Beer List that was handed out. This was also served directly from the Cask, and was properly Cask Conditioned.

Appearance: Lovely smooth pour that revealed a very dark brown body, huge amounts of natural dissolved carbonation demonstrated that this was properly cask-conditioned beer as opposed to just being a racked off beer from a cask. Nice. A smooth creamy light brown head formed slowly as the carbonation settled down. Excellent lacing forms as the beer is imbibed. Fantastic presentation.

Nose: Smelled like a rich Hot Chocolate, the cocoa comes through strongly. The ending is somewhat bitter in the odor, like dark Cooking Chocolate.

Taste: Sweet malts start the beer as the chocolate rises to the middle of the beer. Some light toffee and caramel feel that was balanced by a bitterness that was in turn astringent in character. Has a lovely, very mild but warming alcohol feel in the swallow.

Mouthfeel: Extremely smooth in the mouth and velvety on the tongue. The conditioning from the Cask was just perfect. Excellent.

Drinkability: It went down well, so much so that I had a couple of these over the weekend. Dangerously smooth for 8.4%. Incredibly quaffable.

Overall: I like drinking properly cask-conditioned beer whenever I get chance and I have to say that the guys at Pizza Port certainly know how to look after it. The people and locations linked with the Pizza Port Strong Ale Festival consistently serve the best Cask-Conditioned beers that I have drunk in the US, and the Come About Imperial Stout was another one to be proud of.

Congratulations to Ballast Point, another winner.

Sampled at the 7th Annual San Diego Strong Ale Festival held at the Carlsbad Pizza Port. Listed at 8.4% ABV on the beer list and cask-conditioned. Had a nice uniform ebony color and a modest mocha-hued head and decent levels of sheet lace. The smell had a roast coffee and cocoa aroma over earthy dark malt notes and hints of spicy hops. The taste was sweetly chocolaty up front with some burnt grains. A more astringent bitter flavor, of espresso beans, came across mid-range and finished with a bittersweet spiciness. Some alcohol notes were tasted on the lips. The feel was full, rich, and smooth with little carbonation.
I enjoyed this offering from Ballast Point. It had a smoothness and pleasant flavor that made it easy to drink. Nicely balanced and a well-crafted brew.

Sampled @ Strong Ale Fest San Diego

The beer pours the color of Onyx with the head creamy light chocolate brown and portly in size with the resultant lace a fine curtain to conceal the glass. Nose is that of rich toasted grains, coffee and bittersweet chocolate, fresh and pleasing to the olfactory senses, start is rich chocolate malt, sweet and the top thick and rich. Finish is mild in its carbonation with the hops purposeful in their spiciness, bitter-sweet dry aftertaste, quite a tasty brew tis' true!