Ballistic Pale
Ballistic Beer Co.

Ballistic Brewing Co. I like these guys/girls, they’re a local brewer for me based out of Salisbury (Brisbane, not the UK supermarket) and they’re doing some interesting stuff these days (see my review of their Driftwood Oaked XPA). So as a special treat to myself – tonight I’ll be reviewing not 1 but 2 new Ballistic beers [insert: hushed awe from a live studio audience]. First up is their Pale, which has an intriguing hop bill with: Magnum, Ekuanot (which I ne'er heard of), Cascade, and Azacca – I noticed Founders made a single hop IPA with this hop. Hmmm… some classics mixed in with some new-kidz-on-the-block (must be spelled with a ‘z’). Will it “quench our thirsts during long, hot Queensland summers” as the label proclaims? Probably yes.

Poured from a 375ml can into a nonic pint.

A: Clear golden body, plenty of carbonation action inside the glass, with a slightly off-white cappuccino foam head and splotches of lace on the sides. Looks rather like a Pale Ale if I’ve ever seen one, and I have. 7/10.

S: Tropical hops such as papaya, mango and pineapple hints mingle with a funky rubber note (which isn’t unusual in hop-driven beers) and a thin cracker/biscuit malt base. This is a BIG hop-forward Pale Ale, I haven’t come across one this bold in ages, these days Pale Ale (in Australia at least) has been code for “we want it to be light and fruity to draw the entry-craft crowd into our core range”. What Ballistic have done here with this aroma is punch in an IPA-worthy scent, muchas kudos! 9/10.

T: Flavour takes a big step back and is much more subdued than expected, but nonetheless this is a tasty Pale Ale. Profile begins with that rubber note, then proceeds with green papaya & mango, pineapple hints, dry cracker and biscuit base centre, grassy hop towards the finish with a medium to mild bitterness and a long dry note at the end. Not bad at all, the flavour was never going to live up to that BIG bold aroma at 5.2% ABV however it gets close. 8/10.

M: Medium bodied with a slight gassy and dense carbonation, all rather classic as far as Pale Ale mouthfeels go. 7/10.

D: I can totally see this as the beer that will “quench our thirsts during long, hot Queensland summers”, and will be eyeing off a 4-pack or 3 come the Brisbane summer (which is almost never-ending and quite hot being in the sub-sub tropics). This beer actually reminded me of Pirate Life Pale Ale *sigh*. So yeah, great job Ballistic, you guys/girls rock, keep the new releases coming. 7/10.

Food match: Could see this pairing well with a Vietnamese green papaya salad.