Resurrecting an IPA: Cluster's Last Stand vs Pabst's Ballantine

Great review @JackHorzempa , thanks much. I like the Ballentine, very solid IPA from a BMC company. I'm still seeking the Custer but I see it's on deck at Tjs.

 

I find that the heavily metallic Pabst's rendition is probably quite accurate to the original recipe. I'd love to dig deeper into the matter. As far as the Smuttynose and Stone collaboration, I've not had it, yet.

 

Mr. Zid,

I would like to think that as the second person to post to your thread with a mention of: “I sent an e-mail to one of my local beer stores requesting a couple of bottles of the Smuttynose-Stone Cluster’s Last Stand beer. If I am able to get this beer I intend to conduct a side-by-side tasting of this beer with the Ballantine IPA version.” that maybe some of that 90% goes my way!?!

Cheers!

Jack

 

The short answer is no.

The longer answer is I gave here a piece of paper and a pen and stated: "You can right down your evaluation notes here." She 'replied' with a dirty look. So, she wrote a few things down but I could tell her heart wasn't into my attempts to 'formalize' this tasting exercise. At the end I meekly asked: Do you prefer one over the other? She replied: Cluster's Last Stand. I offered her the remainder of what was left in the glass of Cluster's Last Stand which she enthusiastically drank. At this point I figured I should just leave things on a good note.

My guess (with little real knowledge here) is she preferred the hop profile of Cluster's Last Stand. There is a significant difference between these two beers (to my palate) wrt hop profile. The Cluster's Last Stand was dominated by citrus flavor/aroma while the Ballantine IPA had more of a resin/pine quality (with citrus in the background).

Cheers!

Jack

 

At this point I may as well post my notes from the other thread, just to keep everything in the same place:

Clusters Last Stand- Aroma is slight, with tangerine, light caramel and fir trees, but overall quite airy. Alcohol can be detected deep down in the nose. The palate has a moderate fullness and good balance that starts to lean heavily on the bitterness at the end. Mid-palate is moderately resiny and citrusy, becoming biscuity which leads into a lingering bitterness. Pleasant and easy drinking.

Ballantine IPA- Immediately noticable is a dense creamy head. The aroma is assertively resinous, with contributions from light toffee, woodiness, dried apricots and lemon peel. This all comes across as a singluar element. The palate has a rich mouthfeel, very resiny flavors, and an intense lingering bitterness. Fruit (orange marmalade) comes on mid-palate, and wood comes on late and sticks around with the bitterness. Very cohesive.



I've previously described Ballantine IPA as lush yet rugged, and can't come up with anything better.

So, what's the bottom line in this tale of two beers? To me the Ballantine has that extra something, a real stately feel to it with seemingly contradictory but ultimately well-integrated qualities. The Clusters Last Stand is a nice beer with a brighter appeal to it. Up against the Ballantine, though, it seems like it is pulling its punches. But try both if you can.

 

Just picked up both of these beers and can't wait to crack them open !

I used to drink Ballantine IPA back in the day (late 80's and 90's), that was one of my "Go-To" beers.

 

I enjoyed both, but prefer the Cluster's. Ballantine has a solid malt backbone and some hop complexity, but I found the wood/oak to be a little too strong. Cluster's is definitely more citrusy. A nice modern twist on an old recipe.

 

I'm an old-timer who grew up in NJ. 62 years old. Back in the day we drank lots of Ballantine IPA. Between '71-'74 especially. My buds and I were ocean lifeguards in Seaside Heights and the Ballantine IPA was our "house beer" in those years. Many 6'ers were consumed.

One of my top 5 beers is SN Bigfoot and from my recollection every time I sip a BF it reminds me of the old Ballantine IPA. Similar woody, tannic notes especially. Very much like a toned-down BF to me.

It was a FANTASTIC beer for those days.

 

I had Cluster's Last Stand tonight and I thought it was quite good. I would still like to try the Ballantine IPA someday.

 

I'm very anxious to sample the Pabst version and see if it compares. It's not available in the FL market yet as far as I know. It's been awhile since I had Burton Baton but to my recollection it didn't remind me much of the old Ballantine IPA brewed in Newark.

 

Just tried these straight up next to each other. I have to say they are really close. Clusters as ever so slightly more alcohol finish. Both great.

 

Ok here goes ......

The Ballantine does taste like I remember it, which is VERY distinctive.

At first I could not believed that these were two interpretations of the same beer, but as I drank them more and more I did realize that they were very similar.

The previous reviews and tasting notes were spot on about these two beers which I thought were both very good.

I thought that Cluster's was very well put together, buy in my opinion I do prefer the Ballantine. It has such a distinctive taste. I would urge others to give the Ballantine a try and when you try it ......... don't take two sips and poo-poo it.

This beer it needs to grow on you a bit as that "bite" is pretty strong.

 

I really enjoyed Ballantine. It certainly has distinction within the sea of IPAs

 

It's a good beer but I first drank this in the mid-70's and I think it's different from the Ballantine of that time. That Ballantine didn't have a fruit juice taste it was more like British beer. When I went to England for the first time all the best bitters and that type reminded me of Ballantine's IPA - not exactly the same but in that line. The restored one to me seems more like what the breweries do since Sierra Nevada started. Just my two cents.