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

I bought a 6-pack of Ballantine IPA a month or so ago. Below is how I described that beer in a past thread:

“I was quite impressed by this beer! There is a strong hop aroma; I mostly perceive pine/resin but there is some citrus here as well (more so in the background). There is also a bit of malt on the nose but just a hint. The flavor pretty much follows the nose: a nice hoppy flavor of pine/resin with a bit of citrus. I notice the malt a bit more on the flavor as compared to the nose. The beer has a nice mouthfeel and finish. Overall I would say this beer is a bit more balanced to the hoppy side but there is indeed a pleasant malt backbone as well.”

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.

Cheers!

 

My first Ballantine IPA was from the recent production. I've had Cluster's but I had it over a year ago at Max's 2013 Hopfest. My notes bring it back a bit, but they were quite different. The Ballantine was a bit prominent with the wood, if not directly in the taste but in the mouthfeel. Also, the hop profile was quite different. Cluster's also only used 4 hops compared to the eight or nine by the new Ballantine. I prefer Cluster's.

I don't know if you saw this thread, but they are re-releasing Cluster's.

 

Both of the new ones are good. The biggest differences were that the Cluster's was somehow more astringent - very dry - while the Ballantine did have some woody notes.

I've had the original, Newark-brewed Ballantine IPA; but it was a thirty-year old bottle, so all I can say about that is that it held up OK and would've been an excellent beer in its prime.

 

See I thought the Ballantine's hops were astringent and staccato in nature; while Cluster's was quite restrained and British in nature.

 

I have had the Custer from the bottle, and on draft, recently and I also drank a sixer of Ballantines.

I def prefer Smuttynoses version. More hop forward and less malty than the Ballantines. I was expecting a lot worse from Ballantines, but it's not a bad beer.

 

Hmm. I will have to try them again to make sure I'm not getting them mixed up - I didn't take notes either time. But I'm talking more about the generally astringent mouthfeel of the Cluster, not its hop profile. In any case, I did enjoy both beers, but found the Ballantine a little easier to drink.

 

Smart move indeed- now I have to go and get some. That'll be the first Smutty I've bought in a while, too...

 

Just saw Cluster's today (and the tripel),and Ballantine is around. I intend to do this side by side with friends and see what we think, thanks OP for bringing this up!

 

These are both primarily northeastern in distribution, right? Will be in Virginia in November, wonder if they'll get that far south?

 

Cluster is good.

Ballantine is not.

Simple as that for me.

 

Not sure how you can say Ballentine is not at least "good", oh well. Is is award winning? No. Is it solid even though it's made by Pabst? Yes. It's very pine and malt centric, but it's a solid IPA none the less.

Never had Cluster, never even seen it.

 

I got a couple of Clusters today. I'll definitely hold off on one to do a side by side like you mention, but at least I can familiarize myself with it first.

 

Can someone explain why these two beers are being compared to one another? I'm not aware of their (shared?) history.

 

Unsure of the comparison other than posters curiosity possibly. I was unimpressed by Clusters. Someone posted that it seemed Smuttynose dominated in the collaboration. I would agree. As for the Ballantine, it reminded me of a gold ole Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

 

"Just over a year ago, Smuttynose collaborated with Stone Brewing Co. to brew a beer called Cluster's Last Stand. Inspired by Mitch Steele's comprehensive book on India Pale Ale, this recreation of the original Ballantine IPA recipe was brewed for research purposes and so we could put to use a beer name we'd been sitting on for over five years. "​

 

I enjoyed Cluster's. Found it to be citrusy and extremely drinkable. The bottle had no chance.

 

To add to it, the Ballantine IPA used old varieties of hops, Bullion, Cluster, EKG, Brewers Gold. The Mitch Steele recipe is maybe closer to the original (some say the recipe changed often).

Cluster was the main hop used in U.S. brewing until fairly recently, say 1970s. Now it is only a small fraction of what is grown in the US, hence the catchy name.

 

Yep, I think it had such a delightfully creamy mouth feel to it, which helped to make it smooth and easy to drink. The mouth feel really made it stand out in the crowded IPA market to me.

Ballantine was just bitter and somewhat harsh. I was not enjoying it while I was drinking it.