Ballast Point Tap Takeover: Wednesday, December 14th at The Linkery
Twenty years ago Jack White opened Home Brew Mart, a place where dedicated beer fans could get the “good stuff” for their home brews. The store was an immediate success. Five years later Jack and his friend Yuseff Cherney opened Ballast Point Brewing in the back room of Home Brew Mart. The many fans of the store spread the word about the quality of Ballast Point’s products and demand skyrocketed.
In 2010, Ballast Point won three gold medals for their beers, as well as the “Small Brewery Champion” award at the World Beer Cup. BeerAdvocate says that they currently have 68 styles of beer in production. We’re not doing all those flavors this week, but we are giving our taps over to Ballast Point this Wednesday. Do stop by to try some of the best that San Diego has to offer.
Here are your options:
Victory at Sea (different versions on cask and draft) 10% – Imperial Porter. Brewed with cold extracted, freshly brewed coffee, specially roasted by our friends at Cafe Calabria. The addition of vanilla adds a layer of complexity and the result is full flavored, rich and delicious.
Sculpin IPA (different versions will be on cask and draft) 7% – Showcases bright flavors and aromas of apricot, peach, mango & lemon. The lighter body also brings out the crispness of the hops. This delicious Ballast Point Ale won a gold medal at the World Beer Cup 2010 in the International Pale Ale category
Barrel Aged Black Marlin Porter 6% – Rich, dark, chocolaty porter with distinctive American hop character. Great with hearty foods and desserts.
Brother Levonian Saison 5.5% – Saison/Farmhouse Ale. Smells of Belgium and pale malts. Some light funk. Tastes like a crisp and clean Belgian Saison. Some bitterness and earthiness. Brother Levonian Saison is named for the late Dave Levonian, a San Diegan who was a great homebrewer, an avid beer enthusiast and generally just a really good person. Ballast Point is donating all of the money from the beer to his daughter’s college fund.
Navigator Doppelbock 8.9% – (A doppelbock is traditionally a Bavarian specialty beer which is deep gold to dark brown, with a large, creamy, persistent head and strong malty aroma.) Caramel, toffee, toasted bread, prunes/dates. Alcohol is well-hidden by the malts. A little chocolate at the end.
Barrel Aged Sea Monster Stout 8% – Oatmeal stout. Roasted coffee notes, bittersweet chocolate, currant, balanced with hops.
Tongue Buckler 10% Imperial Red Ale. Big caramel presence up front. The malt is offset by huge citrus hop bitterness on the back end. There’s mango, tangerine and a bit of pineapple. Some booze is apparent in the finish and there’s a lingering bitter aftertaste. The beer is full bodied, quite thick and viscous.
Calico 5.5% – Amber Ale. A rich complexity comes from four types of malt—but it’s those distinct American hops that offer a crisp bitterness and unique floral aroma. To round out te traditional-English-yet-very-American Amber Ale, they use a proprietary yeast to develop a fruity, Madeira-like richness.
Wahoo Wheat 4% – Belgian Witbier-styled Wheat. Brewed to be light and refreshing—with a unique citrus character that comes from adding orange peel and coriander to the boil. What gives our Wahoo Wheat—and other wheat beers—a hazy appearance is the unmalted wheat it’s made from. A special yeast contributes to this beer’s refreshing tangy flavor—quite different from the banana and clovey Hefeweizens of Bavaria.