Fathom India Pale Lager - Ballast Point Brewing Company

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.33/5  rDev -17%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

I tend to really enjoy well done Imperial Pilsners so I got excited when I saw this on the tap list at Reservoir in Waterbury. Seemed to miss the point of the style for me though. From notes.

A - Poured golden to dark golden with a half finger white head. Bright. Good ring of lace and film of retention.

S - Citrus. Orange. Not much going on.

T - Noble hop, orange, honey.

M - Good carbonation, light body, medium bitterness.

O/D - Weaker for the style. Missing that strong, delicious noble hop profile. Tastes good, but just didn't want more of this interpretation of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

05-08-2013 16:08:50 | More by tbeckett

LarryK

New York

4.36/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Had on tap at Rattle N Hum in NYC. Pours a nice deep orange; looks nothing like a lager on first blush.

Smell: Aromatic of a floral/citrusy IPA, with a very small trace of lager coming through on the nose.

Taste: Tastes like an exceptionally hopped-up lager. Incredibly delicious and refreshing. Drinks quite crisply despite near-7% ABV. The only other beers I've had that tasted similar are Hoponius Union and Tired Hands' California Uber Helles.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, medium-carbonation.

Overall: This is what lagers/imperial pilsners should taste like. Not sure I've ever had an imperial pilsner that balanced the enjoyable characteristics of a lager with an india pale ale this successfully. Just a delicious, refreshing beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2013 14:07:53 | More by LarryK

srandycarter

California

3.9/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark straw, thin white head leaves fast, some spotty cling.

S - Perfume first and foremost, pine hop and malt in background.

T - Malt comes thru more in the taste, hops expand more, snappier. Nice small malt center.

M - Light body, good carb, good balance.

D - A fun try.

Serving type: growler

04-06-2013 04:49:24 | More by srandycarter

DeanMoriarty

California

4.43/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a growler today from the Linda Vista Rd. location for $16 even and poured it into a Brouwerij 't Ij branded tulip glass.

side note: Ballast Point has this listed on their chalkboard as ABV: 7% - not 6.8% as listed above.

A: Pours a fairly clean straw-like hue with a decent sized white head that dissipates in a few sips leaving nice lacing in the glass from start to finish.

S: An amazing unison of lager malt and spicy hop up front in a major way - floral and grassy hop, fresh biscuit malt, herbal tea and a hint of booze.

T: Flavor is really on point with the nose but jacked up in every aspect - really dig the bold flavors representing a traditional pilsner - similar to Pilsner Urquell, Koutský, Budějovický Budvar, or the likes...at the same time though, representing fine IPA's - the likes of Sculpin, Pliny, Jetty, etc.

M: As with every other aspect of this beer the mouthfeel is big - full medium bodied, with good but not overwhelming carbonation, at moments sticky, but finishes dry with a lingering bitterness from the good amount of hop love in this one.

Overall one of my favorites from Ballast Point...and I truly wait for this one to pop up infrequently throughout the year - just went on tap yesterday at Ballast Point so I swooped this up today and it never disappoints - I love traditional Czech pilsners and Cali style IPA's and this has the both of best worlds in every aspect. Cheers!

Serving type: growler

02-02-2013 02:26:34 | More by DeanMoriarty

WeedKing4

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this at the public house in san Francisco while at the giants game. This beer saw the first pitch. Really cool. Tastes slightly hoppy but it's pretty balanced overall. Definitely has a pilsner/lager finish to it. Pilsners and lagers are styles I have stayed away from with craft beer,but this wasn't too bad.

Serving type: on-tap

05-04-2012 16:46:04 | More by WeedKing4

UCLABrewN84

California

3.9/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Library Alehouse in Santa Monica, CA.

Pours a clear orange with an off-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. A nice latticework of lace forms on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt and herbal and citrus zest hops. Taste is of herbal and citrus zest hops up front with a nice malt backbone. There is a mild bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp an clean mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with a nice hop presence.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2012 06:55:43 | More by UCLABrewN84

nanobrew

California

4.65/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a golden color, a little paler than an IPA, had a nice strong head. The nose is a lot of floral hops with no to little malt. The taste is great, it is a little lighter in maltiness than an IPA, very slight buttery. Has a great smoothness in the mouthfeel that I thought complimented the hops very well. I was glad I ordered this, I drank it while watching an evening football game, I can see doing this a lot, and ordering numerous of these in an evening.

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2011 18:58:15 | More by nanobrew

BearsOnAcid

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served to me with a 1.5 finger white head. Golden body with an average clarity.

Aroma is like sticking your nose in a fresh bag of columbus/cascade hop mixture. Really bright and citrusy with a little bit of grassiness.

Taste was a west coast hop bomb. Totally mangled my tasted buds. The beer opened up with pure hop flavor. Grassy, lemony, dank, and citrusy. Then came on a bitterness that could please any seasoned hop head. Crisp finish with some very slight toasty/bready malt. It's not really sweet at all, or at least I can't tell from the hop bite.

I can't believe the overall rating for this beer. I would take this any day over Sculpin. Maybe I just had a good batch. This beer is incredible. IPLs might be the next new craze.

Serving type: on-tap

09-09-2011 03:36:09 | More by BearsOnAcid

armock

New York

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the main brewery's tasting room.

A - Poured a golden color with a white head that fades fast but still leaves lacing behind

S - Is mostly of citrus hops

T - Like the smell grapefruit hops are the dominate flavor

M - This beer has a medium body with medium carbonation to it

O - Overall I liked this beer while its a style I don't quite see why its around its a good beer like an IPA except different woth trying if you see it ever

Serving type: on-tap

07-30-2011 00:10:45 | More by armock

Nugganooch

California

4.22/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Notes from Homebrewmart trip on 07/14/11
*On tap at the brewery

A: Fathom pours a nice light copper pale hue that is very clear in appearance. Big frothy white head formed and retained for a bit with some light waves of lace upon the glass.

S: Very clean aromas of tropical fruit notes come through on the nose.

T: A nice sugary caramel malt base delivers a very clean tropical hop profile here. Some danky herbs and pine notes. Nice balance. ABV's come through with a little chest warmth. Somewhat like a cleaner version of Big Eye.

M: Sticky-icky mouthfeel with a light creamy body overall

D: A really nice hop fix. Not overly sweet. Little alcohol presence. Not as good as I remembered but still very pleasurable.

Gotta say it has been a while since I have had this brew and it did seem different to me this go around but it is always a favorite of mine. I personally just really like the idea of India Pale Lager's. The Lager yeast allows for a much cleaner hop profile delivery IMO. I wish more breweries would take on this style. Definitely need to make a point of seeking out more IPL's!

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2011 19:58:23 | More by Nugganooch

DoubleJ

California

3.45/5  rDev -14%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I knew I'd come back one day to review this. On-tap most recently at Churchill's Pub, on to the beer:

Has the color of pale orange which provides little excitement for the eyes. The head is small and leaves a few spots of lace around. The nose features some vague citrus and pine zest.

It could taste better given the craftsmanship behind Ballast Point. This pilsner (notice that I'm not refering to this as an "India Pale Lager") features a bite of pine in the begining and throughout. A late surge of grapefruit keeps this from being resemblant to Pine Sol. Aftertaste is a little soapy and fairly bitter.

Nice enough. I recall liking this a little more when I first tasted it though.

Serving type: on-tap

06-24-2011 00:10:05 | More by DoubleJ

SDtastentune

California

3.9/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Good normal lighter IPA kinda look, some head and lacing.

S - Smells like a ipa, but a little more lager'ish.

T - Taste was very similar to an IPA but kinda different and toned down.

M - Good aftertaste but I need more bitterness.

O - Great style compared to an ipa, hard to get close to an ipa and be different.

Serving type: on-tap

05-27-2011 00:43:51 | More by SDtastentune

mactrail

California

3.73/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Nice medium amber in the Pilsener glass. Slight lacing in the glass. Some flowery hops in the nose. Not much mouthfeel. Tastes really rich, which is something of a novelty for anything with the word "lager" in its name. But a big, robust malty flavor immediately followed by a whole lot of hops. The hops are just short of overpowering, and whatever variety they are, it's a clean and intense taste.

I like a beer that creates some head-scratching as to style. Good to remember that the creative urge challenges the artificial boundaries. Call it a low-voltage DIPA. But for hopheads I think it would be worth tasting as a highly drinkable novelty.

Serving type: on-tap

05-01-2011 05:24:43 | More by mactrail

HopHead84

California

4.47/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Consumed on 08/19/2009 at Ballast Point Homebrew Mart. The beer appears golden and translucent with a frothy white head. Lacing is left clinging to the glass after the recession.

The nose is radical, with notes of resiny pine, succulent bitter grapefruit, orange pith, and tropical fruit. The hops also impart floral and grassy notes. The malt is very light, reminiscent of caramel and somewhat crackery. Hell of a nose. I would guess this is an IPA if I didn't know better.

The flavor is clean bitterness up front and throughout. My palate is overwhelmed with pine and grapefruit. Bitterness is at a medium level, with grassy notes. The light body and clean profile yeast serves as a sort of fantastic vehicle for the hop medley. I love it. The finish is dry with some tropical fruit.

The beer is light bodied with medium draft carbonation. The mouthfeel is dry and sticky. This is a hell of a beer, and I'd like to see more of this unique style.

4/28/2011

Fresh batch tapped yesterday and enjoyed today at Old Grove. Outstanding beer and really nice batch. +.5 to mouthfeel.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2011 02:17:12 | More by HopHead84

champ103

Texas

3.1/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

On tap at the Blind Pig in Champaign IL.

A: Pours a dull, murky yellow color. A one finger white head forms, but recedes to a ring in a second. Some lace is left behind.
S: Floral, grassy, and citrus hops in the nose. Some dry biscuit and bread aromas as well. Very nice balance and nuance.
T: What ever the balance and nuance that was in the nose is gone here. Bitter grapefruit and resiny pine. Nothing else that i can come up with.
M/D: A medium to full body. Soapy, oily, and resiny. Kind of sticky as well. Some alcohol is noticeable, but the bitterness make this hard to drink a bunch of.

I don't understand why breweries continue to make "Imperial Pilsners." It is just an oxymoron IMO. This is really not bad. Though, just a bit of overkill. Tone it down a bit and this is a really good lager. As is, not something I really enjoy.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2010 03:44:03 | More by champ103

StormKing47

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this one on tap at my local establishment, reviewed from my napkin notes once again, seems to be a trend here. I only use my book for tastings, so deal with it and let's get to it...

A- A very nice pour yields an interesting clear amber/copper color that appears clean and clear as day. Spectacular looking clean, is this a pils? Has an off-white head that appears sticky and looks tempting. Let's go for it.

S- I am picking up a faint citrus, grapefruit aroma that is tempting, but not very interesting especially from a beer that is from the same plant as sculpin. In the back I pick up a subtle and faint burnt crust or biscuit malt sweetness. Smells well balanced, but not overwhelming a little let down from this one.

T- What a surprise I guess the lagering hides the smell, but the taste reveals a different monster. Quite a pungent hop bite that is citrusy and delicious. Although it is finished by the familiar lager finish a faintly sweet breadiness that is not too appealing for me. Definitely not what I was expecting a nice rendition of two styles blended together.

M- A very nice clean finish after a nice and crispy tingling in the mouth. Two styles conflicting, but trying to work together would have like to see more hop bite and less malt finish.

D- An odd attempt at what seems like a blend or combining of two styles, would have liked to see more from this one, but it's a decent, sessionable beer.

A nice try at an emerging style, but a let down especially with everything else they brew. If you can find it try it!

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2010 03:44:31 | More by StormKing47

Deuane

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A-Bright, brilliant clear copper with a medium off-white head that held on strong and left spotty lace.

S-Rather light overall with just enough spicy citrus hops and sweet biscuit malt to keep your interest.

T-Fairly aggressive spicy citrus hop bite up front that quickly fades away to mildly sweet biscuit malt. This one has the Pale Ale hop bite up front and the clean lager finish.

M-Medium-light bodied with that typical crisp and clean finish.

D-An interesting and well made brew from Ballast Point for sure. I like and appreciate the effort of this rather rarely done hybrid style but I didn't love it. An easy to drink and enjoyable beer but not overly memorable.

Serving type: on-tap

12-12-2010 12:49:00 | More by Deuane

Gehrig

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed on tap at the brilliant Blind Pig in Champaign. Clear, straw-golden body topped by a finger of durable white froth that leaves dense rings of lacing on the pint glass; excellent looking beer. Good smell--grassy, piney, well-hopped, like a ramped-up lager; fragrant.

Good taste, nicely hopped, somewhat bitter bite, tasty and easy to consume. It's not very complex, but is tasty and a Imperial Pilsner. Nice hop grit, good texture. This was all-too easy to consume and, was I not interested in sampling a few other beers, I would have easily enjoyed a couple more of these.

Another very good beer from Ballast Point. It isn't on the same level as Big Eye, which is much bigger and fuller an Imperial. However, this is quite good, and well worth a go.

Serving type: on-tap

12-08-2010 01:42:41 | More by Gehrig

thain709

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - The beer had a bright golden body with lots of carbonation racing to the top...the head was white and stood about two fingers...it slowly faded and left nice lacing

S - Lots of sweet and bitter hops...tropical fruits (pineapple, orange, mango, grapefruit), earthy, and piney

T - The first sip provides a rush of juicy tropical fruits...sweet, ripened fruits that just burts with flavor...that sweetness rolls right into a piney hop bitterness...but the two combine and leave a bittersweet finish...as the beer warms up the lager notes stand out...you can taste a little bit of yeast and bready malt

M - Medium bodied...juicy, nice carbonation, bittersweet finish that leaves you wanting more

D - Wow this one was very easy to drink...my first one went down rather quickly...I allowed the second one to warm up and that's when I found the lager characteristics coming out...I love the fresh, juicy, sweet tropical fruit flavors from the hops...I'd like to see more hoppy lagers or pilsners

Serving type: on-tap

11-16-2010 13:59:10 | More by thain709

squaremile

Oregon

2.73/5  rDev -31.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Had on tap at Ballast Point taproom in San Diego. This is my first IPL. Pours a golden yellow with a moderate white head. Smell is strange. The hops are there as well as a funky yeast. Taste is challenging for me. Some mild hop bitterness up front then a wash of diacetyl and buttery yeast flavors. Aftertaste is pretty dry but something sticks around longer than is welcome. Mouthfeel is medium. Not into it.

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2010 23:29:44 | More by squaremile

Kaiser81

California

3.95/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had a half-pint on 2/18 @ the Old Grove location

A - Clear gold color, less than a finger width of head. It settles quickly to a nice ring. There is minimal lacing. but it is a lager, so I won't deduct too many points.

S - Wow! Very hop forward, than lots of sweetness on the back end. This is just like an IPA. There is that splendid pine scent followed by tropical fruit. Hmm...dare I say these people know how to get a good aroma? Of course they do...they brew Sculpin!

T - Piney hops with no real sweetness present from the matls. It's complex, and not at the same time. Hops provide the flavor, tropical fruit provides the aftertaste. I don't know that I know what this means either, it's just what I had on my tasting notes. ::shrugs::

M - Medium body (odd for a lager) with plenty of carbonation.

D - I wish I could get more taste, but it's definitely drinkable. It might be a good beer to try and switch people from BMC to ales.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2010 04:03:56 | More by Kaiser81

jneiswender

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev -17%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had as part of a tasting at the Ballast Point Brewing Company. Served on tap in a tasting glass.

A-dark yellow body with an off white head

S-fruity and some faint smokiness

T-juicy flavor overall nice grain finish

M-medium

D-Not a bad brew. Not sure I get a pils feel to it.

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2010 01:52:47 | More by jneiswender

Bubba83

California

4.2/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Finally getting my review of this up here from when I had it with Kegatron at the Homebrew Mart location during San Diego Beer Week.

Bright yellow-orange body with lots of vivacious bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass. A bright white head tops it off, dissipates quick, but despite that has decent lacing.

Smells on the grassy/floral end of things with a bit of citrus (I get lemon and grapefruit mostly), indescript bitterness and some underlying bready malt.

Light breadiness is what I taste first, followed by a LOT of freshly cut grass, grapefruit and lemon. A prolonged bitterness holds the end of the sip and exists long after the swallow.

Feels pretty vivacious and poppy in the mouth, typical lager characteristic. Light and pleasant.

Drinkability is pretty much off the scales. It's super refreshing and finishes super super dry which beckons you to sip more. I dusted it off ridiculously quick and could have had much more. Super approachable as long as you like hoppy beers already.

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2010 02:32:58 | More by Bubba83

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Ballast Point in August 2009.

Poured a nice golden color at the lighter end of the spectrum, but well within a lager's range. A nice white head on it. Smell is strong with hops--lots of pine and a bit of backing citrus and floral. Taste was nice and resiny with little malt backing. We had a few IPL's on the trip, and this one was right up there with Humulus from The Bruery. Nice mouthfeel and fantastic drinkability. This is an emerging style I'd like to see more of, and Ballast Point has absolutely nailed it.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2010 15:34:12 | More by Thorpe429

bulletrain76

California

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Draught at the brewery. Orange tinted gold color with a lasting white head. Lots of hops in the aroma with flowers, mangos, and peaches adding fruit to the spicy and grassy notes that some more euro hops seem to be adding. The flavor has some light and toasty malt with lots of hop flavor (mango, peach, grapefruit peel) and more bitterness than the sculpin that I had right before. Medium bodied with smooth carbonation. Cool mix of fruity with grassy and spicy hops. I'd definitely like to have this one again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2009 06:48:52 | More by bulletrain76