Calico Copper Amber Ale - Ballast Point Brewing Company

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BA SCORE
86
good
-
569 Ratings

rAvg: 3.82
pDev: 11.26%
Reviews: 332
Hads: 237

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Brewed by:
Ballast Point Brewing Company

California, United States

Style | ABV
American Amber / Red Ale | 5.00% ABV

Availability: Year-round. bottle (287), on-tap (35), cask (5), growler (3), nitro-tap (2).

Notes:
No notes at this time.

View: Beers (75) | Reviews (40) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by the Alström Bros:

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.83/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From BeerAdvocate Magazine Volume II, Issue III:

California-style Amber Ale here. Inspired by the English Pale/Amber Ales, aren't they all in a way? Big, dense and rocky off-white lace reaches up high and leaves a draping of stickage on the glass. Bright and clear tawny color. Sight orange rind and some biscuity malt in the nose. Slick medium body with sufficient crispness and smoothness. Nice mingling of hops and malt both come out and end intertwined with little complexities. Hop bitterness is solid but not sharp with bitter orange peel and collard greens flavor. Maltiness leans toward dry, though there is a hint of caramel deep in the center, toasted biscuit is dominant. Semi-dry finish.

This one sits right at the benchmark for the style, easy to drink and very flavorful with the Californian flare. West Coast session ale all the way.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2009 02:20:55 | More by BeerAdvocate

Jason

Massachusetts

4.1/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 22 oz brown bomber with a blurb about the beer on the side of the label, no freshness date.

Appearance: Clear deep reddish copper with a thick two fingered head that does not go away quickly at all.

Smell: Toasted biscuit, raw honey / vanilla and light peppery hops in the nose.

Taste: Medium in body with a full malt palate and moderate crisp carbonation. Hop oil flavour hits first with an even bitterness, malt sweetness is delicate with a big toasted malt flavour, caramel and a very light roasted character. Fruitiness is mild, slight citric note from the hops. Caramel flavour lingers into the after taste with a faint biscuity malt and a light handful of residual sweetness.

Notes: A blend of six American, Belgian, and English malts with the additions of Cascade and Progress hops lend to the complexity. Big malty American ale, well balanced and well structured. A brew I could get real fond of when looking for a malty session brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2002 19:10:34 | More by Jason

More User Reviews:

bambam2517

Arizona

3.99/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a pint and drank waiting on the grill to warm up. Served at 45F.

A - Dark ruby to garnet red, with a nice biscuity foam on top. Pretty still body though.

S - Some sweet malts with a hint of apricot, a little bit of pine and floral in the background.

T - I see it as a hoppier amber ale offering, where others see it as a malty IPA. Certainly lower in hop character than a West Coast IPA, but that isnt what its trying to be. I like the hop level here, puts it apart from the typical Ambers out there.

M - Nice roasted flavors build up to a bitter hop mid, and mildly dry and clean finish. Easy drinking, as I find Amber ales to be in general.

O - Summing it up: I'm a Ft. Collins native, I cut my craftbeer-lovin teeth on Fat Tire and Alaskan Amber so amber ales are near and dear to me. I have to admit, Ballast Point has a deft touch when it comes to this style too!

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 05:03:24 | More by bambam2517

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.93/5 rDev -23.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

*Insert calico cat joke here...I'm above such feline references. Clearly.* This stuff pours a clear sunset amber topped by a finger of lightly off-cream-white foam. The nose comprises perfume-y toffee, very light mint, and a hint of flowers. The taste holds notes of mild greens, mild flowers, sweet toffee, and some orange peel in the back, resulting a sort of off, funky mess. It's hard to put into words beyond that. Just know that I took it as a negative. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid feel. Overall, a strange little amber, one that just didn't do it for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 19:44:38 | More by TMoney2591

touchmeimsac

Pennsylvania

3.25/5 rDev -14.9%

05-20-2013 17:29:46 | More by touchmeimsac

Arsenal0328

Indiana

4.25/5 rDev +11.3%

05-19-2013 23:14:21 | More by Arsenal0328

bcuz7

Florida

3/5 rDev -21.5%

05-19-2013 21:53:37 | More by bcuz7

T100Mark

California

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

A 12 ounce bottle poured into a pint shaker glass.

Appearance - The color is somewhere between ruby red and copper. High clarity. Nice head. Stickage is moderate at best.

Smell - Malty sweetness combined with a nice citrus hit. Slightly smokey. This beer has a very nice nose.

Taste - Like the nose, this beer combines a smooth malt flavor with just the right amount of hops. Not much else happening here. Chugable.

Mouth - A bit oily. A bit tangy. Clean.

Overall - A simple, tasty beer. Nothing too fancy or sophisticated. Imagine a classic California pale ale (Sierra Nevada or Firestone) with a touch more malt a bit less hops.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 02:36:33 | More by T100Mark

InspectorBob

New Jersey

3.75/5 rDev -1.8%

05-17-2013 12:33:37 | More by InspectorBob

jwk7324

California

4/5 rDev +4.7%

05-16-2013 05:44:02 | More by jwk7324

beersvh23

Illinois

3.75/5 rDev -1.8%

05-16-2013 04:10:50 | More by beersvh23

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.8/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Having on draft at The Avenue.

Appearance: This beer poured a small head that reduced to a thin layer. It is a dark copper color with good clarity and bubbles coming up through the glass. Nice lacing on the glass as the beer was drank.

Smell: Creamy, caramel, toffee, hops, bready, and fruitiness.

Taste: Same as above with some lingering bitterness and chewy notes. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Mouthfeel: Silky smooth, low to medium carbonation, medium bodied, a little chewy, and easy to drink.

Overall: Pretty solid amber/red ale. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2013 04:16:24 | More by Flounder57