Yellowtail Pale Ale - Ballast Point Brewing Company

gatorbreath

Fiji

3/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Kolsch, eh? Damn I need a smartphone...

Didn't get the facts/make the connection on this until just now..probably why I didn't enjoy it to the fullest.

Got this pale ale because I thought it'd be hoppy, somewhat, and piney but not overly so, just shy of an IPA, no idea of the Kolsch style.

Appearance is golden and white head. Smell is malty/biscuity and even a little spicy. Taste is not really hoppy at all, forgive my ignorance, mostly malts and caramel, i am picking up, and the mouthfeel is thin and slick. Overall, a good entry to this style of beer. Although not my favorite, I enjoy trying new things!

Have one!

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 17:50:23 | More by gatorbreath

kylehay2004

Florida

3.15/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Golden with amber hues. 2 finger thick head.

S: bready and malty. Not getting too much of the fruitiness.

T: Wheat, mild fruit notes that I really have to search for. More like the bready nature of a pilsner than a pale.

M: The wheat beer character makes this more refreshing than many pale ales. A little bitter on initial feel

Overall: The refreshing aspect is a huge plus but this just isn't the pale ale for me. I love Ballast Point but this is just not for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 06:36:26 | More by kylehay2004

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

golden color with tons of bright yellow highlights that really showed off the clarity and brightness of this one. Huge head of white that towered over the glass at first settled down like a soft pillow that gently coated the outside of the glass and gave a rich, and dense color to it. Aroma is light, airy, with hints of banana and light fruit that is layered on top of bready tones and hints of light grain. Very light, cannot stress that enough as it really was coming through quite well on a 90 degree afternoon. Warming brought out a touch of almost citrus like smells across the nose, but then you go in for a taste and its over. Light and refreshing taste just overwhelms the palate.

very drinkable in deed.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2011 01:31:56 | More by mikesgroove

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On-tap at The Hopping Pig in San Diego

Expected an APA with this one and didn't realize this was kolsch. A little dissapointing as I wouldn't have ordered it had I known it was not an APA.

A - Straw yellow with a small amount of white head.

S - A very light overall nose. Some grainy/bready notes and light bitterness but not much going on overall here.

T - Bready/grainy malts with a slight hop bitterness. Seems like a pils, not a pale ale. I don't get a lot of hops at all and the malts are very subdued as well.

M - Light body, moderate carbonation.

O - I can't really change my review to reflect the fact that this is a kolsch. At the time, I reviewed it as a pale ale and it didn't meet my expectations. They should change the name of this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2011 15:32:30 | More by TheSevenDuffs

smakawhat

Maryland

3.68/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a make shift Stange, my old collins glass.

A nice simple pale lemon with green hues on the edges hints of dark buttery gold for the body. Some orange colors also A very large even foamy head of pin sized bubbles is produced which takes much time to receed but doesn't leave much lacing either.

Bouquet is subtle but nice if unexpected. Faint grain, very light and airy and dry smelling. A small toasty bread sense, some gas, even a hint of faint spritzy lemon.

Taste is strange... dry and powdery sensations of flour mostly. Powdery with some sweetness in the finish, missing bread action

Overall a real unique and nice nose, but taste doesn't deliver as much. This is not bad but I think I'd grab a different Kolsch if I could.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2011 00:48:52 | More by smakawhat

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.45/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Well I bought this on a whim, thinking it was a pale ale, but it's actually a kolsch... so here we go.

Not bad looking for a kolsch, yellow-tan with a fair head that dissipates into a sheen, leaving decent lacing.

Kind of a subdued fruity, openly grassy/grainy smell to it. Not too much going on here hops wise.

Taste is on par for the actual type of beer it is, kinda yeasty with grains and lightly fruity background flavors, plenty of caramel and bready malt flavors, a touch of lemon, and just a smidge of hops bite.

Feel is light, slick, slightly sweet, with a lingering yeasty aftertaste.

Overall it's not a bad summer beer but it's not overly impressive either.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2011 23:12:42 | More by AlCaponeJunior

THECPJ

Delaware

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes:

appearance: golden yellow with a 1 finger white head

smell: citrus, caramel, malts,

taste: citrus, bread, yeast,

mouthfeel: mild carbonation, medium body,

overall: refreshing beer. need better distribution from Ballast point on the east coast. Everything I've had is very drinkable.

Cheers,
The CPJ

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 18:22:45 | More by THECPJ

emmasdad

Colorado

3.08/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Picked up a bottle of this one at the Ballast Point Brewery/Home Brew Mart in San Diego. More along the lines of a kolsch, rather than a pale ale. Poured a clear yellow color with a good white head. Very mild on the nose, a little biscuit and a kiss of hops. On the palate, this one is light bodied and easy to drink, yet not very interesting in the least. Flavors of light malt and a bit of hops.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2011 23:27:34 | More by emmasdad

beagle75

Iowa

3.45/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Draft service into a chilled mug at Whole Foods in Tustin.

A: Clear, medium (slightly brassy) golden color with one finger of diminishing white foam head. Light lacing remains on the glass.

S: Very mild, with sweet and tart apple detected most clearly. There is also a nebulous thread of honey and very pale grain, but it has to be searched for in order to be found.

T: Begins dry, with honeyed pilsner malt and crisp Golden Delicious apple. Acidity is initially muted, but becomes more apparent later. Malt becomes more husky in the middle, developing a faint citric quality that becomes tart for the style in the finish. Grassy bitterness and elevated sweetness also emerge at the end, but the palate is ultimately left tasting of honey, apple, and citric acid.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, wet and slightly sticky on the palate with snappy acidity, and with very low carbonation.

D/O: Possibly one of the most poorly-marketed beers currently bottled, this "pale ale" offers an experience that is nothing like all other similarly-labeled beers. If Ballast Point needed a synonym for kolsch, it seems like blond ale would have been a more apt selection. Compared to other kolsches, this beer is full-flavored but a little unrefined, coming across as heavy-handed. Early fruitiness has a definite inauthentic resonance to it, leaving behind a sense of artificial flavor. Hoppy bitterness in the finish is bold for the style, although one would never mistake this for IPA-level bitterness in quantity or quality. However, it is effortless to drink, serving as a superior form of refreshment and really holding up well when served too cold.

Serving type: on-tap

05-26-2011 03:55:47 | More by beagle75

ADZA

Australia

3.35/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This brew pours a see through golden straw hue with decent carbonation that leaves behind a two finger head and lacing everywhere,the smell is very similar to a pilsner with hints of german noble grassy hops and honeysuckle,it has a light bodied well carbonated mouthfeel and has tastes of grassy german noble hops,light jarrah honey,pale malts and finished with a slight herbal hoppy bitterness that is almost reminiscent of a fine German pilsner and not a Kolsch and overall a dissapointment in my mind and could think of other drops from this brewery that id rather revisit than this cheers.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2011 14:21:43 | More by ADZA

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.58/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz poured into a pint glass.

A- Pale orange color with a tan/cream colored 1 finger sized head.

S- Wheat, very pilsner like.

T- Wheat, barley, citrus, fruity.

D- Nice carbonation, light and refreshing. Very easy drinking. This is a nice pale ale, but it is still a pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2011 01:26:45 | More by HuskyinPDX

angrygrimace

California

3.33/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy straw orange. Very little head, less than a finger, with little retention after pour.

Aroma is mostly malts with a very small amount of spicy hops to it; maybe a little sweetness.

Taste is not what you expect from a beer labeled Pale Ale at all since it's actually a Kölsch. Very malty flavor throughout, but not a particularly strong flavor....maybe slightly watery. Very slight citrusy note, if any. I would say that it's got a slightly above average taste, but it lacks the character I've come to expect out of other Ballast Point beers. Very carbonated, slightly crisp, but not overly so on either count - definitely a refreshing beer.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but it doesn't really seem like anything particularly special, either.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 21:12:41 | More by angrygrimace

Phelps

Arizona

3.9/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed from the bottle during a Kölsch tasting. While the name says pale ale (in giant letters), the description on the bottle says Kölsch, so into my tasting glass it goes.

Pours a hazy dark gold with a one-finger head of pure fuzzy white that becomes a soapy top layer, leaving tiny bit of spotted lace.

Bready biscuits and spicy German hops in the nose, in equal parts and perfect balance. There’s none of the usual Kölsch fruityness, but it’s actually a great aroma.

Same story in the flavor. Bready just-baked biscuits, a bit of lime peel, lemon pledge and other spicy German hop notes. Almost no bitterness.

High, painful carbonation, with moderate fizz and a soft medium body.

I understand the name confusion now — Yellowtail sits in an odd realm between Kölsch and pale ale, hoppy and bready yet crisp and light. It’s definitely not the most traditional example of the style, but it’s the only one that kept me coming back.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2011 21:47:50 | More by Phelps

jera1350

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Carter for this one!

Pours a gold color with a crystal white head of foam that is thick and retains well.

Pretty one dimensional nose. Pale malt, grain with a light sweetness.

Light grainy sweetness with a moderately bitter hop presence. Pretty straightforward.

Light body, decent carbonation and a dry and bitter finish.

This is a well made beer, it's just a style that isn't known for a whole lot of character. I would say it's a nice representation of the style with a little west coast hop flair. It's just not a style that does a whole lot for me, so I wouldn't need this one again. Like I said though, it's still well made. Blame it on the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2011 21:50:46 | More by jera1350

sj660

California

4.3/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A thick white foam that retains and leaves laces over a yellow clear (but not perfectly so) liquid. Smells softly of fruit, but otherwise clean. The flavor is grainy, slightly sweet, low bitterness on finish and a bit of spice. The flavors are smooth.

Lower carbonation despite huge head, lighter body, very slight pucker.

Why this is called a "pale ale" I haven't a clue. If you're making craft brews, beer snobs are your audience. Tell us it's a Kölsch! Drinks easy and has a surprising complexity of flavor without all the bitterness. Definitely fills a niche.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2011 01:51:12 | More by sj660

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

2.9/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured on-tap at the brewery, the beer was served in a pint glass. The beer was semi-hazy, bright, and a vibrant yellow-gold with a ring of filmy head. Mellow nose, with very slight hops characteristics. Watery flavors initially, but heavy toasted flavors on the tail end, with only a hint of hops. Slightly pale/hoppy and sour aftertaste, with a musty, lingering finish. Overall, it was a bit watery throughout.

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2011 04:36:29 | More by GarthDanielson

Brabander

Netherlands

3.03/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Today Sietse (apophis666) paid me a visit. He loves the IPA beers so i cracked a few open. After the IPA's we opened this bottle of pale ale. I got this bottle in a trade with listenatjoes.

This is not a bad but also not a very spectacular beer. Just a normal drinkable beer.

Nice and decent head, foamy.

You get some wheat or corn taste in the mouth. Too bad the taste is also a bit watery.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2011 19:45:40 | More by Brabander

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a nice pure strong golden color with a frothy white head that is nice and sticky and white.

S - Strong fresh grain aromas come up fast. Nice fresh baked bread with some nice grassy hops on the back. Aroma is refreshing and straight forward but delicious.

T & M - Taste starts off bready and with earthy grains. There is also some nice slight sweetness to it with some nice fresh grassy hop notes. The hop character is very european and crisp. With some slight spice and refreshing but bitting bitterness. This is a great Kolsch and a delicious beer that can be drank for longer periods. Body is nice and crisp with clean malt and hop flavors.

O - Good beer. Delicious and easy to drink with a lower ABV.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 22:42:45 | More by JoEBoBpr

Eriktheipaman

California

3.73/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a pale yellow with white head.

Not much on the nose besides a little overall "freshness" from the hops but couldn't pick up any specific flavors.

The taste is a slight bitter on the front as the malt washes through on the back.

Not a very complex beer but refreshing. Ive had it a few times but only when its my last choice. The other Ballast Point offerings are much better.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2011 17:10:57 | More by Eriktheipaman

stimulus

New Jersey

3.7/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Pours a clear golden with a one finger white head.
S: Lightly bitter hops, but not much going on here.
T: Bitter german hops, and a little bit of malt to balance them out.
M: Very good carbonation, light body, crisp finish.
O: This is a good session beer; the type you can drink a six pack of in a night, and with the somewhat low alcohol content, I think I'll keep this in mind in the future.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 16:43:14 | More by stimulus

ccm414

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle...

A- Appears to be rather cloudy with some small debris floating around inside the glass. VERY large head here, about 3 1/2 fingers that lingers for a long time but without much lace on the glass. (Living in New England this beer may have had some temperature abuse during transit, appears way over carbonated).

S- Rather malty with a lot of wheat coming through. Light citrus notes and a little of the floral hops pokes through.

T- Malty fruit flavors are present, apple being the first that comes to mind. Not much flavor from the hops really comes through. It appears to place most of the emphasis on the fruit/citrus flavors.

M- Way too carbonated, but as stated before, I believe there was some problems with storage/transit of this beer. I have had it on tap at their brewery and liked it a lot. This bottle had some issues.

D- Rather drinkable. I drank it expecting more of an IPA taste, and was rather surprised when I realized what it really was. Lighter bodied, but has some complex characteristics and at 5% you can definitely grab for a few more of these.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2011 23:27:19 | More by ccm414

kellog

North Carolina

3.35/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pale yellow, straw, some sediment present

A: fruity, apple juice, lemon, dandelion, slighty metallic/coin smell

T: mellow apple blends wih faint hop bitterness

M: Low carbonation, silkly

Average beer overall. Some off flavors were present, but I think it would probably be better fresh. Lots of variety at Total Wine, but hard to keep up on dates.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2011 04:32:44 | More by kellog

Chizoad

California

2.55/5  rDev -28%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Well maybe I came into this thinking I was getting a pale ale of the IPA variety. Sorely disappointed.

Pale yellow gold with nearly no head or lacing. Fruity-cardboard nose. Musty even.

Very similar flavor although maybe even a little worse than the nose. Some malts but the sweetness feels forced.

Decent mouthfeel but not great. Light but not crisp. Not one I'm going to ever have again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-04-2011 06:10:26 | More by Chizoad

Loadedgunz

California

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This beer definitely resembles the kolsch beers from Cologne, Germany.

A - Clean, pale gold appearance topped with a good head layer that retained fairly well.

S - apple, pear, and hint of citrus.

T - apple and pear front notes with a crisp and mildly hopped finish.

M - crisp and refreshing. A great summer beer, in my opinion. I think this beer resembles more of a pilsner than anything else.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 22:37:13 | More by Loadedgunz

HopHead84

California

3.55/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2/18/2011 

On tap at Ballast Point Old Grove.

A: Transparent straw golden with a big white head and good retention.

S: Light fruit notes, redolent of pear and orange, with wheat, grass, and a little sulfur. Low noble hop presence.

T: Lightly fruity, with notes of melon and orange. Grassy and slightly herbal with a decided wheat flavor. Smooth, mellow, clean and dry finish.

M: Upper light in body with moderate carbonation. Mouthfeel is smooth, soft, and sticky.

Overall: An enjoyable Kolsch that I have seriously neglected. I will definitely enjoy more of this when the weather warms up.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2011 17:36:28 | More by HopHead84