Yellowtail Pale Ale - Ballast Point Brewing Company

DrunkenMaster

California

3.2/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On tap at Lahainas in Pacific Beach. Clear golden color with no almost no head. Tastes more like a pilsener than an pale. Light floral aroma with just a bit of citrus. I drank about 3 pitchers of this beer just sitting out on the patio at Lahainas on a beautiful night.

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2008 20:14:29 | More by DrunkenMaster

domtronzero

California

2.78/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Precursor: I am not very familiar with Kolsch-style ales, so I am tasting this beer compared to the typical pale ale styles found around San Diego county (i.e. Sierran Nevada Pale Ale, Stone Pale Ale, Paddle-Up Pale Ale by S.D. Brewing Co., etc.).

Pours a light golden copper color with a small, dense, tightly packed head. Head-retention is lacking, but some lacing is left on the glass. Aroma is very sweet with a subdued hop presence. Taste is different. Definitely not the typical pale ale. Actually, it's a Kolsch-style ale. Not very much like a common American pale ale. Very sweet and malty with a very grainy/toasted malt flavor. A slight grassy hoppiness is noted. Mouthfeel is smooth and crisp, and the carbonation helps it go down. Overall a less-than average beer, but maybe its because they call it a pale ale. It might be a pale-colored ale, but in San Diego, this beer would not pass as the standard pale ale style. A note to Ballast Point: please label your brews accordingly.

Serving type: on-tap

09-14-2007 05:28:31 | More by domtronzero

3.18/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On tap in the Marriott Marina Hotel, San Diego.

Poured a clear, pale yellow color. Medium, off-white head.

Primary aroma is bread dough. A bit of an acidic/unpleasant aroma comes along with it.

Taste is OK. Good balance. Biscuity with citrus/grassy hops.

Light body. Medium carbonation. Dry.

OK, but something off in taste or smell. Could be that this is not a fast mover at the Marriott. I would be willing to try again based on brewer's reputation, but not in any great hurry.

Serving type: on-tap

04-17-2007 17:54:10 | More by

chargerfanjess

California

3.78/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at Pizza Port Carlsbad. Crystal clear clear clear yellow pale straw. Fair size head that left bunch of white lace. Very light hop nose and malt as well. First sip light corn flavor and grain. Very crisp finish and very full mouthfeel for this type of light brew. No aftertaste which was nice for this type. Good drinkable beer on and on

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2006 19:09:31 | More by chargerfanjess

Dmann

California

4.47/5  rDev +26.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Had a yard of this at O'Hungry's in Old Town yesterday and was very impressed. It poured a nice medium yellow color with a small white head that left some lace down the glass. The smell was very refreshing with a crisp hop scent. The flavor was equally as smoothe and crisp with a slight hop kick that was more balanced towards the slighty spicy malt profile. This is a great session beer and just goes to show that you can make a very light and drinkable beer and still have a great flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

05-19-2004 11:01:17 | More by Dmann

oggg

California

3.88/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The color is orange. Less dark than my friend's Karl Strauss Amber and darker than the wheat beer I had later. White head with long lasting Belgian lace.

I thought it reminded me of Sierra Nevada Pale ale at first sniff and taste. Woodsy aroma. Cascade hops? Maybe not, because I liked it much more than SNPA. After the first hit of hop aroma, the taste becomes caramel and malt. In this respect, it's much like Fuller's London Pride Pale ale...

Very drinkable. This was an excellent session beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-29-2004 02:44:00 | More by oggg

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Ballast Point- Yellowtail

A- Bright clear yellow with a thick fluffy white head.
S- Sweet lemon and hay/straw. Slight citrus twang.
T- Sweet lemony citrus. Slight grassy hay/ straw.
M- Very sweet and a slight grassy hop dryness.

Overall- A good Kolsch that's a decent beer on a warm day.

Serving type: on-tap

11-10-2003 21:37:17 | More by NJpadreFan

AtLagerHeads

Ohio

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

A clean and crisp brew that really hits the spot. The golden-hued body has a nice head and laces well. The nose is malty and bready with a good sense of grain. There is nice flavor from the malting and the feel is quite light and crisp, giving a very nice snappy finish. Easily drinkable in some volume.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2003 17:34:47 | More by AtLagerHeads

Boilermaker88

California

4/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Pizza Port, Carlsbad. Poured a clear, bright golden color with a large bubbly white head that slowly settled down to a thin, patchy skim. Mild carbonation seen when iggitated.
Smell was pretty mild but seriously sweet. Had a fruity, sort of apple-crisp note mixed in a light bready malt base aroma.
Taste was a nice blend of a yeasty maltiness and gently spicy fruitiness. No hints of hops until a light bitterness came out in the finish.
Feel was light, crisp and refreshing.
This is a very easy-drinking brew. I found Yellowtail Pale Ale (?) to be a delightful beer.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2003 18:07:49 | More by Boilermaker88

beernut7

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This different pale ale has a sweet fruity aroma. There is a hint of ester in the flavor as well as a good sweet smooth malt presence. This brew is more reminiscent of a tasty golden ale. The only really noticeable hop presence is a bit of a bitterness in the finish.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2002 18:12:15 | More by beernut7

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.29/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Well, until I started typing this I had no idea this was considered a kolsch. I mean, why would they call it a pale ale if it was another style altogether? It does explain things, though... It pours a clear brass topped by a finger of lightly off-white foam. The nose comprises sweet biscuit, flowers, and a hint of candied orange peel in the background. The taste brings in more of the same, but with more of the orange peel and some mild grass for good measure. Overall, a decent little kolsch, and a sad excuse for a pale ale, depending on how you wanna look at it.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 05:35:07 | More by TMoney2591

GuzzLah

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Well, I bought this thinking it would be a citrusy and medium hoppy APA since it says Pale Ale on the bottle and Ballast Point brewed it.

Come to find out, this is a Kolsch made with Euro hops. OK?

I suppose it tastes pretty good for a Kolsch, but I feel as if I have been duped.

False advertising!

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 22:46:17 | More by GuzzLah

obrike

Texas

3.55/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

Bought a single at Round Rock World Market.

Poured a clean, pale gold with a minimal head. Not much retention and little to no lacing.

Pretty fresh scent of apple, pear, and hint of citrus. Some grassy hops in the background.

Taste follows... some fruit, maybe apple and lemon, just a touch of flowery hops. Uber smooth with a medium carbonation...super easy to drink. Almost downed this one in a matter of minutes. Very light, crisp and refreshing...just not a ton of personality... a very good session beer or warm weather beer however.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 02:45:37 | More by obrike

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

2.61/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

12 oz bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A: Pours a slightly hazy golden color. Not much head here, a half finger white color that fades quick.

S: The malt profile has a strange biscuity aroma to it, almost like smoky meat. Not a good smoky meat, either. Some neutral malts and light noble hops hide behind this strange and even unpleasant note.

T: Very biscuity to start. This nature is honestly kind of intrusive. The finish sees a surge of mild noble hops and lemon esters, too bad the balance is out of whack. Not great overall, but better than the nose - that's for damn sure.

M: It feels a lot heavier than a kolsch should in my opinion. The hefty, creamy texture works in concert with the strong carbonation to make this one hard to drink.

O: I haven't been super impressed with Ballast Point so far, and this one is no exception. To me, this drinks like a cross between a kolsch and Fat Tire - and it doesn't really work. Maybe a fresh bottle/keg would be better? I wouldn't be averse to giving this a second chance.

Note this gets a 2.61 as a kolsch; if I reviewed it as an APA, the score would be even lower.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 22:08:28 | More by ThisWangsChung

riversider76

New York

3.43/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours a honey gold with a thin white head. Good retention, and a nice lace. Aroma is of toasted grains, and malts. Nice, but very weak.Body is on the light side of medium, and quite carbonated.
Taste is of bready malts. Hops comes through in the finish. A nice brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 20:47:25 | More by riversider76

Kendo

New York

3.55/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes. Consumed on 12/14/12. Bottle has an "enjoy by" date of 1/31/13.

A: Poured into a pint glass. Body is light honey/golden with a small whitish head.

S: I thought there was something "off" about the smell - toasty malt and sweet malt predominate. No hops discernable at all.

T: Sweet malt, fruity malt and a touch of earthy spice.

M: Call it light-to-medium in heft, closer to medium. Good amount of visible carbonation is modestly active on the tongue.

O: A note to brewers: label your beers with the correct style. When I drank this, I was expecting an APA (the label does say "Pale Ale," after all) and was disappointed. On my notes regarding the taste, I wrote: "British style?" - because it didn't seem to have enough hops for an APA. Then in my notes for the "overall" category, I wrote, "Not what I'm looking for in an APA." I've modified my scores knowing, in hindsight, that this is a Kolsch and not an APA (originally I gave it closer to a 3.25). But at the time I drank this, I thought it wasn't a good APA at all, and my initial scores reflected that. I may have felt better about this beer had I known when drinking it that it wasn't an APA and was instead a Kolsch.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 16:42:19 | More by Kendo

scottfrie

California

4.28/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into snifter. Best by 01/19/13. Thanks for bringing these over, Matt.

A: Pours a very light shade of amber with a finger of frothy white head that faded into a soft film.
S: Big kolsh nose with notes of light malts and toasted grains.
T: Dry grains, creamy oatmeal taste, slightly sweet caramel, tons of wheat, and mellow fruity hops. Very creamy, complex (for the style) and smooth. The finish is full of pepper spices and the aftertaste is that of wheat and fruit.
M: Creamy mouthfeel from soft carbonation, medium-light body, drying and refreshing mouthfeel. Very smooth, light, and drinkable all-around. J
O: A pleasant surprise. I’d be disappointed if this was a true pale ale as the hops are too mellow and the wheat and grains are too prominent. However, if you’re looking for a very flavorful light beer give this one a try.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 23:50:34 | More by scottfrie

argock

Virginia

3.1/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 oz brown bottle into a clear pinot noir wine glass. Best by 02/15/13 stamped on front label. Purchased as a 6-pack at Trader Joes (Mission Beach, San Diego, CA) for $9.99.

A; Extraordinarily clear amber-copper with ample 1-2 fingers of off-white frothy head with decent retention and good lacing around the top of the glass.

S: Aromas are very crackery-bready malty with some spicy herbal hops and a very light citrus fruitiness

T: Tasted like an extremely tame APA with bready and somewhat grainy maltiness that was a little less rough on the second pour but still not as smooth as it could be, especially since, after looking at the 6-pack holder it's a Kolsch! Come on BP! As a kolsch, this is pretty average with too much graininess to really muster much support. The hops are also overly spicy and not smooth enough -- this is supposed to be a beer that reaches the top of the drinkability scale, but this beer isn't even close.

M: THere are many problems here. The carbonation is way too high and contributes to an astringent feel. THe spicy hops and graininess with a light body also equate to a overly sharp beer, almost peppery, exactly what a kolsch is not supposed to be.

O: Certainly not terrible but not all that great for the style. I downgraded them for not calling it what it is -- come on BP, in hops country, do it right.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 05:38:35 | More by argock

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Slightly hazy golden yellow with one-finger, white, creamy head that lasted a couple minutes and left a nice film. Okay lacing.

S: Caramel malt, citrus, and floral.

T: Moderate sweetness and moderate bitterness. Toasted malt and bread. Light citrus.

M: Light to medium bodied with fizzy carbonation.

O: The taste was mild and a bit of a let down. Average overall.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 20:40:50 | More by SolipsismalCat

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A-dark gold with a nice frothy and sticky white head

S-smooth creamy grass and crisp biscuity malts. strong aroma. smells quite decent.

T-comes in with a great flavor of crisp and grainy biscuits. its quite a strong and flavorful taste. it does have a small hint of adjunct lager to it, that isn't exactly a turn off, i think what i'm tasting is actually the european touch to it. that comes more so in the after-taste. almost zero bitterness.

M-creamy medium carbonation with a crisp finish

O-well if you get this because you want a good fresh American Pale Ale, then you'll find that you were fooled by the name. it definitely does taste very much like a kolsch. its definitely tasty for what it is. it goes down easy, but its really missing any quality that begs me to go out and buy more.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 01:15:44 | More by AdamBear

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

120z bottle poured into a Pilsner glass.

A: Pale, clear golden-yellow color. Three fingers of rocky white head cap the beer, and it doesn't budge an inch. Thick collars of lacing form on the glass. Perfect appearance for the style.

S: Floral hops, very slight herbal edge, ghost-like hint of light fruits (grape skin?). Malts are grainy with a touch of musty bread.

T: Hop tastes wash over the palate with a very mild bitterness. Floral, green and slightly oily. Subtle hint of herbal spice. Doughy malt tastes shift as the beer dries toward the finish and shift into grainy tastes and hints of cracked wheat. Light fruity notes. Dry finish of grain, bread, and a fading hop bitterness.

M: Light in body. Some firmness of malt texture. Creamy and somewhat full. Active, scrubbing carbonation.

O: This is a very good representation of a Kolsch. It should have broad appeal, owing to the care with which it was crafted and the nature of the style itself. I find it curious, however, that Ballast Point chose to call it a Pale Ale on the label. That's bound to cause confusion when someone purchases it expecting a hoppy American Pale Ale or something of that ilk.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 16:22:48 | More by ryan1788a5

TBoneJones

Texas

3.48/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice light golden with a bubbly head, but not too thick.
Smells of light malts and yeast.
Tastes like it smells, malt presence and little to no distinct hop/ fruit presence. This I know is due to the German style of brewing this beer. For what light malts are involved here, I'd say this is a refreshing beer for what it is. A peppery aspect too. Other than that, not much blowing me away here. Crisp. Really dry finish.
Carbonation was light medium to me, Bready dry feel, spice-like aftertaste is not my favorite.
Overall a semi-interesting beer from a great brewery. Not for hoppers, but worth the try. I consumed this indoors in the late evening, and I can see my overall score bumping this up by a .5 if I ever try this in the summer heat such as after yard work.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 03:59:11 | More by TBoneJones

ThePaleRider

California

2.98/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Dark straw in color. Crystal clear with absolutely no head at all.

S - Very light hops. Malts kick in pretty well and leave a nice nose. Almost has a pilsnery scent.

T - Almost tastes more like pilsner than a pale ale. Not a lot of hops seem to be floating around in there. Very malty and sweet. Lots of bread in the after taste with a little bit of toffee sneaking around in there.

M - Light bodied with not carbonation to speak of.

O - Eh, nothing too spectacular here. Might as well be drinking Sierra Nevada (which I like).

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 04:32:18 | More by ThePaleRider

jpro

South Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler from CBX... poured into an antique milk glass stein...

A: Honey gold with a puffy white head; nice retention leaves a few thick spots of lace.

S: Pilsner-esque malt / wheat aroma; light earthy and floral notes; a little metallic.

T: Lightly bready with a peppery dry hop bite on the end; biscuit; cracker; it has a nice little bite for a Kölsch.

M: Medium-light body; moderate carbonation; a touch viscous... more mouthfeel that I was expecting.

O: A nice little Kölsch; a bit more mouthfeel than average, but has a nice bite for the lower abv; a definite top choice for a summer beer.

*from notes 9.8.12

Serving type: growler

09-14-2012 15:23:19 | More by jpro

mooseo

Pennsylvania

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

12oz bottle into pint glass.

A - Slightly hazy golden copper with a small white head.

S - Sweet bready malt, lemon oil, floral hops, hints of caramel.

T - Bready doughy malts, bitter lemon citrus, grassy hops, herbal spice. Lots of sweetness up front, but the hops quickly lend a solid bitterness to even things out.

M - Light-medium bodied, crisp, and refreshing. Slick with a semi-dry finish.

O - Decent brew. I haven't had that many Kolsch style beers, but this example makes me want to seek more like it. Great balance and flavor, easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 00:44:09 | More by mooseo