Big Eye IPA - Ballast Point Brewing Company

mooseo

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into tulip.

A - Clear amber-orange with about an inch of creamy white head.

S - Faint citrus, floral hops, grainy caramel malt.

T - Lots of citrus, orange peel, caramel malt, and pine. A mild bitterness is present throughout. Finish is grassy mixed with a nice earthy wood flavor.

M - Ultra smooth, medium body, decent carbonation. A little dry.

O - A nice, standard American IPA. Good balance and blend of flavors. Dangerously drinkable with no alcohol present. Definitely not the best example of the style, but very solid.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 01:48:17 | More by mooseo

rangerred

Tennessee

4.43/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle into a pint glass. Best by date of 6/27/12 so I am a couple months late with this one.

Pours a clear brownish-orange with a thick one finger white head. Really good lacing and head retention.

Aroma is a rush of pine and a little bit of citrus. There is also a great caramel and dark bread aroma to balance out the hops. Very inviting.

The flavor has an immediate hop attack of pine and a touch of citrus. Lots of malt flavor quickly rush in to balance out the hops leading to some caramel and a little bit of toasted malt. An almost perfect balance of malt and hops lingers throughout remainder of the taste. A whiff of alcohol in the finish along with a lasting, drying bitterness.

This might really be my new favorite IPA. It is amazing two months past the best by date so I cannot imagine what this would be like fresh. I will definitely seek this out again and try to find a fresh bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 00:54:40 | More by rangerred

ninaturner

Florida

4.05/5  rDev -1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Amber color, nice lacing on the glass

Aroma: Big pine smell, but also hint of citrus

Taste: Not much grain/malt taste to this beer, hops that build the more you drink it. I also picked up a strong taste of grapefruit.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full

Drinkability: Definitely drinkable, but takes more time to drink with all of the flavors and the mouthfeel of the beer

Overall: Great IPA for hop heads!

Serving type: on-tap

08-18-2012 00:35:47 | More by ninaturner

pschul4

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

HUGE shout out to Libbey for killing it with the box he sent me!

A- Pours a dark golden color with some decent retention that fades quickly to a ring around the edge of the glass

S- Big pine notes. Pine Pine Pine. I've smelled a similar beer to this but can't put my finger on it, definitely smells good though.

T- The nose doesn't lie, tons of pine on the palate. It might be my favorite pine forward IPA this is delicious! Slight citrus notes in the back of the taste balance everything out well.

M- Very light and bubbly which works well for a beer of this nature.

O- If this is an idication of things to come from the box Libbey sent me I might not be able to age the beers I had planned on aging. Ballast Point kills another IPA!

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 02:58:47 | More by pschul4

buschbeer

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle
Served in a perfect pint glass

A - It is amber in color with sunset highlights. A large off white head offers some clinging lacing to the sides of the glass.

S - I get lots of citrus and pine. Some bready malt comes through as well.

T - I get lots of citrus with a resiny pine finish. I get some malt through the middle. I may have left this one in the fridge too long. I don't remember as much malt in my first try of this beer.

M - Moderate

O - I really like this IPA. I prefer it to Sculpin actually.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 15:54:50 | More by buschbeer

jhartley

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed on August 3, 2012. Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a goblet/flute glass. Imprinted on bottle: Enjoy by 9/22/2012.

A: Poured a dark amber with a thin tan 1/2 finger head that quickly dissipated. What remained was just a thin amount of white fizzz on the top. No lacing left behind.

S: Citrus: Oranges, tangerines, grapefruit. Some pine and a bready malt.

T: Malt forward (?) with a light hop bite that builds as you drink more and it warms. Something forms on the back of the tongue -malt?

M: Spicy like carbonation, not real bitter.

O: A very good IPA, way more different than the Sculpin with the added malts. I would like more hops, but it still comes out fairly balanced.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 20:19:35 | More by jhartley

cfrances33

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a tulip.

Pour: Clear amber with a finger of eggshell head that recedes to a film.

Smell: Caramel sweetness and a healthy does of pine. Not much in the way of citrus.

Taste: More of the same on the taste. This is a very malt forward IPA, if that can be a thing. Pine and oranges with a hefty amount of bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Pretty sticky. Mildly bitter. Caramel malts linger.

Overall: Pretty solid IPA, but again, nothing to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 01:09:31 | More by cfrances33

pigc

Nebraska

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours nearly a tangerine orange color with several yeast sediment floaties having a party of their own.

S - Grapefruit, bready malts, orange, pine.

T - Good hop bitterness up front followed by the malt backbone. Flavors of grapefruit rind, pine and a bit of orange and pineapple.

M - Medium bodied with semi-dry finish.

O - Solid IPA from Ballast Point although not in the same tier as Sculpin. Lacks that mango/citrus quality that I love in my IPA.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2012 22:58:40 | More by pigc

BOSMECH

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This poored a dark amber cooler and the head was about a inch then settled down.
A very dark amber look and color
S very hoppy which it sould be for a IPA
T hoppy but not as hoppy as most IPA'
M hoppy but very very smoopth for an IPA.
O very very good for a IPA I would get this beer again and again if wanting a IPA.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 19:31:13 | More by BOSMECH

cratez

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Fresh 12oz bottle from Rozi's Wine House in Lakewood, OH. Clerk said they received their shipment the week before my purchase.

Pours a clear amber hue with a thick eggshell white cap and tons of stringy lacing on the tulip.

Smell is blood orange, red grapefruit, pine sap, herbal hops, peach, mango, perfume, slight nuttiness, bread crust, caramel, ethanol, and nectarine. Very bold, citrusy, and aromatic.

Taste is juicy and citric navel orange, red grapefruit, peach, nectarine, more piney, spicy and herbaceous hops, brown bread crust, light caramel sweetness, pithy and astringent bitterness to end.

Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, juicy and oily middle, bold citric bitterness precedes a long drying finish.

Overall, Big Eye is an aggressive, world class IPA that favourably compares to the top tier hop bombs. A delicious brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 23:42:50 | More by cratez

adamette

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Live Review. Poured from the 12 oz. bottle that I bought for $1.85 from Save-On Tobacco & Beverage in Mentor, Ohio as a single into a clean, clear glass. No "best by" observed by me where Ballast Point's other 12 oz. bottles had it printed on the neck. The other two 12 ounces that I bought that day ...about a week or so ago... were fresh so I am going to go ahead and assume that this one is as well.

A Kind of a standard looking but big creamy very light brown head over a very interesting translucent copper body with plenty of grains or sediment floating about. I really like the look. 4.5

S Moderate bitter hops and lightly roasted malt. Kind of a standard smell really. There might be a bit more of a barley presence to the smell than other IPAs. 3.5

T Pretty standard craft IPA with a moderately elevated hop bitterness that lingers on the back of the tongue and a nice citrus/pineapple sweetness that dances across the front of the tongue. Really intriguing and a cut above most in this style. 4.5

M The bitterness and the sweetness along with the ABV which is a healthy 6.8% mean that this beer has a big mouthfeel. It might be one of the bigger beers in this style (you would have to go to a DIPA to find a bigger feel). 4.0

D/O For me drinkability is reduced by its size. Overall this is a tasty beer though. 3.5

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 01:41:02 | More by adamette

superspak

Michigan

4.23/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating(got it recently from Ohio though, so we should be ok). Pours a lightly cloudy orange amber color with a nice 2 finger dense off white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Some nice soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big grapefruit, herbal, floral, pine, grass, orange, mango, pineapple, honey, caramel, citrus rind, and bread. Very nice and well balanced aromas with good strength; slightly more herbal and piney than I am used to as well. Taste of big grapefruit, herbal, pine, floral, grass, mango, citrus rind, pineapple, caramel, honey, and bread. Fair amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, herbal, pine, tropical, honey, caramel, and bread on the finish for a good bit. Very nice malt/bitterness balance in this; with a nice balance and complexity of hop flavors. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and slightly crisp mouthfeel. Alcohol is very well hidden with pretty much no warming at all noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very excellent IPA. A bit more malty than your typical West coast IPA, but I am not complaining. Great hop flavor balance, and very smooth to drink. Great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 03:27:10 | More by superspak

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.8/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark amber with a large, lasting head.
Nose shows caramel, resinous hops, grapefruit, pine, soft orange marmalade and light fruit. Very malty.
Flavours are similar, lots of sweet clean malt before a piny, resinous hoppy bitterness rolls through.
Body seems a bit syrupy.
Hop character could be a bit more interesting.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 04:40:24 | More by CrazyDavros

dansmcd

Australia

4.1/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Small white head over desert sunset coloured body, streaky lacing. Nice.

S - Beautiful balance of pine resin, pineapple, grapfruit, caramel and barley. Gorgeous fresh IPA aroma.

T - Pine needle and citrus provide a strong hop bitterness and complex flavours, toffee malt profile less prominent but there.

M - Moderate to high carbonation, medium body.

O - Stoked about the new access to these at DM's at a very reasonable price.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 08:40:31 | More by dansmcd

Brad007

Vermont

4.2/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours an amber/mild gold with a two-finger head into my glass. Very excitable presentation.

Lots of fantastic hop aroma here. Nothing much to report other than the usual excellent mix of grassy hops with buttery malt.

Bitterness envelopes my tongue, cradling it with sustained piney highs. Not a lupulin binge per se but a taste.

It shows at the back of the throat too. Very tantalizing. Warms up the throat.

I'd definitely drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 00:06:46 | More by Brad007

mntlover

Tennessee

4.25/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a pretty pale copper color with a nice two finger off white head that falls slow to clumps with nice lace.

Aroma is nice fruity citrus notes nice hoopy smelling with nice underlying caramel malt notes. Classic west coast IPA nothing wrong with that.

Taste is nice malty goodness with good carbonation that brings plenty of hop resins to the tounge. Nice fruity notes tangerine and mango with good lingering bitterness but the malt presence is good also.

Mouthfeel is nice little more carbonation then I usually like but seems to fit this brew just fine.

Overall enjoyable not sure what I paid for this but if reasonable I could see this making it into my regular lineup of go to IPA's.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 02:15:41 | More by mntlover

BostonHops

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle served in a snifter.
no freshness info.

pours a gorgeous, clear amber bordering on a deep gold, almost orange tone; yields 1" to 1 and 1/2" creamy beige head. nice retention and beautiful walls of lacing. a bit of sediment, but that aside this is one fantastic looking beer. nose is solid, though not breathtaking like older brother sculpin. notes of pine, citrus, and some balancing malts.

citric aspect of it pulls through in the flavor (notably grapefruit); the pine i get less of, though it is present in the background. maltiness enough to add some balance to the beer without going too far. the finish is dry but not overly bitter. crisp, medium bodied mouthfeel with average carbonation.

overall this is a damn fine beer. in a sibling rivalry showdown it's clearly no sculpin, but then few IPAs are. my biggest complaint is with ballast point not dating its bottles. when you have a beer (an IPA no less) traveling across the country before sitting around a bottle shop, that info is nice to know. that said, no question these guys know how to brew an IPA.

originally reviewed: 03-29-2011

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 20:45:06 | More by BostonHops

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.38/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle from Dan Murphy's in Melbourne. From notes.

A - Poured bright and dark golden. Good carbonation, one finger of fluffy off white head. Really nice lace rings and a film of retention.

S - Really citrussy, orange peel, sweet fruits. Kiwi might be there as well with some pineapple core.

T - Citrus, toffee-ish flavours, pineapple, citrus. Sweet up front. Seemed a bit rough, but alright.

M - Bitterness was rough seeming. Good carbonation, medium to full chewy body.

O/D - A pretty decent IPA that fell short with the roughness of the bitterness and cutting hop profile. I can see the potential for this one but the example I had wasn't exemplary.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 06:54:55 | More by tbeckett

mattcrill

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Aroma: Big, orange juice-like aroma up front. Hints of orange blossom, flowery hop aromatics, and lemon zest all develop as the beer opens up. Clean fermentation character.

Appearance: Amber bordering on brick-red pour, slightly hazy, with a thick and sudsy off-white head.

Flavor: More orange juice-like flavors with slight caramel notes that get beaten down by bitter pine-like hop character. Balance is firmly bitter. Finish is clean and dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body with medium-high carbonation. Slightly oily with no heat.

Overall impression: A nice interpretation of a Midwest IPA. Ha! There, I said it. Reminds me of something that Bell's would make. Probably because of the Centennial flavor/aroma additions and the slight caramel notes. Regardless of "chicken-egg" mentality it's a darn good beer and I'm glad it's now available in Central OH.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 23:21:26 | More by mattcrill

BayouBengal1537

Louisiana

3.9/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber poured into glass. Can't read freshness date.
Pours a very nice copper hazy color, and leaves great looking spotty lacing. Smells of citrus and grapefruit, can get some maltiness as well. Taste like the nose, very hoppy, grapefruit and citrus and some spicy hop notes. Love the Columbus and Centennial hops together. Mouthfeel is smooth, a little oily from the hop resin. Overall a great IPA. Glad I brought this one home from my Southern California trip, as I cannot get this one in Louisiana.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 01:40:21 | More by BayouBengal1537

heygeebee

Australia

3.88/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Best before June 12

Pours a beautiful deep amber, two finger cream fluffy head. Sudsy lace when swirled.

Aromas are somewhat restrained - citrus dominates. grapefruit/orange peel. Hop presence as well.

Taste is same as nose and add pine resin. However, somewhat dulled hops - not as zesty as could be. Not too much in the way of malt backbone leaves a little palate hole. Alcohol well hidden.

Mouthfell heavy/somewhat oily due to low carbonation.

Overall, I suspect past it's best. Not a bad thing but more malt would help lift. 0.5 added overall due ot low price point.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 07:56:23 | More by heygeebee

ThomasMetal75

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

*Poured into a Sam Adams Boston Lager Glass*

A- Yellow and cloudy on the bottom of glass like a wheat beer, but copper/bronze on the top of glass. The head is very soapy and foamy like a bubble bath, but retains to just a nice foamy constancy like dish soap around the top of glass. Real good lacing!

S- Huge citrus notes. Smells like grapefruit juice, but equally as malty. Not too pungent on the nose. If this is how IPAs smelled all the time, I'd be in heaven!

T- Grapefruit juice. Very citrusy hop flavor. The malty taste creates a kind of velvety texture on the tongue. The bitterness hits you in the back of the throat, but not too hard. It slowly coats the back of the throat, but finishes somewhat dry.

M- This is awesome! Big Eye is very light in mouthfeel. It is not heavy at all. Easy drinking for an IPA!

HOLY CRAP! This has to be one of my favorite IPAs, has down. This is just awesome. This juicy quality mixed with the light mouthfeel and drying finish makes this a homerun of an IPA. I'd drink the Big Eye IPA anytime of the year!

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 03:30:38 | More by ThomasMetal75

megahurts4

Louisiana

4.2/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Ballast Point Big Eye IPA

Appearance: amber, medium head, and some good lacing.

Smell: full fruity hops and nice warm malted barley.

Taste: pleasant malts, barley, full hop cones, and a faint floral note.

Mouthfeel: medium yet on the lighter side.

Overall:
This is a very pleasant brew. Warm and inviting flavors in a body that isn't heavy.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 03:08:20 | More by megahurts4

busterwhite

Georgia

4.23/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours an orange color with a 2 finger head. Nice lacing on the glass.

Smells of citrus, some herbal aroma and a little sweetness.

Tastes of citrus, tropical fruit, a little herbal and floral with a nice bitter bite. Good malt backbone helps balance the hops, finishes with a grapefruit rind aftertaste.

Carbonation is good, mouthfeel is medium and a little resinous/oily.

This is a well done IPA, complex and layered in flavor. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2012 01:24:45 | More by busterwhite

mulder1010

Australia

3.98/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

355 ML poured into a tulip

A-- Poured a clear, light orange amber color. Bright white one finger head. Great staying power to the head. Even better with swirling as got two fingers of head. Nice fluffy head that when recedes leaves lots of spotty and soapy lacing. Nice.

S-- Break this down two ways. In the bottle got a lot of bubblegum in the nose. Very vibrant smell. In the glass a lot of tropical sorbet. Peach, lime, guava, orange and soft grapefruit. in the glass it is slightly muted. Not as fresh as the bottle nose.

T-- Forward pine, grapefruit and orange bitterness, though getting slightly muted due to the age of the beer. Still shows flashes of what this can be.

M-- Medium feel and medium carbonation. Not as oily as it should be and showing lots of overripe orange, pine and grapefruit. malt backbone makes appearances in the feel as a good amount of toffee are well balanced with the fruits. Good citrus sorbet finish but it is showing it's age.

O-- It's old. Say that up front. Perfectly serviceable though. Shows flashes of what it was and that is more than enough. hides the alcohol well and something that would work in a big way in this climate. if Australia got fresh Big Eye watch out. Shows its age in the feel so the downgrade. Otherwise a world class IPA

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2012 12:51:24 | More by mulder1010