Tongue Buckler - Imperial Red Ale - Ballast Point Brewing Company

vacax

California

4.08/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bomber from BevMo @ $7.49 poured into pint glass.

A: Somewhere between red and orange with an attractive creamy looking head. Great retention and lacing. Hell of a good looking red ale.

S: Hopsplosion of pine and white grapefruit with a bit of an earthy twang. Nose is all hops.

T: Full hop presence of the nose is delivered with pine and grapefruit, and some orange all in treasure troves. Very unique balance, however, lots of spiciness, black pepper, and a skillful bite of alcohol. Tongue Buckler, indeed. A very hop-forward, very big red ale with a very artistic balance.

M: Medium body and very nice level of carbonation, not overdone.

D: Drinkable for an enormous ale (how many 10% red ales are out there, anyway?) though a definite palate wrecker / tongue buckler for me. I will finish up this bomber, but I would be happy with 12 oz. or so and this isn't really something I would buy frequently. A very well done ale, but the spiciness and high ABV aren't things that I seek out in a red ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2009 03:17:08 | More by vacax

jminsc76

California

3.85/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Cracked this open earlier per alex3891's recommendation. The head is thick and bubbly, exhibiting a grayish brown atop a deep ruby/slightly orange body. Wet, bubbly lacing spiraling down the side. Plenty of rising bubbles.

Aromas of maltiness, fresh yet pungent hops, and caramel. As I continue drinking it starts revealing more orange and citrus aromas. Not incredibly intense, but still effective.

This is where the fit hits the shan. The flavors are incredibly intense, exhibiting a powerful combination of sweetness, earthiness, and even burn. Almost a roasted flavor in there, but the bitterness and the malty caramel flavors reign supreme. The bottle advertises the beer as a palate wrecker, and it surely lives up to this assertion. Imagine a strong barleywine meeting Stone's Ruination and this is probably what you would get. The heat of the alcohol is on with this one, and after several sips and quaffs I struggle to finish the bottle. The mouthfeel starts to burn, and I regret not having reinforcements (i.e., another person to drink it with).

So I pull out some Danish Blue and aged Cheddar and the journey is enjoyable once again, as the beer further brings out the strong, earthy and pungent flavors of the cheeses. I would definitely come back to this one, though limit it to one serving per session and let the drinking partner pick up some of the heat.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2009 16:46:29 | More by jminsc76

rmaste6282

California

4.22/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is my first Imperial Red, and I think I picked a good one. The head pours thick, and lasts a minute or tow with some nice light brown lacing. The smell is reminds me of a barley wine with slightly less kick, fresh hops. The color is definately amber, nice and dark. The taste is somewhat similar to a barley wine, tasting pretty strong for 6.4% ABV. I get that oak barrel taste, malty, but has some bitter characteristics. Carbonation is pretty high, which tones down the alcohol taste. Good Imperial Red, I would recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2009 02:01:52 | More by rmaste6282

moosington

California

4.38/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber from Hollingshead.

Pours a deep amber/copper with a nice off-white head that disappeared to a consistent ring.

Aroma is not overpowering, but bears sweet citrusy hops and a sweet bready/malty combo.

Taste starts with a sweet and spicy bread/malt quality that is quickly taken over by a hop charge of citrus rind and pine that sticks to the tongue. This is all washed down with a noticeable, though not unpleasant hint of alcohol.

Mouthfeel is great for the style. Pretty heavy, but balanced well with great carbonation and the hop kick sticks to the tongue for a while.

Certainly not a session beer, but I had no problem at all finishing the bomber, and could probably handle a few pints on tap. Very tasty, and another awesome beer from the Ballast Point limited releases (I find their year round releases to be not so hot).

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2009 05:11:26 | More by moosington

GreatJob

California

4.33/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Picked up a 22oz. bottle from BevMo.

A - Poured a clear, dark amber with light creamy tan head that last through the entire glass.

S - slight smell of hops and cirtus, but not as much as other reviewers had stated. The smell is dominated by sweet, bread-like aromas similar to a belgian aile.

T - The taste starts with sweet malty goodness, followed by a strong alcohol flavor immediately after swallowing. The beer finishes pretty bitter, which is accompanied by bread-like flavors similar to the aromas. This is an extremely well balanced beer.

M - Very smoothe mouthfeel. Perfectly carbonated.

D - I could drink this all night. Like I said before, this is a very well balanced beer which makes it very easy to drink. There are no extremes in any category that would make this difficult for anyone to drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2009 03:14:04 | More by GreatJob

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.58/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shout out to my 619 connect for this and all the other awesome San Diego local beers. Ruby red, wispy caramel bubbles. It smells like strong alcohol and a little hops. The taste is hoppy, malty, piney, its probably the most potent red ale I've had despite the fact that Alesmith Decadence 06 was 9.9%. This is just heavy on the alcohol but it is still alright, its definitely a tounge-wrecker.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2009 00:09:23 | More by ArrogantB

glid02

Georgia

4.1/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tried this courtesy of ChuggyMcBeer, mbudner, and TempsPerdu - much obliged!

Pours a slightly hazy amber color with a one-finger light tan head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of light citrus and floral hops with good amounts of caramel malts.

Tastes similar to how it smells. The hops aren't quite as intense as the smell led me to believe they would be, but it's still a highly-hopped amber. The ending isn't as absurdly bitter as the name would imply, but it is robust. I wouldn't have guessed this was 10% ABV.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with moderate carbonation - not quite on par with NN but not a far cry either.

Drinkability is very good. I finished my glass with no problem and could have a few of these.

Overall this is a well done amber, although not quite in the top tier. Still, it's worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2009 15:32:38 | More by glid02

seaoflament

California

3.5/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had this beer on tap at Hamilton's Tavern on 4-24-09.

I tried this beer before, at the Stone 12th Anniversary Fest I believe and I thought it was pretty good so I was looking forward to having it again.

The first thing that surprised me was that this one was getting poured in smaller glasses and I probably didn't get more than 8oz of beer, whatever...gives me a chance to try some more beers I guess. The beer was a dark brown color with vermillion tones when held to the light. Nice inch of foam on top with excellent retention. Some lacing is left of the glass after a sip.

Very toasted malts, crystal and caramel malts on the nose. Minimal hop aroma at the beginning, might have to let this beer warm up or breath a bit because I wasn't getting much. Some slightly citrus and maybe earthy hops in the background. As it warmed up it exhibited some brown sugar and dry dark fruits like dates and a bit of raisins. Not that impressed and a bit let down compared to other imperial reds I've had. I was expecting more hop character out of this. There was also some boozy alcohol when the beer warmed up.

Hints of citrus bitterness with a deeply toasted and caramelized tasting malt flavor. Some prunes and fruitiness form the yeast in the second half of the palate. A bit of brown sugar and a slight lingering earthy bitterness. Touch of herbal and a somewhat ashy flavor too. Burnt toast in the finish with some dark fruits. Alcohol noticeable in the finish and as the beer warms up.

Medium carbonation and a clean finish. Good drinkability but I wasn't craving more of it.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2009 04:19:28 | More by seaoflament

HopHead84

California

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle purchased from the Ballast Point Home Brew Mart. Despite what the Beer Advocate listing says, this release of the beer is 10% ABV, not 6.4%. Poured into a Pint Glass. The beer is effervescent dark red with a large pillowy off white head. The retention is very good, and the beer leaves some lacing as it recedes.

Sweet caramel and bready malt nicely balances out aggressive citrus, piney, and earthy hops in the nose. The 10% ABV is apparent. The beer is initially sweet, mainly bready, sugary malt, but it's quickly balanced by a high level of bitterness reminiscent of citrus and pine. I talked to the brewer and he said they used 6 or 7 hop varieties in this beer. The taste has a lot of different hop flavors that come together nicely. There's a lot of alcohol. The finish is sweet and piney hops with lingering alcohol heat. There's a high level of bitterness in the finish. The beer is aptly named.

Medium bodied with good carbonation. The mouthfeel is dry and sticky.

Bottle consumed on 3/7/2010 (2010 batch)

I'm not sure if my palate has progressed or if this is just better than last year's batch, but this is a contender for best Imperial Red...up there with Nugget Nectar. Alcohol is better hidden this year, and the hop aroma and flavor are both explosive. So much citrus and pine. Outstanding stuff. Drink it fresh, drink it fresh, drink it fresh, and you'll find it to be amazing.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2009 01:30:06 | More by HopHead84

emerge077

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Assuming this is the recent "robust series" bottling, the original listing should be updated if there's an ABV change. Huge thanks to Jason for dropping this in a recent trade!

Lovely burnt crimson color, fluffy foam, and minor lacing. Dank hop oils in the nose. Sweet fruit and a hint of maltiness buried underneath. Later there's a waft of the alcohol, but it blends in well.

Huge smack of melon/cantaloupe sweetness, dank fruity hops are massive in this one! Lush, sweet almost syrupy body. Reminded me a little of oak-aged Unearthly minus the oak. Drying with moderately bitter finish. Traces of alcohol only seem to come out as it warms. Pretty damn strong, but tasty. The sweetness and booze are integrated well enough that it isn't a distraction. I'm going to miss this bomber when it's gone...

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2009 01:07:30 | More by emerge077

turboedtwo

California

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

a - nice amber brown color, nice head as well. didn't check the head though until it was too late.

s - my ability to smell is horrible, but i can tell that it has a sweet smell.

t - sweet start with a nice hoppy finish with a slight lingering alcohol

m - the sweetness of it tingles the tongue a bit, it's pretty smooth though.

d - while it tastes good I don't know if I could drink this all night. not saying it's bad, just not my style.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2009 04:09:39 | More by turboedtwo

paytoplay

California

3.98/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Much better from bobmer for me. complex aroma, really deep amber and amazing when the light hits it. malt, more hops, fresh, green, pine and a touch of sweetness that all came out better in the tulip. still crushes the tongue but is nicer about it. could see this improving with several months in the bottle. reminded me of a winter yulesmith, but monsterized.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2009 18:24:26 | More by paytoplay

djaeon

California

3.8/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I went by the Linda Vista Ballast Point store today and picked up a couple of bottles of this. It's different than the previously listed Tongue Buckler as this bottled edition has about 4% higher ABV.

A - Pours an amber/ruby red color with a thick three finger off-white head. Excellent retention and mild lacing.

S - Hops hit the nose immediately, with a strong malt aroma following up quickly.

T - Has a definite strong ale flavor. Very hopy. Moderately malty. Tastes similar to what I imagine fresh cut pine trees to smell like. Reminds me of a lighter version of Arrogant Bastard.

M - Feels very smooth in the mouth. Not quite as bitter as you would expect from the amount of hops that I smell. The high 10% ABV is very well hidden. No burn at all. Also has a nice amount of carbonation.

D - It's pretty drinkable. Not necessarily a sipper, but not a quick drinker either.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2009 23:40:33 | More by djaeon

magictrokini

California

4.22/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer is huge. Pours dark crimson with a tiny tan head. Aroma is mostly hops and caramel malt, with some fruitiness. The taste is very strong. Thick with malt and caramel, but offset by the heaping of bitter hops. Some citrus towards the back. Creamy mouthfeel with some stickiness. Its a sipper, but a really good one.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2008 23:56:55 | More by magictrokini

Stoneman78

California

4.43/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On cask at the Real Ale Festival at PP Carlsbad

Appearance is a cloudy red hue, off-white creamy foam head, moderate lacing

Smell is super pine needle hops, caramel malts, bread and biscuit malts, toffee, citrus, chocolate

Taste is bitter pine hops balanced with smooth caramel malts, toffee dominates the middle, finishes slightly bitter

Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, thick and creamy texture, moderate carbonation

Drinkability is high, great mix of hops and caramel malts, a very impressive 'imperial' amber style beer resembling GF Hophead and Port Shark Attack

Serving type: cask

06-25-2008 07:03:07 | More by Stoneman78

Floydster

California

3.28/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

5 ounce taster from Ballast Point's 11th Anniversary Celebration this afternoon

Color was a dark red with a brown tint and had a soapy head that stuck through for a little while

Smell was dominated by hops, some grapefruit but mainly just strong dry accents

Taste was very syrupy to me, just like the Dorado Double IPA in that respect, only double amber out there I have ever heard of, they might even bottle this soon from what I have heard, a little too hoppy for this kind brew to me, do not get me wrong I love hops and my favorite beers are the most bitter IPAs, but this just did not mix that well here and was very overpowering, needs to be some good amounts of malt to balance out an amber, but this was still interesting and I am glad I tried it

Could not drink too many of these even though the alcohol content is not too high, but it is very bitter and not in the best way, still worth checking out if they ever have this at O'Briens or Liar's Club

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2007 07:22:37 | More by Floydster

mentor

Colorado

2.83/5  rDev -28%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Bottle was a 2006 GABF left-over that was given to me as a reward for my volunteer efforts. Thanks a million to GABF and to Ballast Point Brewing for the opportunity. Entered into judging as an Imperial Red.

Pours a two finger frothy tan-yellow head over a crystal clear red-amber liquid. Head settles to a very sticky layer that left stellar lacing. Smells piney and clean grapefruit hoppy. rough grassy coho with a hint of American Barley Wine alcohol and sugar character. Dash of cardboard for good measure. Also, oddly, I get starwberries. Soft ester sweet.

Tatses rough grassy. Md-heavy hop bitternes and way coho for the bitterness. Dry and lacking in malt sweet. Aftertaste has a touch of alcohol sting. As the beer warms, hop bitterness become piercing. Brutal because it's so dry and lacking any malt sweet.

Swirls thick, but comes across as thin in the mouth because it's so dry nothing hangs in the mouth. Not very drinkable...I dumped it.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2007 23:29:22 | More by mentor

sleazo

New York

3.7/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this on cask at O Briens. A thick creamy off white head topped a copper/red brew. This is what a beer should look like. The smell was of hops, citrusy/floral hops. The hops in this smelled fresh, like a harvest ale. Taste was dominated by the hops. Now i do love hops, but this was fairly one dimensional. Mouthfeel was good, creamy and rich. A good beer for hop heads if a bit one dimensional.

Serving type: cask

01-06-2007 18:39:03 | More by sleazo

dbalsock

Vermont

3.53/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: I watched that pour, and was quite disappointed at the lack of head this beer produced. The color was a plane dark amber, and overall this wasn't much to look at.

Smell: I may be crazy, but I found the nose to be full of cherries, maybe even caramelized cherries. Hops were not quite noticeable to me in the nose, and I found that to be a hopefull sign.

Taste: Wow, I've never had a beer whose taste is so different from its smell. Grapefruit and other hoppy qualities were almost all I could taste. Only a little of the cherry smell made it through with some alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Very bitter and medium bodied. The bitter quality wasn't just in the aftertaste either, the whole experience was bitter.

Drinkability: I found this to be way over hopped for my liking, and barely made it through a pint.

Serving type: on-tap

08-01-2006 17:34:33 | More by dbalsock

chargerfanjess

California

4.3/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the brewery.Brown cloudy nice big head tight bubbles that continued forever, very bitter almost an IPA caramel with backbone slight sweetness but rounds out well with a well balanced finish. I enjoyed this brew but couldn't drink more than three

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2006 17:35:11 | More by chargerfanjess

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.22/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: Sampled at The 9th Annual San Diego Strong Ale Festival. After trying the excellent Three Sheets Barleywine and seeing this one listed at #6 on the Beer Menu I knew it would be folly to miss the chance to sample it. I note that the Pizza Port SAF Menu lists this at 8.5% Alcohol by Volume, much higher than the 6.40% listed here. I also recall this being referred to as a “Double/Imperial Red” by several people at the Festival too.

Appearance: Gorgeous red with some deep sunset orange. The deep off-white head faded quickly from 1" down to a 1/4", but it left a broken covering and a little lacing. Fine bubbled conditioning.

Nose: Rather hoppy nose with some strong fruity aspects. Light caramel sweetness with a delicate spicy twang at the finish.

Taste: Started with some toffee and caramel but soon the hops shone through this one. Finished with a nice mélange of sweet fruits. The fruity feel and hops in this Red transform it from the usual rather boring Brew Pub style pseudo-Reds, into a very interesting and nicely balanced offering. Enjoyable.

Mouthfeel: Had a smooth easy going cream soda like feel.

Drinkability: Soft carbonation and a low level conditioning adds to its Drinkability.

Overall: I am not a huge fan of Reds, so when I heard this one referred to as a Double Red, seconds after I ordered it…….(note to Pizza Port: please add a “style” column to the next Festival Menu!!!) I was filled with trepidation. However, I will happily state that this was a very tasty treat, far from overpowering, sickly or alcoholic. I rate the brews from Ballast Point very highly; they consistently produce high quality products and always make an effort to add a Review for them whenever I can. This really should be bottled.

Serving type: on-tap

12-10-2005 20:59:48 | More by TheLongBeachBum

Dmann

California

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer hit the spot the other night and I hope to come back for more. Had this on tap at the San Diego Brewing Co. and it was great. Poured a great amber color with a great head and nice lacing. The smell leaned more towards the IPA side of things with a nice wiff of hops and a little carmel malt scent in there too. The taste was very good and was a perfect mix between a strong amber and an IPA with a nice healthy hoppy flavor backed by a sweet malt that broke through very nicely and came to the foreground to ballance. I too hope they bottle this one someday, I'll buy!

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2004 10:40:53 | More by Dmann

Mark

California

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

XLPerro turned me on to this brew, it's an Imperial Red according to the brewery. Aroma and taste profile was hoppy, that's for sure. There was a bit too much sweetness or I would have really fallen for this one. Color was a deep amber, head was tannish. Nice solid mouthfeel and decent drinkability. A very interesting beer that I'm glad I tried.

Serving type: on-tap

04-19-2003 22:17:58 | More by Mark