Ballantine XXX Ale - Pabst Brewing Company

NiceTaps

New Jersey

2.45/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

I hadn't had this for such along time so I thought I'd give it a try given the limited choices at an Atlantic City casino sports bar. The weekday special was $5.00 for a forty. Price and value went hand in hand.

A- very light, pale golden color. Fast fading head, no lacing.

S- almost aroma free, maybe a touch of sweet maltiness.

T- sweet and malty, no hop bitterness. Is there a mineral taste to that brew, ala Miller beers?

M- lots of carbonation and no texture.

I really wanted to like this, in the end I couldn't even enjoy it. yuk.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 01:50:17 | More by NiceTaps

ale207

Maine

3.5/5  rDev +15.5%

05-20-2013 20:29:51 | More by ale207

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

2/5  rDev -34%

05-10-2013 22:07:39 | More by mikeburd1128

rderedin

Maine

2.75/5  rDev -9.2%

05-05-2013 18:36:51 | More by rderedin

kkmiller76

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev +7.3%

05-04-2013 23:33:37 | More by kkmiller76

Celtics76

Rhode Island

2.75/5  rDev -9.2%

04-08-2013 13:27:06 | More by Celtics76

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev +7.3%

03-21-2013 17:36:07 | More by ummswimmin

wonothesane42

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev +7.3%

03-06-2013 20:27:14 | More by wonothesane42

yankinoz

Australia

4.08/5  rDev +34.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I'm working from memory of my go-to beer, back when Ballantine brewed in Newark and this really was America's most popular ale. A point to emphasize about xxx is that to my tastes it was far better on tap than in bottles, a bigger difference than I have found in any other beer. Not only was bottled xxx often skunky, it always seemed slightly cooked and a bit thin in comparison. Once I tasted the draft, I rarely went back to the bottles.

From the tap it poured with a good head, although retention was below average. The aroma was floral and fairly strong, though less than from opening a bottle. Lacing? I was too young to care.

Malt came out in in the aroma, mouthfeel and a trace of sweetness, though it finished dry like a pilsner, all qualities less evident in the bottled beer. It was noticeably more bitter than any of the domestic lagers then available, but less than the German lagers then coming in. Overall, a beer that taught me what balance was.

I spent a year in England about then. Obviously the English bitters were different, but I can't say I liked the run of the mill ones better, only certain ones like Abott Ale and just about everything brewed in Yorkshire.

Serving type: on-tap

02-12-2013 22:35:42 | More by yankinoz

milkbone_underwear

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +23.8%

02-11-2013 02:00:58 | More by milkbone_underwear

rorjets

Connecticut

1.75/5  rDev -42.2%

02-10-2013 14:01:59 | More by rorjets

Segelstrom

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -17.5%

02-02-2013 00:04:57 | More by Segelstrom

DmanGTR

New York

2.25/5  rDev -25.7%

01-29-2013 20:17:08 | More by DmanGTR

TheBigBoy

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -1%

01-28-2013 04:02:24 | More by TheBigBoy

Peyton5410

New Jersey

2.5/5  rDev -17.5%

01-20-2013 00:00:40 | More by Peyton5410

spycow

Illinois

3/5  rDev -1%

01-17-2013 06:30:02 | More by spycow

tbeer40

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev +7.3%

01-07-2013 18:52:40 | More by tbeer40

Hopheadjeffery

Illinois

3/5  rDev -1%

12-22-2012 16:34:26 | More by Hopheadjeffery

barczar

Kentucky

2.75/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Dated August 12, so about 4 months late.

Pours a slightly hazy golden straw with a solid one inch white head that slowly dissipates, leaving sticky lacing.

Skunk, grain, and corn adjunct form the aroma. Lightly sweet malt is secondary.

Flavor leaves the skunk behind. Grain, lightly sweet, cracker malt, and a hit of floral hops form the flavor profile. Metallic flavors emerge.

Body is on the light side, with moderate carbonation and a touch of astringency.

Can't believe this beer got the ratings it did. Flavor is neutral, aroma skunky.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 07:18:16 | More by barczar

chucksim

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +15.5%

12-17-2012 04:55:07 | More by chucksim

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had this on 2012-12-12 in Columbia, PA

A - Clear, bold yellow with a 1.25-finger white head and mild lacing.

S - Lemon, light hop floral, cracker. Not bad. Better than Bud or Miller for sure.

T - Tastes like a somewhat hoppy lager with corn sweetness, lemon and light bitterness. Perhaps leaning towards a Victory Prima Pils but nowhere as sophisticated, bitter, or, well, really not in the same league. Not upleasant though. The green bottle could have been badly skunked. I kept it out of the light and so perhaps did most of the rest of the supply chain since it's evident but barely.

M - Light-medium body and medium carbonation. More body than I expected.

O - It's not the piney / bitter brew I remember from the early 70's in North Jersey. I didn't know what hops were then but I knew I liked the flavor of Ballantine XXX , which I learned many decades later, used hop oil extract. This beer could use some of that but even so, I enjoyed this more than most adjunct brews.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 23:22:57 | More by Tucquan

mwar

Kentucky

2.25/5  rDev -25.7%

11-26-2012 23:36:32 | More by mwar

SLeffler27

New York

3/5  rDev -1%

11-18-2012 05:38:21 | More by SLeffler27

TwinSox33

New Hampshire

3.45/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From a "Half-Quart" 16oz can

A: Golden hued traditional AAL look

S: Milled grains, husky grass.

T: Semi-sweet malts rounded out with a citric hop bitterness. The beer has a crackery presence, and the hops are like a watered down IPA.

M: Slightly above average for the style. Smooth and Creamy.

Very good for a retro Pabst owned (brewed by Miller) product. When you see it for $5-6 for a 6'er do not hesitate to pick some up! When PBR is at the same price point this wins.

Serving type: can

11-16-2012 23:26:47 | More by TwinSox33

khargro2

Georgia

1.5/5  rDev -50.5%

11-04-2012 01:42:20 | More by khargro2