Ballast Point Calm Before The Storm
Ballast Point Calm Before The Storm is a Cream Ale infused with cold brewed Caffé Calabria coffee and a hint of vanilla. 5.5% ABV.
Lovely pour with this beer, exceptionally clear golden color and a nice white head that fades to a pleasant ring around the edges. I was expecting a bigger coffee and vanilla aroma, and although it is there it is muted with a lot of the base Cream Ale coming thorough. The taste is rather interesting, even though this is not a style of beer I would normally reach for. First things first, this is a solid Cream Ale that is not totally dominated by the coffee and vanilla. Very clean base beer with a great amount of sweet grain in the taste. What the coffee and vanilla does add is some extra interest, just the right amount with the coffee hitting the palate first. The vanilla is actually pretty strong but it takes a few sips for it to come out. The more I drink this the more I like it, everything is in such perfect balance.
Seeing a lot of mixed review of this one. Sure, it is a bit “boring” compared to Victory at Sea, or some other Coffee Stout, but it could be the most interesting Cream Ale I’ve ever had!
