Calm Before the Storm

Calm Before the Storm Cream Ale by Ballast Point Brewing

Tonight I am trying a beer from a brewery, I have not had before. They are located in San Diego. I am trying a beer from Ballast Point Brewing and Spirits. Some breweries like Ballast Point also create their own line of Spirits for non-beer drinkers to enjoy. I know a few breweries do this like Dogfish Head Brewery and Rogue Brewery. Ballast Point was started as a Homebrew Mart in 1992 and was officially created in 1996. Ballast Point's philosophy has been doing what we love, making what we love to drink. So, naturally, they named their beers after something that they love as much as brewing-- fishing. Today many of their beers are named for fish or fishing terms, and the labels have fish on them as a reminder to always do what you love. I am trying Calm Before the Storm, which is a Cream Ale brewed with coffee and vanilla. Calm Before the Storm has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 5.5% and an IBU of 15. 

Appearance of Calm Before the Storm 

I have tried a cream ale before on this blog. It was Croydon Cream Ale by Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company, let see how Calm Before the Storm compares. The head or foam of this beer was light and dissipated quickly. There is a golden hue appearance to this beer. Almost reminds me of a cream soda. The aroma is different though. There is a definite vanilla aroma to this beer, which I like. Coinciding with the vanilla is a strong coffee aroma, paired together they make me feel like I am drinking a coffee with french vanilla cream. Because of the low IBU there is not a distinct hop bitter note to this aroma. 

Taste is where this beer gets intriguing to me. Based off the aromas, I cannot help but be curious about this beer. I took my first sip and I notice the coffee forward note on the palate. There was a light mouthfeel to this beer, the beer did not linger on the taste buds. I think the more and more I drank the beer, the more it tasted like coffee with a vanilla cream added into it. The vanilla is a subtle player on the taste palate that comes and goes quickly. To say, the taste and the aromas followed one another would be a correct assertion. The note that I could not put my finger on right away was a bitter acidic coffee note, one that someone might find in a black coffee. Calm Before the Storm has a medium body that has a silky smooth finish.

Ballast Point Calm Before the Storm Cream Ale

Overall, I think that Calm Before the Storm was a good brew. If you are looking for a lighter style ale with not the hop forward note like some pale ales, you might want to check this beer out. If you enjoy coffee and have tried some beers with coffee in them, I suggest you try this beer. I thought the cream ale with coffee and vanilla was an interesting beer and Ballast Point did a good job pairing the flavors in this beer. Originally, I was shocked when I poured this beer out; it did not look like I thought it would, but in a good way. I thought this beer when I first poured it was a cream soda, not an ale. I think the more and more I began to dive into the beer the more I began to like it. 

Check out Ballast Point Brews and Spirits: 

Website: http://www.ballastpoint.com/

Twitter: Tweet @BPbrewing