Beer #4 - W/C 23 March 2015
"The beer that helped put San Diego IPA's on the map"
BREWERY //
When Jack White (not that one) found himself in the tricky situation of being a keen home brewer without a decent supply of ingredients in 1992, he took matters into his own hands. Jack opened Home Brew Mart that year in his home town of San Diego and inevitably started brewing in the back room. Fast forward to today and Ballast Point is one of the most highly regarded breweries in America producing a range of award winning beers.
THE BEER //
It's not a good idea to believe everything you read on the internet but a beer with a 98 score on RateBeer.com is generally worth tasting. Big Eye is a throbbing example of how great an American IPA can be. Universally regarded as a modern classic, there is nothing standard about this beer. As every new convert to craft beer knows, hops are awesome. There are over 80 different varieties of hop in commercial use around the world and they all taste different. The Columbus and Centennial hops used in this brew are responsible for the aggressive earthy pine and resin flavours. The bitterness of the hops is balanced by the toffee sweetness of the malt which is also responsible for the creamy body.
American style IPA's are best enjoyed cool, not cold- around 7-11C. As a yardstick, your refrigerator is around 2-4C.
BREWERY // Ballast PointBEER // Big Eye
STYLE // India Pale Ale
ORIGIN // San Diego, USA
ABV // 7%
IBU // 71
MALT // Pale 2-row, CaraPils, Crystal 40
HOPS // Columbus & Centennial
TEMPERATURE // Cool - 7-11C
FOOD MATCH // Goat cheese & grilled vegetables. Panang curry. Cured meats