Ballast Point and red ales, two things that I have really been digging lately. Where those two meet is this 10% ABV beast, Tongue Buckler. And that poor bastard on the label without a tongue! This is the last beer sitting in between us and the Canadian Craft beer. Let's get to it. To the beer!
Tongue Buckler pours a beautiful deep chestnut red in color. It's topped by a bubbly layer of off white head that recedes pretty quickly.
On the nose I get huge resiny hop notes and robust caramel malt. It's a bit spicy, slightly roasty, with a touch of boozy heat.
Tongue Buckler is awfully full bodied, almost chewy on the palate. Very rich. Resiny bitter hop flavor is contrasted by a full robust toffee/ caramel malt. There's a touch of vanilla in there as well. As it warms up a bit a lot of fruitiness comes out. It's an interesting mix of dark and citrus fruit, a bit of plum and tangerine.
I like this one. It's not my favorite beer from Ballast Point, or my favorite big red ale. But it is tasty. It's also a bit hot though. I imagine a bit of age would suit this beer very well. Possibly smooth out some of those rougher edges and allow some of the complexity to shine through. Hmm...
HD
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