Ballast Point Yellowtail Pale Ale

B / 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 5

Style: Kolsch
ABV: 4.60%
Purchased: $2.29/bottle at Wine Gourmet in Roanoke, VA

First off, I was misled by the label into thinking this was a Pale Ale. Indeed it is pale and it is an ale, but it's actually a Kolsch-style ale. Fine with me, nothing wrong with a good Kolsch (it may even be next on the brewing agenda).

Poured into a stange, this beer exhibits a very light straw color with a touch of haze. The white foamy head has a respectable layer of retention with some clumping. Lemon and a bit of cake on the nose.

The mouthfeel strikes me as starchier than expected. Its rough, hop-forward flavor exhibits lemon tartness and pale German malt. The hops give character where the grains merely balance. Very spicy bitterness. This would be a very nice summer pounder but the lemon flavor is a little too one-dimensional.