Ballast Point Brewing Company Manta Ray
What the brewers say
“Aromas of fresh, citrusy tangerine, melon, and light pine leap from the beer and linger over a smooth finish. Like its namesake, this brew can sneak up on you—a big beer without a bite.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Bright fruity notes of pineapple, orange, and grapefruit. Light peach, bread with medium hops bitterness, subdued at first. As it warms, a touch of bread and salt, like sitting too close to the fish tank at an Italian restaurant that serves complementary bread.”
Flavor: “Intense fruity and piney hops flavors. A touch of malt sweetness, but it hardly holds up to the intense hops bitterness that runs throughout, giving an intense grapefruit pithy character. A touch more carbonation could open things up a bit more. A light alcohol warming toward the end, but this is almost sessionable in its lightness.”
Overall: “An assertive and potent IIPA that doesn’t shy away from bitter but provides some nice peach and watermelon hops flavors as a reward.”
