Indra Kunindra is one of the strangest beers Ballast Point ever brewed, and that is saying something for a brewery famous for experimentation. It is an India-style export stout brewed with madras curry, cumin, cayenne, toasted coconut, and kaffir lime leaf, a collaboration with award-winning homebrewer Alex Tweet. It started life as a homebrew competition winner and became a cult favorite precisely because nothing else tastes like it.

The basics

• Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company (San Diego, CA)
• Style: Foreign Export Stout
• ABV: 7%
• IBU: 50

What to expect

Indra Kunindra pours dark chocolate brown, nearly black, with a thin tan head. The aroma is the first warning that this is not a normal stout: curry spice, cardamom, ginger, and lime jump out of the glass, with coconut trailing behind. The first sip confirms it. Bold curry and cumin notes lead, then the cayenne builds slowly, a heat that does not catch up with you until a few sips in. Sweet coconut and a touch of vanilla show up between waves of spice, and the finish is warm and peppery.

The body is full and smooth, with a savory character that makes it drink more like a meal than a beer. Traditional stout flavors like roast and chocolate are mostly crowded out by the spice cabinet. It is a fascinating beer, but it is also a polarizing one: the curry is not a garnish here, it is the whole point.

Our rating

6.0/10

Rated by Nick (6). Nick gives this one a 6, which feels like the right score for a beer that is more interesting than it is enjoyable. The execution is impressive, since chili beers and savory stouts are both hard to pull off, and Ballast Point pulls off both at once. But the spice assault wears thin over a full pour, and the beer underneath never really gets a chance to speak. Try it once for the experience, but do not expect it to become a regular.