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Sculpin
Ballast Point Brewing Company
- From:
- Ballast Point Brewing Company
- California, United States
- Style:
- American IPA
Ranked #11 - ABV:
- 7%
- Score:
- 97
Ranked #583 - Avg:
- 4.38 | pDev: 9.82%
- Reviews:
- 2,629
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Yesterday at 08:37 AM
- Added:
- Apr 02, 2006
- Wants:
- 1,596
- Gots:
- 6,200
Originally named Northstar IPA. Debuted in 2005.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by afksports:
Reviewed by afksports from New York
4.55/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.55/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I drank this fine brew back when I was starting my quest to drink the top100. This review is from notes, but I almost don't need them because the memory sits so well in my head. I think I still taste it.
The appearance is like many other IPA's, golden to orange, fairly clear, lots of rich head. The smell blows you away with hops and citrus. The taste does the same. And then it sits on your tongue. And sits. You can go eat a sandwich, come back, no more sipping needed, still have the hop profile there. The only maltiness is at the start, with a bit of caramel, and the rest just carries the hops through. Forever.
The carbonation is great and its medium body drinks well. I'm not a huge fan of the hops myself, so although the taste is exceptional for me, the drinkability gets a small notch down. Overall though, this is a pretty ridiculous beer.
I even looked up Sculpin on Wikipedia. Because this beer teaches us things.
Nov 19, 2010The appearance is like many other IPA's, golden to orange, fairly clear, lots of rich head. The smell blows you away with hops and citrus. The taste does the same. And then it sits on your tongue. And sits. You can go eat a sandwich, come back, no more sipping needed, still have the hop profile there. The only maltiness is at the start, with a bit of caramel, and the rest just carries the hops through. Forever.
The carbonation is great and its medium body drinks well. I'm not a huge fan of the hops myself, so although the taste is exceptional for me, the drinkability gets a small notch down. Overall though, this is a pretty ridiculous beer.
I even looked up Sculpin on Wikipedia. Because this beer teaches us things.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by whitro17 from Florida
4.34/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.34/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Look - clear golden with a bubbly white head
Smell - piney, citrusy, lemon rind, grapefruit
Taste - piney, lemon rind, mango, grapefruit, apricot
Feel - med body, moderate carbo, bitterness on the finish
Overall - At 7% and 70 IBU's this is a hoppy bouquet of tropical fruity flavors with a firm bitterness. A Championship brew that has won many awards throughout the years and for good reason. Just a well-crafted brew and still great after all these years. Pairs well with We Are the Champions by Queen.
Mar 06, 2024Smell - piney, citrusy, lemon rind, grapefruit
Taste - piney, lemon rind, mango, grapefruit, apricot
Feel - med body, moderate carbo, bitterness on the finish
Overall - At 7% and 70 IBU's this is a hoppy bouquet of tropical fruity flavors with a firm bitterness. A Championship brew that has won many awards throughout the years and for good reason. Just a well-crafted brew and still great after all these years. Pairs well with We Are the Champions by Queen.
Rated by jbolger from Connecticut
4.29/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.29/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Classic West Coast IPA. Prefer the Grapefruit version. Would be a favorite if they distributed in CT.
Dec 30, 2023Reviewed by Danmooney40 from Virginia
4.42/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.42/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
One of the first IPAs I ever drank many years back. What I now know as a WCIPA . It started me down the path in the right way. I haven't been able to find it on the East Coast in recent years.
From can poured into a 10 oz pub glass, showed a 2 finger head that lingered. A dark golden colored .
Still as good as I remembered.
Oct 14, 2023From can poured into a 10 oz pub glass, showed a 2 finger head that lingered. A dark golden colored .
Still as good as I remembered.
Reviewed by nwalke16 from Michigan
4.84/5 rDev +10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.84/5 rDev +10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
I haven't reviewed this beer yet on here, but the last time I had Sculpin IPA was seven months ago and it's still as great as I remembered. This is what I am looking for in a West Coast style IPA and it is the best one. It is hoppy, yet the most nicely well balanced flavor that I crave for when trying an IPA. I highly recommend buying this one if you can't get it at Ballast Brewery.
Sep 20, 2023Reviewed by Burrocreek from Arizona
4.42/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.42/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
This beer, and Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, are the best two widely distributed old school IPAs in America. This one leans bitter and the other leans sweet. Both are exceptional and difficult to surpass. Cheers!
Sep 06, 2023Reviewed by eWell
4.57/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.57/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
It’s my favorite among American IPAs. Has slightly sour taste but comes across as very fruity. Unfortunately, this beer (and the grapefruit version, which is perhaps the even more gifted sibling) is hardly ever available around where I live.
Aug 23, 2023
Sculpin from Ballast Point Brewing Company
Beer rating:
97 out of
100 with
14659 ratings
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