Sculpin India Pale Ale - Ballast Point Brewing Company

ne0m00re

Ohio

3.03/5  rDev -31.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

09/19/10- Had a bottle of this courtesy of Pabs311.
A: Hazy amber, nice cream head dies to a good film.
S: Nice mix of hops: grass, grapefruit, resiny pine; honey and mild fruit (like strawberries) come through as well.
T: Very bitter, resiny, with a cheese finish. There are roasted walnuts, honey and pale malts. It is clean and mild but overly bitter (unbalanced).
M: Slightly syrupy, but with a good frothiness.
D: Good, while being very bitter.

I had another chance to try this beer over this past weekend (06/18/11) in a bomber that was most certainly fresh. My description of this beer in this review is good, but my ratings are overly high. Smell was changed to 3.5 from 4.5. Taste was changed from 3.5 to 2.5. Drinkability was changed from 3.5 to Overall 3.0. One glass was more than enough and my group was fighting over who would draw the short straw to finish the bottle. This was a disappointing brew and I probably won't get it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2010 18:58:34 | More by ne0m00re

Minkybut

Virginia

3.03/5  rDev -31.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I poured this IPA into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer was ugly cloudy colored but did have a very nice luxurious poofy head. The Hay colored beer was very hoppy and smelled very hoppy also. Just like it should have. I think it was what an IPA should be but I will not buy it again, tooo hoppy for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2011 23:39:15 | More by Minkybut

tewaris

Minnesota

3.05/5  rDev -31.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

70 IBUs

22 oz. bomber with no freshness date poured into a New Belgium globe. Thanks Dan!

Appearance 5/5
Golden-tangerine with the appropriate haze of a dry hopped IPA, Sculpin poured with a big off white head that took its time to settle and left kickass lacing. Signature American IPA looks. Perfect.

Aroma 4/5
Lots of fruity hops in the aroma: most notably apricot and then some mango. Just a hint of the herbal character that comes with dry hopping. Very good, but not up there in my opinion.

Taste 3/5
Smoothly bitter but hugely lacking flavor, and rather one dimensional. Is it not fresh? No one will know because Ballast Point doesn't date the bottles. Leaves a bitter aftertaste even though it's not all that bitter that brings us to the next item, mouthfeel.

Mouthfeel 2.5/5
Even though it says right on the bottle that this is a light bodied ale, I don't deem that a good excuse for an almost entirely missing malt backbone. Thin, and very thin when warm. Finishes dry but what's the point? I firmly believe that there should be a stronger body and more malts in a 7% ABV beer.

Overall 2/5
Sculpin was underwhelming, big time. There was no malt backbone whatsoever and the hop flavor was entirely missing in the taste in spite of the great aroma. Scupin is not the most bitter IPA but that's not my beef -- fresh Two Hearted is a great example of a fruity IPA that's not a bitterness bomb, and yet is amazing.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2011 05:45:23 | More by tewaris

czarnowski

California

3.08/5  rDev -30.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Sculpin India Pale Ale by Ballast Point Brewing Company is an average example of the style. I found that like many IPAs, the pine flavor was overwhelming. I don't find skunky, bitter, and unbalanced beer all that appealing. On a positive note, it was a gorgeous amber color. I liken it to a hot blonde with bad breath.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 00:59:38 | More by czarnowski

samie85

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -30%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Reviewed from notes; originally 6/10/11.

A-Pours a clear orange with a finger of white head with suspended hop matter throughout.

S-Apricot and grapefruit notes with a strong pine resin finish.

T-Dry, bitter apricot and pine with a bitter, bordering on astringent piny finish.

M-A little over-carbonated for the style, in my honest opinion, with a thin body and bone dry feel.

D-A little difficult to finish for me due to the combination of the very dry feel and the hop profiles used.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 02:51:21 | More by samie85

ifnkovhg

California

3.1/5  rDev -30%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Poured from a bomber into a pint glass. No freshness date as far as I can tell.

This beer was very Jeckyll and Hyde for me. Great appearance: burnt orange, maybe a bit hazy. Big, billowy head that never quite disappears completely. Great lacing.

The smell is also terrific: citrusy, apricot, peach (as others have noted). The taste is in keeping with the smell.

But in the aftertaste and mouthfeel, this one loses me. Oily mouthfeel that really dominates in the back of the throat, and parks itself. Should beer make you thirsty? Plus a bitter aftertaste that lingers.

I think that while my hop tolerance has climbed, I may not be ready for IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 05:33:23 | More by ifnkovhg

SFC21

New York

3.13/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

22oz bomber poured into Sam Adams pint glass

A - Pours a hazy, golden color with a nice 1 inch head. Leaves some nice lacing the whole way down.

S - Citrus and floral hops, smells lovely.

T - Citrus and light malts to start and then an absolute wallop of bitter, piney hops. Far too much bitterness for my liking and the bitterness just lingers at the back of my mouth.

M - Some creaminess with nice carbonation.

O - I was really looking forward to this one after all of the great reviews but unfortunately I was left disappointed. Perhaps this is more of a brew for the hop heads that love the bitterness but for me I prefer a little more balance.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2011 01:56:42 | More by SFC21

viverlee

Ohio

3.13/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Doc review today. $MM-level deal and I’m pretty sure no one will read the summary or care about the risks until it goes south, when all of the sudden the group unit leaders will wonder out loud, “How the fuck did this get past legal?” Let me tell you now how: I told you it was poo-poo, and you went ahead and did it anyway because “we need the volume.” That’s how it got past legal. I was overruled.

I’m 100 percent certain more people will read this free post about a $7 beer than GULs will dare actually read about the seven-figure risk we just assumed.

STYLE: American IPA

ABV: 7%

LOOK: The fizz rises quickly, leaving a thin but firm cantaloupe jello. Can’t get a head to last more than a few seconds, first because I’m drinking it (more on that later) and almost just as importantly because it won’t hold.

NOSE: Apricot, mangoes, buttered popcorn. A pleasant hybrid of Magic Hat #9 and 21st Amendment Brew Free or Die IPA. The fruit, it’s more real, less processed. The butter, it’s nicer, more subtle.

MOUTH: Straight to pine. Maybe some clean pebbles too? The weight is nice, but there’s really only one thing to remember: Make sure you get a good head because it absolutely changes the beer for the better — a real mellower. Soft foam and strong bite, it’s like hoppy espresso. Quite good if you can get it, rather meh if you can’t.

Beeradvocate Rating: 98

Hayward Abbey Rating: 77

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 03:53:22 | More by viverlee

ELS

Florida

3.13/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I'm not a hop head so maybe I'm missing the boat with this beer but I found it to be very average. The past month I've been drinking nothing but IPAs and this one is far down on my list. The aroma has some nice floral and piney notes and the appearance is above average but I found the taste unbalanced with little malt to balance the bitterness of the hops. The citrus flavors that others have mentioned were lacking and mouthfeel was thin. Maybe my expectations were too high but I just don't see the appeal. I'm glad I didn't buy the six pack.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 03:10:17 | More by ELS

evanlarkin

District of Columbia

3.15/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance:
Lots of foamy white head, almost 3 fingers of it. The beer itself is more of a golden yellow honey color. It has some slight haze to it, but that might be from the low temperature.

Smell:
Piney and lemony. What we have here is a bottle of Pinesol, no doubt. Some apricot also comes in, which is a pretty nice little change from the usual grapefruit flavors we've been seeing lately.

Taste:
Wow, WAY drier than what I was expecting from the smell. On top of that, it's extremely piney. The bottle mentions several fruits, but if they're in there, they can't stand up to the crazy amount of pine in this thing. There's a good amount of bitterness sticking around too.

Mouthfeel:
A light body that really sticks to you. There's something kind of syrupy about it actually.

Overall:
Solid, but not as well balanced as I'd like. Definitely has a high drinkability, and it might be a good introductory IPA due to it's light body and non-overwhelming bitterness. Would I have another? Maybe. Would I buy another bomber? Probably not.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2011 19:06:27 | More by evanlarkin

Prospero

Colorado

3.15/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Interesting beer. Thought I should try this as I like more balanced IPAs that have the malt backbone to support the hops.

The pour looked great, clear amber/copper color with white head and smelt strongly of malts, maybe a hint of piney hops in the nose, but mostly the caramel & breadiness of the malts broke through. Slight hint of grapefruit in the nose, but not as much as I would have liked.

Taste wise it wasn't at all what I was expecting, strong malt-forward beer here that had a strong caramel and breadiness/yeast like flavor with the grapefruit noticeable, but not dominate. For an IPA I was baffled as to how the hops had fallen to the back in this beer.

Mouthfeel is great, it's a very drinkable beer that's very smooth, almost no bitterness to this beer, probably due to the lack of dominant hops. Light carbonation.

All-in-all a good solid beer, but not at all what I expected in a balanced IPA. Most of the time I think IPAs as overly hopped up and never would have figured there'd be an IPA that was overly malted up.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2012 17:33:59 | More by Prospero

fcbrew

Colorado

3.15/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.25

Bought a six pack at BevMo in LaJolla, CA (high volume store) from a refrigerated case February 1, 2013. It was kept chilled until opened the same day.

Poured into a pint glass- a hazy yellow-orange. The head was thin and dissipated quickly. There was no hint of hop aroma no citrus, no grapefruit- actually no detectable aroma at all. The taste was bitter with little or no maltiness. The mouthfeel was thin. There was an unpleasant bitter aftertaste. Poorly balanced. Not a particularly good IPA. I was expecting an excellent IPA based upon previous reviews. This is not at all similar to Pliny the Elder as has been suggested by other reviewers.

I had bought a six pack of Ballast Point Sculpin IPA last year and it was not very good then but, I hesitated to write a critical review because I felt that it might have been a bad sample. However, having bought it again and again having a negative impression, I decided to write this review. Very disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 02:14:13 | More by fcbrew

bierguru

Florida

3.18/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A -
almost a clear straw color with high carbonation
head is pretty good stays well then laces fairly thick

S -
hop and citrus

T -
hop and finishes with a strong citrus dry bite

M -
mild feel with a drying to it

D -
its okay had better however better then most

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2010 19:47:40 | More by bierguru

alalvarez75

New York

3.2/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Bright Clear orange with a sediment in the bottle. I did not pour the end into the glass. Nice lacing.

S- Pine nut and citrus.

T- Dry and muted nice pine hoppiness. Not a hop bomb at all.

M- Very carbonated. Medium to a bit on the thinner side.

O- I've had on a fresh draft which I believe was better than the bottle I picked up. I do not rate this on the higher end of IPAs you can get, and will not be stocking the fridge with this for my next get together. But I would most likely have one if I saw it on my bar's draft list.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2011 06:16:43 | More by alalvarez75

armock

New York

3.23/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On-tap at the main brewery's tasting room.

A - Poured a golden color with a white head that leaves lacing behind

S - Well it smell like cat piss I hate when IPAs smell like this

T - It tastes better than it smells with citrus grapefruit hop flavors

M - This beer has a medium body with medium carbonation to it

O - I don't get the hype thats with this beer yes it does taste good but I feel like I can't breath before taking a sip because of the smell to each his own I guess

Serving type: on-tap

07-30-2011 00:03:06 | More by armock

Monkeypaws

Minnesota

3.23/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I've had this several times, on draft, in bottles, in San Diego even, and I frankly don't get the ranking. I never get much smell off of it, and it tastes fine, but nothing special. I expected a blast of hops to the nose and the tasebuds, but it hasn't been there in over 5 tries. It was suggested that Sculpin must be absolutely fresh in order to shine, so I'll keep trying and revise this review if it ever happens.

Serving type: on-tap

10-28-2011 18:55:06 | More by Monkeypaws

BDLbrewster

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 5 | overall: 3

Pours a goldenrod hued yellowish amber color with a small frothy head that leaves a bunch of sticky lacing.

The nose seems somewhat subdued, there are some light pine, orange pith and mild grapefruit aromas that mix well with sweet undercooked caramel.

The taste doesn't scream west coast to me, pine forward with hints of fresh orange pith and lemon. The backbone is on the weak side and the caramel that is there is overshadowed by the fairly strong pine needle flavors. The alcohol has somewhat of a medicinal bite to it and the finish leaves a lingering bitterness that is not undesirable.

The mouthfeel is light-medium and not overly viscous and the carbonation is pretty much on point.

Overall this is a solid IPA in its own right that sort of walks the line between IPA and DIPA. I can see how some people would swoon over this brew but with so many knock out IPAs coming from the west, this one comes off as run of the mill to me.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2010 03:18:57 | More by BDLbrewster

Bendurgin

Maine

3.25/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Thanks for the bottle Randy! Poured into a tulip. Pours a hazy golden orange with a finger of head.

Muted hops in the aroma. Candied orange in the aroma but not much a hop profile. The taste is a simmilar to the aroma. Candied orange flavors but a bit more of a noticable hop bittering to the finish. Much better.

The body is medium and the carbonation is a bit sharp.

Damn you Ballast Point! Put bottle dates on your beers. This can't be a super fresh bottle! I've had this beer before and I remember liking it a lot more. I'll try it again but I can only blow so much of my money on old beers.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2011 17:08:48 | More by Bendurgin

FlyingBull

California

3.25/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this beer on tap at Hamilton's in SD today, and at the brewery tasting room 30 days ago. I've also had it in bottle multiple times over the last 4 months.


A: Transparent light amber body with a 1/2" head (generous pour or I think it would be bigger...). Lots of lacing left on the glass as the small head subsided.

S: Strong pine and citrus nose; dominated by tropical fruitiness to me. That was follwed by strong pine. Lots of grapefruit and astringent notes picked up.

T: Starts with a dominant hop bitterness with grapefruit citrus and pine, followed by a strong pine bitterness, and finishes with a strong, dry astringency dominated by a grapefruit taste.

MF: Medium mouthfeel, good style appropriate carbonation. Again, this beer has a strong biting bitterness and dryness.

O: A really solid IPA that everyone loves. For me, it's not to my taste. I've given it a few tries, and I just can't get myselft to like it. But, I think for those that like strong IPAs, it's a winner. So, drink and enjoy! I won't try and steal you beer. LOL

Serving type: on-tap

09-28-2012 02:16:31 | More by FlyingBull

ExtraStout

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -26%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear golden (with orange highlights) with a foamy white head that lasts and coats the sides of the glass throughout. Some active carbonation.

Flavor is sweet and bitter as anticipated. Sweet fruits, like apricot maybe, factor into the maltier-than-expected taste, complimenting the piney hop character. Some astringency and hop spiciness at the end, followed by a touch of tongue parching.

Refreshingly different and drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

06-01-2011 02:31:59 | More by ExtraStout

juice000

3.33/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Generally not as good as expected as far as taste. Almost a bit bland overall. Prefer IPA's more along the line of Odell IPA. Was really excited to try this one but meh. Not enough citrus tones overall and felt unbalanced. Maybe I got a bad batch. Too bad.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 19:26:42 | More by juice000

jujubeast6000

Texas

3.38/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Reviewed 12/28/2008 (bottle):

Pours a clear golden amber colored body. Big foamy white head, rocky with good lacing. Bubbly. Very piney citrusy aroma, grapefruit. Dry smelling. Watery body, malty taste, some nuttiness. Dry grapefruit aftertaste. Carbonated and drying aftertaste. More hoppy and bitter with only some balancing nutty sweetness. More balanced as it warms up.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2009 23:59:16 | More by jujubeast6000

Shooter1960

Florida

3.43/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 ounce bomber into a tulip glass. poured an orange color with about a half inch of white foam. The smell was not noticeable. The beer did not have a particularly notable taste or mouth feel. The beer did leave a lacing on the glass. Overall I was disappointed. Was really looking forward to this since I found the strong hoppy flavor of Big Eye to be an incredibly enjoyable beer. I won't be buying Sculpin again buy will continue to try Balladt Point based on my experience with Big Eye.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 00:37:10 | More by Shooter1960

kemoarps

Washington

3.43/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Much hazier than I expected, and with minimal head. pours almost more like a hefeweizen but with the head of a pilsner. Kind of underwhelming.

The nose is primarily sweet malts, with a little bit of floral hops in there as well.

Taste is well balanced; honey sweet malts with floral hops coming in followed up by a much more bitter citrus hop presence.

Low carbonation, but just enough zip to keep it interesting.

Overall, in a vacuum, this is a decent beer, but it had been hyped up so much that underwhelming is the word that keeps coming to mind. It's true it IS very well balanced and drinkable, but it lacks any wow-factor for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 03:29:26 | More by kemoarps

Augustiner719

Connecticut

3.45/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

poured from a 22oz bomber into a tulip glass:

First off this was a little dissapointing to me as i had been anticipating this being tremendous. I had a flower power prior to this and the flower power outshined this guy.

Pours a crystal clear, amber orange color with a big fluffy head and leaves soapy residue lacing. Tastes a touch flat to me, has a big hop bitterness with a lacking malt backbone, typical west coast style. Really this is a hoppy IPA, but its lacking balance. Mouthfeel is off as its too flat for me, dense bubbles leave the palate battered with the austere hop characteristics. drinkability is high on this as its got a realatively moderate ABV and would be nice on a hot summer day. not the best IPA i have ever had but still worthy by all means. not worth the 9.99 price tag though.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2010 02:47:28 | More by Augustiner719