Sculpin IPA - Ballast Point Brewing Company

jjboesen

Maryland

4.84/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A recent lunch at Rustico in Arlington, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC, provided an opportunity to enjoy this Ballast Point stalwart on cask. Poured into the requisite snifter, this beauty boasts a semi-translucent body of amber that shimmers seductively beneath a sheer veneer of spongy froth.

Upon the initial nose, the eager quaffer receives a massive miasma of spruce, a veritable liquid Christmas tree in a glass. Oh Tannenbaum? A patient quaffer can whiff out a few bits of peach and mango. Meanwhile, down in the palate, there is a peppery blast of citrus accompanied by some short shots of malt followed by a very weak burst of hapless hoppiness as the final taste fades into history. The mouthfeel is chewy with a well defined balance of hop and malt.

So we have another addition to the West Coast “Must Haves.” Those of us in the Capitol Region may not ever get access to the renowned Pliny, but we damn well can have a Sculpin and that’s good enough for me.

Serving type: cask

03-26-2013 00:04:48 | More by jjboesen

cookedw

California

4.43/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've had Sculpin on tap and bottles before but never on cask, so I knew I had to make it down to Triple Rock to have some (they had Sculpin and IIMAXX going "head to head" on cask).

A - A light, cloudy amber. Minimal head, obviously, but there was some nice lacing.

S - Immediate citrus notes, primarily grapefruit and maybe something like apricot or guava. There was also a strong floral presence, but more in a lavenderish way than your typical "floral" hop flavor.

T - The grapefruit again dominated the flavor up front, but it subsided into a very strong, piney flavor. The aftertaste had a sap-like, resin-y quality with a little bit of sweetness but mostly just a bitter bite. I loved how the bitterness didn't really punch you up front...it sort of snuck up from behind. It did linger quite a bit, though.

M - This is a rather thin beer, which is both good and bad. I'm rather surprised that it was 7%, but because it's thinner, the flavor dissipates rapidly, leaving behind just the bitterness. On the plus side, I like the light, refreshing IPAs like this - perfect for summer (much more so than the drizzle I came inside to avoid). And I'm a sucker for cask IPAs, so I loved the subtle carbonation.

D - This is pretty drinkable. 7%, are you kidding me? I sipped it to savor, but I could have just as easily gulped 'em down readily. The one drawback is the aftertaste, which is substantial.

There's no doubt this beer is a west coast IPA, but it doesn't overburden your tongue with bitterness or come off as pushy. If you like more balance, this is not for you, but if you enjoy some bright, floral hops and lots of citrus, this is a keeper.

Serving type: cask

02-15-2011 06:22:02 | More by cookedw

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Served on cask at Al's of Hampden into a nonic pint. This was the fuggle dry hop version.

A - Pours a deep, hazy, copper orange with a small one finger white head that leaves light, sticky, lacing down the glass.

S - HUGE hope aroma. Hints of grapefruit, tangerine, and other pungent tropical fruits. A slightly sweet aroma from the malt is a welcome addition to all those hops. One of the best smelling IPA's I have ever had.

T - Starts out sticky sweet thanks to the roasted malt but that gives way quickly to the HUGE amounts of hops. Hops are similar to the nose with grapefruit coming thru more than the others. The grassy hops are not as pungent as in the nose but are still plenty strong. An absolutely amazing cask offering from Ballast Point. How can I drink normal sculpin after having all of these cask versions?

M - Fairly smooth feel with medium-light body and flavor with moderate carbonation. It hides the 7% very well but the big bitterness takes its tole.

D - Near perfection. I could drink this every day for the rest of my life and be very happy. I have now had four different versions of cask Sculpin and this was my favorite, narrowly beating out the simcoe version.

Serving type: cask

11-12-2010 21:20:48 | More by orangesol

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On the hand pump at Al's. This was a fuggle dry hopped version.

Served in a nonic it appears a clear light golden color with a finger of creamy white foam. The head slowly fades from a finger's strength leaving a patchy coating atop the brew and patchy lace clinging to the glass.

The aroma coming out of this glass is absolutely mouth watering. It is a bouquet of citrus, flowers and herbs. It is notable how the fuggles really make this aroma noticeably more aromatic in an earthy and herbal sort of way with a grassy touch that is quite different from the normal version of sculpin.

The taste is quite grassy, herbal, earthy and somewhat minty. Amazing how different this one-off of sculpin is from the norm, I wonder just how much fuggles it took to transform this. I keep going back to this brew and smelling it twice before taking a sip. I don't know what that means but I really like it. Despite all the hop character there is still a sweetness with a floral aspect to be found in the taste. What little grain character comes through is noted with a toasty quality before the onset of the herbal bitterness that lasts inside the mouth with serious clinging power.

This is a fantastic one-off of one of my favorite IPA's. It is medium to almost light bodied with an acceptably low level of carbonation. Very easy drinking with the alcohol almost completely suppressed. About the only gripe I have with this brew is that it is at times a little watery but that doesn't stop me from emptying this glass at an alarming rate. Very well done.

Serving type: cask

11-09-2010 01:27:32 | More by stakem

oglmcdgl

Pennsylvania

4.93/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A killer side by side with regular sculpin at spinnerstown hotel. Double dry hopped with palisades and cascade and cask conditioned. Baller!

A- comes to me with a small cap of off white head that settles in a bit to a thin ring and some sweet sticky lace with some slowly cascading drips. Slightly hazy sunset yellow orange with the nicest of glows.

S- well its sculpin for sure, huge amounts of tropical and citrus fruits. A light, powered sugar and honey sweetness.

T- opens up with fruity hops bringing peaches, mangos, tangerines, oranges, maybe some pineapple. Its a cornucopia of fruits that will rival any ipa. A bit of wet vegetation in there as well. Malts are wonderfully used to keep things balanced but still never out shine the hops. Honeysuckle and powdered sugar. Juicy hoppy linger.

M- just about medium in body and as its on cask just the lightest hint of carb.

D- I would drink a few of these any day. And today I will. Yea!

Serving type: cask

09-24-2010 00:59:28 | More by oglmcdgl

BMan1113VR

California

4.55/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Have had this many times in bottles, on tap and cask. This review is from my first time having it. In a bottle when it was still a VERY limited release (2008). Pours with a large, rocky, yellow tinged head covering a hazy yellow body. Aroma of apricot, pine, mango and some caramel. Taste is pine bitterness with some exotic fruit. Syrupy with lively bubbles. This stuff is awesome!

Serving type: cask

09-10-2010 00:20:04 | More by BMan1113VR

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

4.85/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On cask at Al's of Hampden on 8/5/10. This was the dry hopped version with Simcoe hops.

A - Hazy orange/amber liquid with a dense frothy head that laced up magnificently. Beautiful, picture-perfect cask pour!

S - Bold fresh hop aroma with an array of spicy and citrus tones and a sweet malt backbone. Aroma is quite pungent.

T - Spicy Simcoe hops abound with just a fresh leafy hop goodness and a hint of spiced fruit. Finishes with a lingering hop bitterness on the palate. A slight alcohol presence emerged as the liquid warmed up a bit. Delicious and even better than the standard tap version.

M - Solid medium bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and oily texture. Finishes with a dry, spicy lingering hop bitterness on the palate.

D - Fresh, delicious and poundable! Freakin' awesome cask beer, actually. I prefer this over the Palisade cask version, though both are fantastic.

Serving type: cask

08-22-2010 20:55:35 | More by ffejherb

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I had this particular cask offering at Al's of Hamdpen - it was dry hopped with Simcoe hops. Served at cask temp in a nonic

A - A beautiful beer in every way -Al mentioned a minor adjustment to the cask system yeilded a perfect cascade and the cream settles out to a band of whipped looking head rather than a distint beading, more like microfoam on a cappuccino. The color is brilliant marigold and has a rather hazed look from the resinous oily Simcoe usage. nice lace collection on the glass and I found myself mezmerized by each pour from the hand pump as the beer was presented in the glass.

S - the odors of fragrant, pungent citrus loaded hops greets you the minute you bring the glass nasal-ward. My proboscis was treated to the olfactory enjoyment Sculpin provides. I repeatedly stopped, swirled and smelled the array of citrus, tropical fruit and almost grassy bitter hop aromas. I enjoy the slight minneola sweet/tart aroma you get while at the same time it has the grapefruit dominant scent you excpect from Simcoe

M - What a great texture, I mean Shazam! the resins roll the smooth sweet nectar toward the back of the tongue and the hops take over with slight pricks of acidity, the bitter feel is clean and totally enjoyable with a dry quality produced the the oily hoppiness with the IPA. The malt is truly enhancing the intense fruity yeast notes that blend with the hops so well.

T - I have to say that American Ipa on cask is a wondrous thing. The way the hops are allowed to meld with the natural carbonation of the yeast and smooth malt foundation is sublime. This has to be one of the best cask ales I have had, just gushing with bitter fruity hop flavor and the taste is smooth with no one hop flavor asserting itself too much -but the gamut is experience here with floral, grassy, citrus and the astringent taste of pineapple for good measure - what an delicious hop profile!

D - What more can I say, I was blown away by how good this was and I was daydreaming at work all day about the chance to taste this beautiful beer - just incredibly drinkable and hardly any alcohol in the flavor, yet you may feel it a little if you have one on an empty stomach like I did

Serving type: cask

08-06-2010 16:57:25 | More by Slatetank

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A firkin hand-pulled at Al's. This is dry-hopped with simcoe hops.

A: The hand-pulled ale has a hazy amber glow, hazy enough to be opaque except as the narrowest base of the glass. A fragile off-white head, thanks to the cask, has legs but it isn't the normal vibrant head you'd be used to seeing.

S: The nose caught me attention immediately. So much so that I almost had to cry. The hoppiness, piney and citrusy, is rather intense, augmented by the simcoe dry-hoppping. Resiny, the nose seems oily and rich.

T: Man, oh man. The taste just doesn't live up to the hype of the nose. The cask conditioning has settled the ale down, even with the dry hopping. The result is a full caramel base and plenty of hops that are nondescript. The intense Sculpin flavors have been lost behind the living, breathing ale. Perhaps the subtlety of cask ale is lost on IPAs of this magnitude?

M: The mouthfeel is smooth, aided by the lower carbonation levels. The finish is particularly enjoyable, but the flavorful hops get lost in translation.

D: I had two pints, so it's not a bad beer. It just seems out of place from a cask.

Serving type: cask

08-06-2010 11:52:36 | More by akorsak

ebin6

California

4.3/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Had the very last bit available at Beachwood BBQ on Friday...couldn't have been happier.

A - Milky yellow coloring with the typical large, porous head which never leaves. Bits of hops, barley, what-have you floating around

S - You can really smell the hops well on cask. Not as sharp as on-tap, but makes up for it in the range: earthy, almost herbal notes to it

T - Again, it doesn't taste as sharp as it does on-tap, however, the same range of tastes you don't get on-tap are there

M - Almost a dryness to it. Lingers long after swallowing

D - Very impressed with how drinkable it was. I only had a small bit of it, but felt that I could have had many, many more before it would start to wear on me

Serving type: cask

06-07-2010 04:02:16 | More by ebin6

LittleDon

Texas

4.4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Served on cask in a somewhat tulip shaped glass at the Stone Brewery (12 oz pour).

Dirty dishwater yellow. Not much of a head, but what there is sticks to the glass. Opaque. Resinous and piney aroma. Don't know why, and IPAs are my favorite, I'm always reminded of cat urine when I smell them (but, oddly enough, not in a bad way). Maybe too much time with my head over the litter box. Probably says too much about myself already. Piney and bitter up front. Smooth. Cask makes anything better. A tad of sweetness in the middle and on the back end. Smooth as silk. I'd have another if there wasn't so much to choose from.

Serving type: cask

06-03-2010 00:20:57 | More by LittleDon

femALEist

California

3.55/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this on cask at the Firkin Festival 2010. Not sure if it's exactly the same beer as it says it's 8.7% abv.

This poured a cloudy,dark yellow.

It smelled incredibly sweet, with not too much of a hop nose, no pine, no grass, just juicy tropical fruits.

It tasted light but with a heavy bitter grapefruit skin ending. It had decent carbonation.

This was just ok for me, it wasn't anything to write home about.

Serving type: cask

04-28-2010 20:44:31 | More by femALEist

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Firkin of Sculpin in a pint glass a few times. Thanks goes out to Ballast Point for deciding to send this dry hopped version (amarillo & 2 other hop varieties) to Philly at the Sidecar Bar, I love this town.

A- Sculpin has a nice bright gold look to it with some mild haze within the liquid. A bright white head formed while i filled the glass and reached at least two inches looking soapy. This foam is beautiful with frothy look plus shine. Some solid patches of lace here and the head never died.

S- A whole lot of love from the hops of which there are probably a few varieties. The usual grapefruit scent with other tropical fruits including mango which I love. Not really getting a malt sense but that does not mean it's not in there. Grapefruit by the boatload. It's hard to get around the tropical fruits. A great smelling IPA with class, probably my favorite in this category.

T- Yikes, this sure packs a punch for an American IPA, Sculpin borders on double territory, and I quite like it. Fresh tropic fruits with the mango making a nice appearance but the mango is a bit subdued in this serving type. Peach also in the top pairing nice with the mango. Some lemon zest and pineapple topping things off. Some bready hints from the malt but barely making a dent behind the hop bill. A hop lovers dream, basically grapefruit juice.

M- I had this deadly fish off a pin at Bella Vista some time ago and the mouthfeel was magnificent, this particualar firkin is not quite up to that level, but close enough. Sculpin is on the thinner side in feel but does not fall short in impression. Good carb but not too high and a bit on the bitter side, just like a good IPA should. The aftertaste sticks around and reminds me of just sticking a hop cone on your tounge.

D- Glad it's only 7% and it's impressive that it packs such a wallop with that lower type ABV. It took a few sips of this serving type to get the full effect from the taste but that changed by the second sip and stayed throughout the 16oz. While bitter this does not kill your ability to enjoy it and bask in the tropic plunge. I will gladly drink the shit out of Sculpin anytime and look forward to having it again soon.

Serving type: cask

02-26-2010 19:14:13 | More by onix1agr

dbalsock

Vermont

4.28/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

App: Light to medium amber with a great white head from a cask... the head stays for awhile displaying excellent carbonation. This looked perfect to me.

Smell: All hops on the nose, both piney and fruity, with no real sense of the malt background. I would have liked a little more going on with the aroma.

Taste: Excellent hop combinations. The hops are so pure and fresh on the tongue. Some light fruitiness with a hint of sharp hop spice. The malt background was again lacking, but the freshness of the hops took over and made me not care as much.

Mouthfeel: A little watery and not as smooth as I would have liked. The bitterness was ample for a cask ale and really made the mouthfeel above average.

Drinkability: I would drink this regularly if I could. The last time I had it was in San Diego a couple years ago and I think it's better now than it was then. A little more complex than I remember and definitely worth seeking out.

Serving type: cask

10-31-2009 23:54:39 | More by dbalsock

augustgarage

California

4.58/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On cask at Ballast Point night at Blue Palms in Hollywood. Served in a Ballast Point pint glass (which I got to take home :-), and subsequently in a 20oz nonic (one serving was simply not enough).

Pale gold and sunglow liquid, very hazy and rich with an off-white dense ribbon of foam forming a cap on top. Pasty lacing paints the sides of the glass as the liquid (quickly) dissipates.

Gentle aroma of lemon merangue pie, violet, lavendar, and citrus notes. A bit restrained...

Lemon, lime, very mild sugar cane, vanilla (?), though overall hops are the most prominent on the palate - a perfectly balanced variety that synergizes into more than the sum of their parts. Less bitter than many IPAs. Dry, malty finish, though apricots and mango play a role as well. Very hard to do justice to this flavor in words...

Creamy body with moderate carbonation, no astringency, and mild warming. Hard to imagine improving on this category.

Nearly impossible to put down, this is the most drinkable IPA I've ever had. I real stunner on cask...

Serving type: cask

10-22-2009 05:22:39 | More by augustgarage

microbrew52

California

4.25/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

There were two choices at the Daily Pint in Santa Monica... for now. Sculpin IPA and Sculpin IPA cask (very rare). The Cask is the one I will write about know. It has a very hazy orange glow in the glass. The head is like a high school cheerleader (very bubbly), and boy does it last a long time, also served a little warmer. I tried to get the owner to tell me what kind of hops they use but he said he could tell me but he would have to kill me. All I know is there are 5 different kind of hops in this beverage and taste/smell is very citrusy. Long live the cask!

Serving type: cask

10-17-2009 06:51:01 | More by microbrew52

capra12

New York

4.33/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed at the Gotham Cask Festival at Rattle N Hum enjoyed with a new friend Sam aka Cootercaster on 9/11/09. Thanks to Sam for letting me know about a highly rated IPA and also Patrick from RNH for hosting.

Appareance: Slightly cloudy and wheat/amber in color with little head.

Smell: There most prominent nose in this was fresh pine and grapefruit.

Taste: Opens earthy and piney which carries over to the end with an almost mellowness and subtle malt backbone. Right in the middle to the end there is a hint of citrus leaving a mildy hoppy aftertaste but very enjoyable

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with minimal carbonation and slightly dry.

Drinkability: With out a doubt I would have this again and is definitely worth a try.

Serving type: cask

09-16-2009 05:31:12 | More by capra12

itcomesnpints

New York

3.98/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

On cask at Rattle N' Hum (NYC)

Golden, clear, typical IPA appearance, EXCEPT...no head, lacing or bubbles. Flat.

Very citrusy nose. Oranges, grapefruit. Blast of fresh hops.

Hop flavor rises tall above hop bitterness. Orange and strawberries. This is one juicy IPA.

Again, completely flat. I knew it was a problem the instant I saw them fill the glass. This was very unfortunate considering the caliber of this IPA.

I can tell this IPA would be right up there with the best of them (RR, Odell, Stone) if carbonated properly.

I have to rate the Sculpin I had, not the Sculpin I wish I could have had.

Serving type: cask

09-11-2009 21:05:06 | More by itcomesnpints

oxnard111

California

5/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On cask at Verdugo bar last night. The dude at Verdugo said all the places that got casks yesterday had a different type of hops. Ours had amarillo hops which he said made it a little dryer.

I'm not gonna be able to do a proper review, but let me just say this beer was stupidly delicious. Off the charts. Best brew I have tasted yet. Granted I am still a semi-newbie, but still, everybody there was drooling over this brew.

Appearance was awesome. Just what to expect out of the cask. Cloudy with a super thick sticky head. Smell was hoppy with citrus and floral. Taste was amazing, every drink was a pleasure. Mouthfeel was perfect, a little chewy. Drinkability was superb. I had 5 of them and every penny was well spent. I felt great this morning too, no headache at all.

I drove 1.5 hours for this and it was well worth it. Thanks Verdugo!

Serving type: cask

08-14-2009 17:03:48 | More by oxnard111

stuckonhops

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on cask at the bishops collar in philadelphia. First time at that bar and i will definetly be back.

A-- AMAZING sticky sticky almost gooey lacing. Beautiful head retention. Golden/orange hues. Bar was dimily lit so cant say much about the appearance

S-- WOW!! GRAPEFRUIT rinds upfront with tons of citrus punch. Light pine/flowery notes. DOMINATED by grapefruit with orange rind in the back.

T-- one sip, two sip, three sip...YUMMMM... last time i had a beer that tasted this much like grapefruit juice was the hopslam fresh in february. Not overly bitter. Jst TONS of hop flavor with slight caramel backup to play beautifuly alongside the hops. i dont think this beer could taste ANY better.

M-- full bodied flavor but not too heavy and sticky. just sticky enough to leave hoppy trails along the palate. What is the mouthfeel? it is all smiles after you take one sip. i dont think one person took a sip without grinning from ear to ear. it is that good.

D-- well we were puttin em back pretty easy and it caught up with me quick. i was tryin to get as much as i could before the cask kicked cuz it was so delicious.

if you ahvent had it and you like hoppy beers FIND SOME!!!

Serving type: cask

07-17-2009 17:54:06 | More by stuckonhops

paytoplay

California

4.45/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Cask at Hamiltons in SD. This from cask is stunning. The aroma is tops with any beer ever. Cask from the 1st batch might have been life changing. This recent batch doesn't have the corn flavor like I tasted in the previous 2. Smooth and a bit short and watery on the finish. Cask conditioning changed all that. Great texture, nice that it was served cold. Super aroma. Nice complexities and finish that stretched further than any other sculpin. But man that nose was stunning.

Serving type: cask

04-25-2009 18:55:52 | More by paytoplay

seaoflament

California

4.33/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Had this one on cask at Hamilton's Tavern on April 24, 2009.

The beer was poured into a regular pint glass and exhibited a straw yellow color with a soapy 1 ½ inch of foam. Excellent retention and some thick coating on the sides of the glass.

The aroma was full of resin and pungent hops, grass, pineapple, apricots, mango, and orange citrus peel. Behind the hops was a lightly toasted malt and soft cracker malt base. Very appetizing and floral but the aroma did tone down after a few minutes.

Lots of hop flavor upfront, very similar to the aroma but the bitterness was more reserved than the tap or bottled version. Orange peel, grapefruit peel, red apples, pineapple, apricots, and hints of grapes. There's also the dry graham cracker flavor in the finish that I love in this beer. More flowery hops near the end.

Low carbonation and a tad watery but that is somewhat expected from a cask. The drinkability thought is off the charts! I could have easily guzzled down this pint in no time but it took me a few more minutes because I was reviewing it.

Serving type: cask

04-25-2009 09:01:19 | More by seaoflament

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.93/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Had several of these on cask at Bella Vista at their grand re-opening yesterday. Definitely was the highlight.

Similar in color to the bottled version with a little more haziness. Fantastic looking head, great retention and lacing. On the nose, this beer is incredibly floral and hoppy with a good deal of fruitiness. Pretty much a crushed hop pellet. On the palate, it's hops all the way, like the bottled version, only better in that there's an excellent balance between the flavor and the bittering hops. Surprisingly well-carbonated for a cask ale, it's a treat on the palate with a great balance, apart from the occasion hop particle that's there. Drinkability wise, this beer is almost bar none - I drank more than I should have!

Serving type: cask

10-06-2008 14:05:19 | More by DefenCorps

Floydster

California

4.2/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

5 ounce serving today at Ballast Point 's 11th Anniversary celebration, only cask beer available, their Sculpin IPA on hand pump which they call "Firkin" because it does not have CO2 and it is grav fed

Color was a light cloudy yellow orange with a nice soapy head that stuck around for quite some time

Smell was not very hoppy and pretty mellow overall, hints of grapefruit were evident as well as some sweet piney aromas

Taste was much like several different San Diego IPAs (Oggi's, Stone, and Green Flash), pretty light on the bitterness scale, more citrus than I could smell, nice sweet and slightly dry finish

Could drink a lot of this, especially on cask but never had this bew on a normal tap, a lot lighter than originally expected, pretty strong for an IPA though

Glad to see at least one cask at the event and an IPA was a good break from all the barrel aged brews and assortments of doubles and other strong tasting beers

Serving type: cask

10-21-2007 06:51:06 | More by Floydster

scottoale

California

4.35/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Wow, this is one heck of an IPA. Cask-conditioned and pumped into a pint glass, amber-gold with a glow, topped with an off-white head of 1/2 inch. It looks like a sparkling beer with a perfect carbonation to it. Good head retention and some nice sticky lace clings to the glass.

Grapefruit and pine make up the very brisk and refreshing nose.

The flavor is sweet citrus with white grapefruit dominating in the intro then turns sharply into a dense pine forest, a hop-bomb pine forest. Mouth puckering down to the finish that leaves your mouth feeling clean and refreshed with a later after taste of sweet oranges. Spikey, spicy and floral that damn near pushes to a DIPA. Really, really tasty stuff, I'd like too compare it to the regular Sculpin side-by-side just for fun.

Medium body with the alcohol well burried, I'd have to guess it's around 7%ABV, very high drinkability and hop-head friendly...one of the best IPA's I've ever tasted!

Serving type: cask

08-19-2006 08:32:23 | More by scottoale