Sculpin IPA - Ballast Point Brewing Company

mgbickel

Pennsylvania

4.83/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a Perfect Pint glass. Instantly, a huge, 2-3 finger head formed...did someone put a slice of angel food cake in my glass? The foam receded slowly, leaving tons of itself behind. The body is yellowish gold with some tangerine lowlights.

The nose has lots of citrus hops up front...orange and lemon zest, grapefruit. The backbone of the nose is malted grain and sweetbread.

Man...the taste of this offering is fantastic! Pretty much right in line with the nose...starts off with some hops, but not overly bitter. The middle finds a sweet/grassy character and the finish goes back to the bitter (hop) side. Wonderful balance.

Medium mouth feel, a little oily with moderate carbonation.

This is one of my top overall drinking beers. Refreshing, easy to drink and complex (without being overpowering).

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2010 13:47:31 | More by mgbickel

garuda

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A - Mostly clear golden in color with a small white head, but it has decent retention and fairly good lacing down the glass.

S - Much bigger aroma from this brew on tap than the bottle. Big citrus hop profile with mangos up front, then grapefruit, orange peel, peach, and a touch of pine resin all making presence as it warms. Hints of toasted malt add some balance.

T - Follows the nose, with a bit more toasted malt presence, but still a deliciously complex hop profile.

M - Light side of a medium body, perfect medium carbonation level really helps bring out the hops. Creamy across the palate with residual stickiness from the hop oils.

D - This really shines on the CO2, lets the hop profile get a higher level of complexity. Alcohol is well hidden, I could sluck this down all night, until the 7% catches up to me.

Serving type: on-tap

06-07-2010 23:35:30 | More by garuda

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

UCLABrewN84

California

4.18/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Father's Office in Culver City, CA.

A - Pours a clear honey color with a 1/2 inch head that fades to a very small cap. There were rings of lacing going down the glass on this beer.

S - Smells of delicious citrusy hops and summery peaches and mangoes.

T - Bitter citrus zest/peel with a peach/mango aftertaste.

M - Good carbonation and the hops leave an oily coating in the mouth.

D - Very solid and very tasty IPA. I will look for more of this one for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

05-11-2010 01:00:29 | More by UCLABrewN84

cdizinno

South Carolina

4.95/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Presentation: Poured into a tulip glass from a growler purchased at "GREEN's" at Piney Grove in Columbia, SC.

EDIT: 08-27-10 I had to bump up taste from 4.5 to 5.0. This stuff is incredible and powers up throughout with a nice fruity, piney hop taste.

A: Clear golden amber color. Two+ fingers of white head with moderate, fluffy lacing.

S: Grapefruit, piney hops with mild sweet floral aroma. ALL HOPS BABY!

T&M: Crisp, semi-smooth with pine, citrus hops. Mainly grapefruitish with a mild hoppy, pine bitterness. Semi-dry finish with the typical hop-oily rawness on the tongue. Not too heavy, but mild sandpaper hop roughness. Medium bodied.

Excellent IPA! This stuff is close to the smell of Hopslam and excellent.

Serving type: growler

04-30-2010 23:12:36 | More by cdizinno

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

ChinHoFive0

California

4.68/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from my new 1/2 gal growler fill from Ballast Point's Scripps Ranch brewery into my trusty Stone IRS tulip glass.

Full house today after their 2010 Beer Cup award & gold medals

A - Bright gold colored, lots of carbonation

S - Smell of pine, citrus, grapefruit, tropical

T - Grapefruit again, nice hoppy bitterness and a crisp, dry-like finish. Almost effervescent, cornicopia of fruits at play. Slight booziness well hidden. Feelin' good right now!

M - Good medium-light body, slight oily feel on lips and tongue.

A damn fine beer. (Piny light) West Side IPA represents at it's best!

Serving type: growler

04-14-2010 04:47:08 | More by ChinHoFive0

emmasdad

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a beautiful bright gold color, with a huge white head that quickly disappears. Incredibly intense fresh hoppy nose here, with peaches, apricots, pine, citrus and bubblegum. Tasting this one is a huge letdown after that amazing nose. Mostly hops (pine, fresh mown grass, lemons), with no real malt to balance it out. Not all that bitter, and really not all that complex. A solid, but far from spectacular, IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2010 00:24:01 | More by emmasdad

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

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

On tap @ the Old Grove Ballast Point location on 3/18/10. Served in a pint glass.

Pours a fairly clear shiny copper, with a thin covering of bright-white frothy head. This stays rich and creamy for the most part, leaving some thick foamy lacing down the sides of the glass. The aroma is just chock full of juicy grapefruit, mango, and pineapple notes (with the emphasis on the grapefruit), floral hops, and spice. Bready caramel malts work with some of the tropical fruits to give the nose a bit of a sweet edge. Just so fresh and hoppy smelling. Mmmm....

The taste is aggressive up front with a firm dose of hops, laying a ton of spice and pine on the roof of the mouth. That succulant blend of tropical fruits and toasted caramel helps drench the mouth with a sticky and juicy blend of sweetness. Just great balance between the two extremes. Spice and resins linger for a good long bit in the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a prickly creaminess to it that expands on the palate. This stays very smooth in the mouth overall, laying just the right amount of a sharp prickle on the tongue that really brings the bitterness of the hops out. And did I mention that the ABV is pretty non-existent? Yeah, that's pretty awesome too..

Just a classic American IPA here from Ballast Point, that combine massive but well balanced West Coast hop flavors into a wonderfully smooth and easydrinking package (for the size of it at least!). Just awesome stuff here as usual, that tasted the best that it could here on draft at the source.

Serving type: on-tap

03-26-2010 16:38:05 | More by Kegatron

Stigs

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz pour, on tap @ Fat Heads Pittsburgh, served in a mini snifter

A - fingers worth of loose bubbly white foam, falling on its own very slowly. the beer is a bold slightly burn gold color, just a tad hazy with seemingly active carbonation.

S - quite piney right off the bat, a bit different from the mango overload of regular Sculpin. noticebable caramel malt underneath...balanced. needed to warm a bit to open up (one complaint about this place is the beer is usually served too cold).

T - predominantly melon, mango, citrus, peaches, apricot...turning towards piney hops. sharp attacking bitterness. pretty good, but i'm kind of adserve towards one-dimensional IPA's. some sweetness comes to life, melted caramel, some candy cane and bubble gum. not sure what exactly the dry-hopping is bringing to this, but I much prefer the regular release.

M - great here, thick oily body coats the mouth and slides down the throat. subtle but prickly carbonation. nice lasting bitterness and alcohol burn.

D - solid IPA, not outstanding...price tag in the area pushes this to a "try once and move on" beer ($6 for 12oz pour). definitely different from regular Sculpin...not better.

Serving type: on-tap

03-22-2010 20:07:21 | More by Stigs

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.83/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bocktown had this on tap, it lasted from Wednesday nights tasting to mid day Thursday. I'm glad I stopped in for some lunch time beers on Thursday. Appears a pale copper hue with a bubbling bright white head, forms intricate fine lacing down the sides of my glass as it dwindles. Aromatics have a full blown hop garden going on with bountiful citrusy graperfruit and tropical fruit tones, raw floral and herbal qualities as well, with some mild sweetness making it's way from the pale malts. Flavor was brazenly bitter full on assault of bitter orange peel pith, floral herbal hops, and again tropical fruit juiciness. Pale malts gave enough bread and biscuit components just to balance out the huge hop profile. Killer experience I can't wait to try more from these guys, mouthfeel was oily resinous medium bodied ale. Soft mellow carbonation made this one lubricatingly smooth experience, drinkable as all hell. I'm 100% sold and I'm glad I found this brew that I have been trying to track down for over 5 yrs now, a welcome addition to the Pittsburgh beer scene.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2010 10:30:53 | More by WVbeergeek

jneiswender

Massachusetts

4.85/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Had as part of a tasting at the Ballast Point Brewing Company. Served on tap in a tasting glass.

A-old gold body and a nice thick off white head.

S-nice tangerine and citrus smell

T-so much flavor. malt caresses the tongue and pine and citrus flavors pop up here and there.

M-medium to light

D-such a great beer. very smooth. Flavors in this beer just seem to pop. Nice and complex.

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2010 01:31:38 | More by jneiswender

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

SShelly

California

4.47/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Nice bright gold with big white head, lots of retention.

Crisp big hop aroma, citrus, more citrus.

Big upfront bitterness ending in lemony hop flavor. Leaves lots of citrus in the mouth.

Dry and drinkable, balanced to to the bitter and hoppy, damn this is good.

Serving type: on-tap

02-24-2010 02:25:34 | More by SShelly

engisch

New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

What a hard beer to find... Saw it on the best of BA and needed to seek it out. Found it on tap in the Hulmeville Inn in PA.

The appearance is a bit cloudy probably due to the large amount of hops. It is a orange/golden color with a decent head and substantial carbonation.

The smell is of mainly citrus with a very fresh aroma and a little pine smell. Great smell if you are a hophead!

Taste is of citrus hops. Very bitter. Not much malt character. A great American IPA.

Mouthfeel and drinkability are nothing abnormal or unusual. Just a really hoppy IPA. I like this beer and would have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2010 22:03:02 | More by engisch

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured ontap into a 12 oz glass. Appears a hazed orange in color with a small white head and some lacing too.

Smell isn't very strong, just some standard floral hops.

Tastes...well...very bitter. If you are into raw, bitter, leafy hop flavors then this is it. Citrusy, dank and quite bitter. Grapefruit and rind could best describe the hop flavor. Malt is just along for the ride with a subtle honey tinge.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a sting of carbonation and a solid hop bite.

Drinkability fares pretty well, this is a strong IPA and surely not to disappoint hop heads world wide. The San Diego brewery also boasts another IPA (Big Eye IPA) that is the mellow little brother to this hop heathen.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2010 18:24:12 | More by Stinkypuss

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

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

Fresh filled growler served in a standard pint glass.

Clear golden color with a huge white head that settled to a layer leaving plenty of sticky lacing behind.
Citrus hops in your face!
The taste is full of bitter/sour citrus hop flavors with just enough malt to keep things semi-tame.
Medium bodied with a good carbonation level and feel.
Extremely easy to drink and extremely enjoyable.

Serving type: growler

02-13-2010 17:45:18 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

barrelman

New York

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

On-tap at Father's Office Santa Monica. I looked for this one for awhile in LA a year ago with no luck. It was nice to finally see it after being out of the country for a year in a mostly lackluster beer country.

Appears hazy-golden with the amber notes. Bright white one finger head and good lacing to the end. Aroma is citrus and soft. Mouthfeel is perfect with medium to light carbonation.

People talk about the great balance this IPA achieves and this is true but not just for the malt-hop balance (which is good), the real balance it finds is the balance within the hops themselves. It fits in nicely between the Stone IPA (harsh, sharp hops, huge bite) and the Racer 5 (real soft, citrus, lack of bite). Both good IPAs, but both lacking what the other has. The Ballast Point beer does it well.

Serving type: on-tap

01-29-2010 16:48:02 | More by barrelman

CrazyMacHarris99

Pennsylvania

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

Had this one on tap at The Library in Pittsburgh, yes Pittsburgh!!

Served in a pint glass with a 3/4" fluffy white head and an orange hued, slightly hazy body. The smell is amazing! There was a ton of citrus and pine from the hops as well as a slight hint of other fruits such as pineapple. The taste is very clean and well-balanced which is perfect for an IPA. The citrus and pine hop notes were incredible and the malt and sweetness balanced out the bitterness. There is a lot going on with all the different tastes but it all works together beautifully. The mouthfeel was creamy and silky with a slight tang from the hops. Not too much bitterness. The drinkability is high on this one for all the right reasons. I found myself not wanting to finish it but had a hard time putting the glass down. I am glad this one is here in Pittsburgh and will be looking for it more often.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2010 20:44:21 | More by CrazyMacHarris99

drtth

Pennsylvania

4.85/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Served in a nonic pint glass. Glass of cold water on the side to sip from periodically.

Appearance: As served the beer is a clear golden orange color with a ½" firm, fluffy white head that recedes to leave patches of foam clinging to the sides of the glass, a ring around the liquid and a patch of foam on the surface of the liquid. Sipping leaves some nice lacing. At least some of the foam and lacing persist through out the beer and there are sticky patterns of lacing on the glass even to the end.

Smell: The aroma is dominated by tropical fruits with a lot of pineapple and mango and is simply a pleasure to sniff. There is also some citrus present but it is more tangerine than bitter grapefruit. Underlying the fruits there is a nice touch of light sweet malt.

Taste: The flavors are crisp, clean and are pretty much what is expected from the nose--a citric, pineapple and mango delight. There is no bite from the hops, just a smooth and balanced bitterness that is fruity, citric, piney, bitter and sweet all at once.

Mouthfeel: The mouth feel is medium bodied and smooth with consistent, persistent moderate carbonation. The finish is medium to long and is one of those where things fade a way so smoothly you just don't notice it happening until they are gone.

Drinkability: This beer is so drinkable that I finished it off in about half the time I would normally take with an IPA of the strength of this one. There is not even a trace of harshness in the hop bitterness. I definitely want another one and expect I'll do so without hesitation next time I have a chance. This IPA is now in my top few for the style and I'd love to be able to do a side-by-side tasting with this one, Bell's Two Hearted, and Founders Centennial.

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2009 02:51:32 | More by drtth

bonkers

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this on tap today at Capone's. It is a pale, golden honey yellow with a sticky white head. The smell is rich with copious amounts of citrus and tropical fruits. The flavor follows, sweet citrus, mango, guava. Sculpin has enough malt for balance, leaving a crisp finish. It taste like a DIPA with the drinkability of an IPA. The beer lives up to the hype.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2009 21:54:40 | More by bonkers

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.5/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Looks like a standard IPA, nice color, nothing spectacular. Smells very much like a standard citrusy grapefruity IPA. Tastes the same. Maybe a little more bitter than I expected. Well balanced nonetheless, a little maltier than I expected too, but I guess that's needed to balance the heavy alcohol and bitterness.

A very good IPA, if its not in the top 10 ipas, its close.

Did a bunch more of these at the SDIBF, was even better than remembered. Aroma really jumped out this time, its funny, sometimes, you drink a beer with other beers, it actually stands out more than it would on its own.

This beer is massively different with age. Don't be one of those fools who says it changed or whatnot. Go drink it on tap, fresh. You'll then see. . .

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2009 00:23:15 | More by Beerandraiderfan

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

10 draft pour into a tulip ($6). From notes.

A: Small, off-white head, diminishing. Very clear golden sparkling body, somewhere in between yellow & orange and pale in color. Very small bubbles that appeared as a pixellized fragment of a cartographer's map.

S & T: Beautiful nose and very good taste. Very light, sweet bready malts offset by heavy citrusy (grapefuit) hops. Additional hop aromas and flavors were flowers and celery.

M: Very well balanced, medium body with a lively carbonation and bitter finish.

D: What a great beer. I understand what the hype is about. Well deserved.

Serving type: on-tap

11-25-2009 23:53:39 | More by FeDUBBELFIST

JBogan

Nevada

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

Poured from a growler filled at the brewery (a HUGE thanks to Euel for sharing this). Beer doesn't get much fresher than that.

A clear orange/golden color liquid with a tight white head which stuck around for a long time and left good lacing. A nice but fairly typical looking IPA.

Now for a sniff...and we have a beauty. The aromas coming from the glass make you want to dab some behind your ears and wear out to a fancy restaurant. It's that good. Plenty of citrus fruits and pine, along with some other fruitiness (maybe strawberry and mango) make this an alluring smelling gem.

The tastebuds are greeted with the expected large dose of hop bitterness, but balanced nicely by a little bit of sweet malts. A bit of pepper as well. Only the slightest hint of alcohol present.

Mouthfeel was slick with a medium/thick body. Very smooth and slippery, along with just the right amount of carbonation to give it a lively feel on the tongue.

Anyone who enjoys IPAs owe this one a try. Certainly right up there among the better ones in this style.

Serving type: growler

11-22-2009 15:33:44 | More by JBogan