Sculpin IPA - Ballast Point Brewing Company

Homebrew35

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Best by 6/27/13
Pours two fingers worth of a soapy white head.
Clear straw colored body with lots of lacing and some head retention

Awesome floral, fruity and some what dank hoppy smell.
This is one of the best year round IPAs I've had in a while.

Taste is fairly grassy, citrusy and resinous. The grassy aftertaste detracts from this one slightly.

Medium thin bodied, medium carbonation. Fairly dry finish keeps this one quite drinkable and somewhat refresing.

Great beer with the aroma being the best part. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. High drink-ability with a fairly good price tag at $15 a 6 packs makes this even better.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 02:42:49 | More by Homebrew35

biggred1

Indiana

4.16/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pale, golden with a ivory cap that melts away leaving sticky lace on the glass. Decent nose, grapefruit and pine with toasted grain. Tasty and decently hoppy with resinous pine and citrus notes up front with grain and hop oily bitterness in the finish. Medium bodied with lively carbonation. A solid IPA for sure.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 01:35:02 | More by biggred1

rringler

California

4.58/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: A very, very clear light copper color. About 3/4 finger white head made of medium sized bubbles. Head retention was decent, and it leaves nice lacing all around the glass.

S: Mild, but dominated by sweet malts.

T: As it smells, it opens with a ton of sweet caramel malts, but is balanced with a nice hop finish.

M: A nice medium body, with good carbonation. Slightly oily, just like an IPA should be.

O: Textbook SoCal IPA. No really, this is exactly what a SoCal IPA should look/smell/taste like.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 04:07:01 | More by rringler

magictacosinus

California

4.75/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

EDIT: This is definitely not as great out of the 12oz bottle (which was incidentally marked with a freshness date of "07/2013"). None of the tropical fruits are present, and there's a tinge of citrus candied flavor but in a very underwhelming flavor. For the high price that this is for a bomber, it seems that finding the ultimate fresh Sculpin batch is going to be one of the most frustrating craft beer searches of my life.

Poured out of a 22oz bomber into a tulip glass. Bottle warns that this is best before "03/06/13," so I suppose it's time for opening!

Pours a cloudy, hazy orange amber color, with a good amount of bubbles ranging all around. The Duvel tulip does its best to maintain a solid half finger of head which lasts for a while. Lacing is plentiful, and the alcohol legs are surprisingly dense. I don't think I've seen a DIPA this unfiltered, well, ever. It's as if it indicates the dense, mysterious hop concoction that I'm about to dive into. Solid, homebrew looking appearance.

The aroma is a complex bouquet of hops coated with supremely subtle yet desirable caramel, sugary malts. Don't think for one second that the malts are overpowering these hops here. Instead, they mute and balance out the excessive hops, and with the sugar reveal the mellow yet zesty citrus profile combined with all kinds of tropical fruits. Mango, pineapple, guava, nectarines... This brings me straight to a desert island where everything consumable is fresh and juicy. The finish in the aroma is dry hopped, but yet again not too overpowering. It's extremely balanced, yet crazily filled with amazing phenols.

The flavor is even better, however. The hops rise in an astringent, tingling sensation, only to then reveal tropical notes of mango and papaya and make the mouth salivate, which further creates a surreal sensation of chewing on the aforementioned fruit itself. The malts are wonderfully chewy and melt gracefully with the fruity, zesty flavors after each gulp. The alcohol is well hidden, but provides a subtle sweetness that makes this pleasing and ridiculously easy to drink. The aftertaste seems to last forever, especially on the fruity side. The flavors are bright and brim throughout, with a carbonated and yeasty thickness creating a sticky rather than dry sensation on the palate.

Phenomenal. This was a wonderfully refreshing rendition of an IPA with all of the characteristics I love about a DIPA without overloading on the alcohol. The tropical fruit flavors are spot on here, and the malts are well used to balance out any excessive astringency or dry hoppiness. I love this beer so much that if it weren't for the high price tag I'd probably buy it over most beers. Can't recommend it enough - all hopheads must try it.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 03:47:35 | More by magictacosinus

themind

New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

This brew has a mild aroma that at first had me slightly bummed. It has an amber color and pours a good healthy head. The taste is very good, the kind of IPA you could drink often. Overall I thought that this was a quality IPA and I would purchase again.

Bottom Line: Good IPA

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 00:55:52 | More by themind

Dcmpres

California

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

A: Bright gold/orange color with frothy head and chunky lacing.

S: Firm hop presence of citrus, pine and tropical notes.

T: Sweet on the entry with firm bitterness that carries over to notes of apricot and pine.

M: Medium bodied, yet crisp enough maintain a fruity hop presence.

O: This is another enjoyable IPA that showcases the hop profile over any preceived malt characteristics. This teeters on the edge of a DIPA for me. I enjoyed the Big Eye over this offer.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 01:16:21 | More by Dcmpres

Rion

North Carolina

4.29/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a beautiful clear golden color with a nice head. The smell is very nice definitely tropical and citrusy. Says enjoy by 6/29/13. It taste extremely fresh. This is my first time trying this beer. It was recommended by a good friend and this beer did not disappoint. Its very smooth and very easy to drink I will definitely be getting some more soon.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 19:40:25 | More by Rion

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

jhutch31

California

4.76/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

I absolutely loved this beer! Very smooth and easy to drink, yet still had a very complex flavor profile and appealing nose to it. Pours a beautifully clear and slightly copper hue with lots of small carbonation bubbles. One of my new favorites! I wish it was easier to get up here in Northern, California.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 17:23:18 | More by jhutch31

rodlavers

Pennsylvania

4.85/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Picked up a few bottles of this (no idea why I did not grab more) on a sojourn to Virginia Beach over the weekend. Enjoy By 6/15/13, exceedingly fresh.

Poured into a Founders snifter, 1-2 finger white head recedes pretty quickly, leaving some wet chunks of lace on the inside of the glass. Beautifully bright orange in color, with some copper as well. Pretty clear, holds light brilliantly.

Floral, citrus, and hoppy aromas up front, light pine/malt aroma after it sits a few minutes. Very aromatic right away, sort of fades a bit as I drink.

Citrus, pine, mango, floral notes are all over the flavor profile, but I suppose pine and citrus are most prominent. I know BP makes a Grapefruit Sculpin, so I can only imagine how much more grapefruity that one is. Taste is amazing, up there with the best I've had.

Feel is super balanced, very smooth up front leads into a more typically hoppy experience at the end of the sip. Piney/hoppy after feel/taste.

Overall this is amazing, and I am glad to finally have it so fresh. Not sure when it was bottled, but the enjoy by date suggests it must be fresh. Reminds me of Head Hunter, in many ways. Must try. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 22:30:26 | More by rodlavers

Florida_SC_Trojan

Florida

4.91/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

A - Very light. Pours a bright golden yellow, with a 3 finger head.

S: Very floral initial aroma. Grapefruit, mango really shines through from the hops. Smells awesome.

T - Really nice, the grapefruit is the star and the other flavors marry in nicely. It is fresh and citrusy but it adds a bitter hoppy punch that I absolutely love.

M- Biting and rather crisp. Very well carbonated.

This is one of my favorite IPA's and am extremely pleased that I can get Ballast Point in Florida now. If you love IPA's then this beer is a must try.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 22:11:22 | More by Florida_SC_Trojan

andys_war_hall

Texas

4.41/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Thin golden color, with a thick rocky white head.

S: Lots of citrus, and pine in the smell.

T: Taste follows the nose well. Lots of citrus, and pine. Slightly resinous up front, and lots of grapefruit following that.

M: The mouthfeel is very smooth, and perfectly carbonated.

O: Overall this is one of my top three IPAs. The others being Lost Gold, and Blind Pig.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 00:26:20 | More by andys_war_hall

DrewV

New York

3.53/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Not sure why this gets such high ratings. To me, there's nothing special about it at all. Aroma is similar to Sierra Nevada Torpedo. A bit sour with a very small hint of sweetness. Mostly floral, hardly any citrus in the aroma at all. Taste is a little better, but not by much. Still no citrus. Just some bitter hops. Thin body, not much mouthfeel. Has sort of a "tea-like" flavor to it that throws me off. The finish is clean, doesn't leave much of an aftertaste -- I guess that's the best part of the beer. This is $13.99 in my area and it's actually worth about HALF of that. A big disappointment for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 23:46:23 | More by DrewV

Zachtheporter

Wisconsin

4.88/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a Dogfish head spiegelau IPA glass.

A- Pours a bright golden yellow, with a fat 3 finger head on the first pour. The head is a lovely bright shade of white and fluffy as can be. Plenty of visible carbonation. There's some excellent head retention, maintaining a 1 finger head throughout.

S- Very strong aroma and incredibly citrusy. There are some strong notes of Pineapple and mango, as well as some lemon, apricot and grass.

T- The taste is really what makes this beer. There are some incredibly strong notes of lemon and citrus zest that leave a sweet yet incredibly pungent bitterness throughout the entire sip. Afterwords it fades into a very strong grapefruit bitterness before ending on some incredibly pungent somewhat earthier bitter notes along with some peach. I cannot stress how enjoyable bitter this is.

M- Biting. Rather crisp for an IPA with a light body. Very well carbonated.

O- Very hard to put down! This is one strong, hop forward beer. I haven't been this impressed with the absolute hoppy bitterness of a beer since I first tried Arctic Panzer Wolf by Three Floyds. This is the kind of hoppy beer I've been searching for for a few months now! Not a beginners IPA!

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 00:15:21 | More by Zachtheporter

RoninTK3

Rhode Island

4.9/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

A - Transparent gold with a bit of lacing.

S - Tropical fruits, pineapple, passion fruit, a bit of grapefruit. The fruity hops definitely come through on this.

T - The passionfruit and pineapple come through huge on this. Lots of fruity hops and a bit of grapefruit/citrus. A bit of bitter hops in the aftertaste. Very unique IPA.

M - Light and refreshing.

This is one of the best IPAs I've ever head. The tropical fruity hops give it a unique, refreshing taste. Definitely want some more of this!

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2013 17:27:10 | More by RoninTK3

lordofstarside

Nevada

4.18/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bomber to my russian river goblet, best by 4/13

Pours a deep golden orange with a finger of foam. Moderate carbonation stems from the center, good retention on the foam. Lacing is good, great looking beer. Smells of hops of course, some lemon and orange zest. Some floral pine melds with a touch of alcohol and a modest malt. Solid hoppy profile, balanced evenly with the malt. Feel is a nice medium body with a dry bitter finish. Over all this beer is really good, however I think it's over hyped and don't know why it's the #3 american ipa. They have a ridiculous shelf life so maybe I need a fresher bottle

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 03:13:26 | More by lordofstarside

Qwest_35

Florida

4.99/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is some of the freshest Sculpin I have been able to get a hold of yet, so I thought I would do a full review since it is one of my all time fave's. Bottle date enjoy by 7-28-13. This beer pours a nice golden amber with a finger of head. The first thing that really stands out is the aroma of fresh tropical fruits and citrus with a small hint of alcohol. The taste is outstanding, piney, citrus hop bite with a hint of malt. Outstanding job by Ballast Point on their flagship brew, deserves all the hype it gets! A staple in my fridge as long as they keep churning it out!

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 23:56:30 | More by Qwest_35

KFBR392

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: A very bright orange color. Clear clean look. About a finger worth of head on the pour which quickly dissipated. Some carbonation throughout.

Smell: Incredibly bright smooth hops at the front of the aroma. There is also a very down to earth malty background. Caramelized body really makes the aroma pop. The hop balance is incredible.

Taste: This brew almost follows the aroma to a tee. The balanced hops with a caramelized sweetness is really elite. The hops create a sticky, heavy feeling on the palette. My only gripe is the front of the beer seems to get a bit lost. But the accents that follow quickly make up for it. Waves and waves of hops cascade long after drinking.

Mouthfeel: Balance again comes to my mind when I'm drinking this. The hop dryness is there but sweetness mellows it out. A wonderful middle ground to the normal palette destroying IPA has been found.

Overall: One of the best single IPA's available. Really makes you appreciate a single IPA. Glad I've got 5 more of these to enjoy!

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 06:25:04 | More by KFBR392

Pinknuggets

Vermont

4.45/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

bottle to HFS sniffer

A:orange to honey colored with a bubbly white head that is pretty thin and fades quickly, but leaves a thick lacing around the outside. It is quite translucent and clean looking without any floaters.

S: The smell is nice an floral fresh hops it smells nice and clean and I think I can smell a little bit of citrus in there. There is also some malt in there that has some sweetness to it.

T: There is a lot of fresh hop tastes that follows the nose this is followed by a nice hop bitterness that is very well balanced and clean not over powering at all. It goes down really easy and has a lot more flavor then most other single ipas I have tried.

M:It is very thin and watery but it is also clean and oily so it goes down very easily and the alcohol is not noticeable at all which is impressive considering it is quite high for a single ipa. There is some resin to it that leaves your mouth nice and sticky without being overwhelmingly bitter.

O: So i was really impressed and surprised by this beer I really wasn't expecting this amount of drinkability and flavor. This is a great clean well put together ipa its probably the best single ipa I have ever had it seriously could be compared to Pliny (though i still give the edge to PtE). The fact that this is becoming more available this will definitely become a go to for me and is totally worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 22:55:06 | More by Pinknuggets

obrike

Texas

4.48/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bought a bomber at an HEB in Round Rock for about 8 bucks.

Poured a light honey in my Sam Adams pint glass...a fairly healthy white head that left a decent amount of clingy lace.

Good God. The Scent! IPA perfection...better than even most DIPAs out there... pineapple, orange, mango, grapefruit, and finally some pine needles. Getting just a touch of syrupy malt, but the hops just explode in this. One of the most impressive IPA scents I've encountered.

This is an excellent hoppy, bitter, dry West Coast IPA. Getting a little pineapple, but this is an overwhelming hoppy pine bomb. Just a touch of bready sweet malt...not the most balanced IPA, but oh so freaking good. Goes down with a dry finsh...uber dry, but again, I like this. I just can't believe this is not a DIPA. Such a robust beer, but at 7%, not a killer...you can easily have several in a sitting. The price point is this beer's only fault...but you know what, it's worth it.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 03:27:36 | More by obrike

tectactoe

Michigan

4.31/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to GetMeAnIPA for this one... I've heard very good things and I've been ISO Sculpin for a long time. Pours a somewhat dull, golden-yellow color with a few orange and light-amber tints. Moderate haze throughout, topped off with a creamy and fine eggshell colored head - decent retention and some nice chunky lacing is left behind.

Bringing this one to my nose reveals a hop-garden barrage with two huge aromas that stand out above all others: grapefruit and florals. The grapefruit is pungent, semi-sweet, and juicy on the nose with some mild bitterness coming in as a peel or pith type aroma. Some other fruits may include pineapple and mango, but grapefruit is far and away the star of the show, here - this beer is a grapefruit bomb. The hops are also highly floral - this one smells much like a rose garden; perfume, roses, leaves, wet flowers. A touch of white pepper sits quietly in the back. After smelling this beer, I am reminded of a hometown favorite of mine, Two Hearted.

After an aroma like that, how can this beer not taste great? Medium bodied with moderate carbonation make for a slick mouth feel that glides across the palate as the hops work their magic. The two stand-out aromas, to no surprise, are the heaviest in the taste as well. It's a grapefruit bomb, full of both the juicy insides and the bitter peel. Some more mango , pineapple, and tropical fruity goodness rummage and couple with a light sweetness via the malt. Floral, perfumy, leafy, grassy hops round out the edges and send a wave of bitterness across the back of the tongue in no time. Once again, the malt keeps the bitterness in tune without being distracting. The hop flavors seems to take over the citrus flavors and eventually dominate near the end. This beer is a fine example of simplicity done well and balance executed very nicely. Slight pithy and floral aftertaste as the bitterness fades into naught.

This beer reminded me of Two Hearted in a lot of ways (though not quite on the same level, but perhaps I'm slightly biased). They even both have a fish on the label. Being a huge fan of Two Hearted, I can clearly see why the West Coast loves this stuff. Simple, yet excellently crafted and executed. A super-drinkable IPA done right.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 13:38:30 | More by tectactoe

mattbk

New York

4.18/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: Fairly clear - beer colored actually - not light, not dark. Bubbles moving lazily through the beer. Decent head retention.
S: Tons of hop aroma. Grapefruit, lemon, maybe some slight peach, pine. Very, very nice.
T: More piney and bitter in the taste than the aroma. Some amount of grapefruit left though. Just a little bit of residual sweetness left, mostly a very dry beer. Very good, a bit too high in terms of bitterness versus flavor for me.
M: Medium mouthfeel, fairly dry, nice carbonation. Perfect for the style.
O: Like this beer, aroma is the best part of it, again, bitterness a little more emphasized than flavor in this beer, and the flavors are not very, very distinctive - but still, one of the better IPAs I have ever had.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 03:28:23 | More by mattbk

Resuin

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bomber into a Russian River Stemmed Glass. "Enjoy By 04/13/13" which is over 2 months from now.

Appearance: Pours a nice amber, light brown, golden color and leaves about a finger of white head.

Smell: Very floral initial aroma - lovely. Grapefruit, mango really shines through from the hops. Smells delicious.

Taste: Plenty of hops. Pine, some grapefruit and mango, along with some malts. Pretty well balanced but definitely on the hop-heavy side, which is very nice.

Mouth-feel: Just the right amount of carbonation and this is a great one to chew around a bit and really extract the flavor of the hops. Might be closer to a DIPA than a standard IPA in terms of body, it has a bit of thickness to it. Wonderful.

Overall: A great representation of a hop-heavy IPA. Pretty well balanced as well, but this will definitely give you the hop fix you are looking for.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 03:11:53 | More by Resuin

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

ironchefmiyagi13

New York

4.78/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

I have been wanting to try this beer forever and finally was able to score a six-pack.
What blew me away about this beer was its amazing aroma. So many well balanced smells like candied banana, honey cake, pineapple and mango. I smelled it more than I tasted. The flavor profile is top-notch too though, with many of the aromas being present on the palate, with nice strong hops and resin profile with a semi-dry finish that left me thirsty for more.

While I haven't had some of the truly amazing AIPA out there, this was definitely the best of the 20+ I have tried thus far. This is that initial high that leaves you chasing to find it again. Lets hope I find it!

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 03:41:52 | More by ironchefmiyagi13