Sculpin IPA - Ballast Point Brewing Company

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

CharlesRamsey

California

4.5/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

What can you say about one of the best? Some might call this a hop bomb, but its balanced so well they would be as wrong as Ariel was for taking those girls. A strong, dry hop presentation with spice, pine notes off of a thin white, low carbonation head. Beers like this make me want to live in the ballast point parking lot.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2013 02:12:22 | More by CharlesRamsey

BurgeoningBrewhead

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into becker. Golden orange, the color of honey, with a thick fluffy white head that fades after a bit but seems to leave lots of lacing. Smells of floral hops with tropical fruit; pineapple and mango are noticeable. Taste is less hoppy than the smell; sweet and clear up front with hops coming in at the end, quite a bitter finish though. A great drinkable IPA though; if the hop flavor had been all throughout, it would have been more of a sipper.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 01:57:13 | More by BurgeoningBrewhead

FanofHefe

Illinois

4.24/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12 oz. bottle, best by 9/27/2013, poured into a Duvel tulip. With a reasonably aggressive pour, I get nearly two fingers of dense, off-white head, over a clear, light amber body that has bit of yellow tint. Decent retention a little lacing.

Nice aroma. Starts out mostly citrus, primarily grapefruit, with some light tropical notes following. As it warms, I get a fairly sweet malt aroma as well.

The flavor doesn't stray too far from the aroma. The hop flavors are a bit more on the pine and grapefruit side than the aroma. Only a minor notice of the bready malt, that tends to stay in the background. Very west coast style as far as the up front hop flavors. As it warms, the flavors tend to blend even better.

Medium texture in the mouthfeel and no notice of alcohol. An excellent beer overall. Glad its finally being distributed in my area.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 20:37:28 | More by FanofHefe

Duderino

California

4.06/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Light in color, not much head retention

S- Aroma is strong, with hints of citrus. My expectation was high with inital aroma.

T- Does not match the aroma, was expecting a stronger hop flavor to match. Overall taste is good, clean. Definately gets better when not as cold, hop flavor tends to come out more when drinking in the 50-55 degree range.

M- Smooth mouthfeel, does not linger when drinking. I do prefer big IPA's to stick to the mouth more.

O- A solid beer, overpriced for what it is. Averages about $15 a six pack, would take their Big Eye IPA over this one for about 5 bucks less a sixer.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 04:53:09 | More by Duderino

Shaaarrrp

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This is a very good beer and certainly one of the most drinkable IPA's I've ever come across. No real alcohol taste or hop bite...it doesn't have that devastatingly fresh smell, taste or mouthfeel but it's clearly a well put together IPA with excellent balance that makes it extremely easy to down without regret or hesitation. This would be a great beer for introducing people to IPA's or for those that don't like the bitterness. Definitely worth a try but not amazing.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 00:06:40 | More by Shaaarrrp

FreshHawk

Illinois

4.09/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - Nice, light tangerine color with a medium to large, bubbly, airy, foamy, white head. Really nice retention and a nice coating of lace.

S - Citrus and pine are definitely strong. Fair amount of bready malt. Hints of mango and floral notes. Well hopped but I wouldn't call it as aggressively hopped.

T - Similar to the nose. Grapefruit, sweet orange, hints of pine and floral. Solid bready malt flavor in the background throughout. Touches of mango and pineapple but not overly tropical. Nice lingering bitterness.

M - Medium body with average, maybe slightly above average, carbonation. Slightly dry.

D - Very easy to drink IPA. Quite balanced both in regards to amount of maltiness and hops and amount of sweetness and bitterness. Alcohol is not present. Overall, this is quite satisfying.

Notes: Best before 09/23/13. Overall this is a well made IPA. Quite balanced and easy to drink. I wasn't as blown away by it as I hoped given some reviews. It's very solid and well made, but it isn't amazing. Worth a try, particularly at a bar when it is priced similarly to other solid IPAs, but it's a little expensive compared to other IPAs I enjoy as much in bottle format.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 02:25:49 | More by FreshHawk

vic21234

Illinois

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

22oz bomber poured into a snifter. Enjoy by date of 09/22/13. Ballast Point just started distributing to my area.

A- Pours a clear and beautiful light orange color. A finger's worth of off white head sticks around for awhile.

S- Very nice smelling IPA. I get notes of piney resin followed by grapefruit, orange and mango.

T- The smell carries over into the taste. Initially I get some pine notes along with slight peach and overall citrus. The pine definitely wins over in the taste though.

M- Light bodied, highly carbonated, very easy drinking and refreshing, dry and bitter finish.

My first offering from Ballast Point is a great one. This is a great example of an IPA, and I would seek it out again.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 01:00:17 | More by vic21234

thlayli87

New Jersey

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

A - Amber color with three fingers of offwhite head. Moderate lacing.

S - Bursting with tropical fruit aromas. Reminds me of the smell of fruit cocktail.

T - Mango, pineapple and grapefruit flavors, followed by a sharp hoppy finish. Good balance of sweetness and bitterness.

M - Moderately thick and chest.

O - A really nice IPA with a sweet fruity presence up front and a powerful hop bite. Alcohol packs a sneaky punch too.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 23:16:15 | More by thlayli87

mpedara429

Massachusetts

4.49/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours out a very clear amber color with one finger of white head.

S: Smells like pine, candied oranges, and pineapple juice.

T: Pine, pineapple, grapefruit with just a hint of herbal and floral tones. Nice bitter hop profile that is balanced by sweet malt.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation. Surprisingly smooth and light for a beer so full of flavor.

O: I was skeptical to try this since I wasn't crazy about their Big Eye IPA. I find the Sculpin to be a lot more complex. I think it's got a little of something for every IPA drinker to enjoy. I can definitely see myself going back and treating myself to a 22 oz. of this. here or there.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 01:42:39 | More by mpedara429

Bosoxfan20

Oklahoma

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

Very pumped to have finally reeled in the legendary Sculpin. So happy to have a great wife to give me gifts like this for our anniversary.

A- Pours a clean copper with a white head. Fantastic retention and serious lacing.

S- A lot going on here with the hop profile- Grapefruit, apricot, peach, orange zest. Finishes with a sweet malt base that smells like honey.

T- Something totally different and unique from some of the standard floral and pine hop IPAs that seem to be redundant. The fruits the nose caught along with some pine hops upr front mellows to a pale malt base, then hops come back with a vengeful bite, and then finishes so smooth and tasty. A lot going on here.

M- Mid body, good rush of carbonation. Dense.

O- Loved how this one gave me something a little different from the norm. Nice balance and a fantastic brew that I would have time and time again.

Best by 8/4/13
Consumed on 4/27/13

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 21:56:50 | More by Bosoxfan20