Ballast Point Sculpin IPA (North Star)

Brewed by Ballast Point Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
San Diego, California USA

Pours a bright golden amber with a dense head that shows very good retention and excellent lacing. Hops, hops, and more hops. Initial blast of resiny hops with major citrus aromas of grapefruit and lemon. This is what an IPA should smell like. Resiny, piny hop bitterness is the dominant taste with a definite lemony, grapefruit flavor. I get only the slightest bready malt flavor but enough to balance the massive hoppiness. Medium mouthfeel with a nice carbonation that shows up prickly on the tongue with the hop bitterness. Goes down smooth with the right balance of bitterness. For me, this is what all West Coast IPAs should aspire to be and is one of the most drinkable IPAs I’ve tasted. I would go well out of my way to get a hold of this one.

Thanks to Larry for the hookup! Clear golden with an average to thinner head. Light fresh piney hops. Crisp, unmuddied. Very light malt. Hops might be a bit past prime perhaps? Still crisp! Average sort of body, on the refreshing side of the viscous/thin divide. Sharp hops in the flavor. Very light malt again. Dry for the style! Straw. Pine. Not as fruity as the nose suggested. Some slightly garlic past prime hop flavors. A long lingering bitterness. I’d like to try this a bit fresher... maybe I should have left this in the fridge, oh well!

Dark orange beer with a yellowish-tinted head. Very fruity grapey, some "bittered" malts. Very dry-hoppy, again grapey, grapefruit, warm malts underneath all the hops. Well-bodied, rather fiery MF. Nice, if a bit cliché W.C. IPA.

Pours copper with a rocky white head. Smells of perfume, citrus, pine. Tastes of sweet malt with lots of brilliant pine elements. Mouthfeel is full with a sage like finish. Excellent!

Pour is clear orangey amber with a thin off white head...smell is super piney....super piney....taste is not nearly such a hop bomb...a sweet toasty caramel flavor with a solid hoppy backbone....not bitter, but definitely flavorful...resin...

22oz Bomber Recieved this in a great box courtesy of errantnight, thanks again Derek! Oh, wow! As soon as I cracked this open I took whiff and I can tell I’m going to be in for a treat but before I get to the nose let me explain the pour. Sculpin empties the bomber a moderately hazed golden with bursts of carbonation screaming to the surface. The clean white head grew to two + fingers on the pour and eventually fell to one finger’s worth of dense creaminess. Now, What first caught my attention and has been on my mind ever since popping the top, the wonderful nose. There’s a small pale maltiness coming through way, way in back. The good stuff? Huge notes of apricot, tangerine, and a big freshly broken pine neddle hoppiness throughout. Ballast Point did an unbelievable job with the hop additions. It’s reminiscent of the hopping I find in Dreadnaught and blows my mind that a brewer can get such vivid, delicious aromas from the little cones. The flavor doesn’t quite live up to the nose but that would be near impossible. The taste is softer than expected with a dominant apricot hoppiness upfront followed by the pinyness on the finish. A little sweet in the middle but damn, that apricot is vivid and delicious. This really is a great IPA. The mouthfeel is spot on. Solid carbonation awakens the tongue for the moderate bitterness present from mid-palate to the finish. The body is medium but the carbonation helps it glide through without a problem. I wouldn’t have a problem drinking this beer all night. If Sculpin was available in my area it would be purchased by the forklift and drank just as quickly. Ballast Point hit a homerun with Sculpin. A really great IPA with a hop profile that is very rarely found except in the most delicious of the style. Ballast Point makes some great beers and this may be the best I’ve tried from them yet. A new favorite! 4/19

Bomber bottle and served in my GI IPA tulip, THANKS JON for the bottle:

Pours a clean coppery golden hue with a small but lasting frothy head which left very nice clinging lace upon the glassware. The aroma has a bountiful amount of tropical and piney hops along with some sweey bready malts and a hint of hop spice. The taste is nicely balanced between crisp citric hops and mild pale and caramel malting. The finish displays a light spicy note and some metallic tones. The mouth feel is sprite and crisp, very refreshing and drinkable. Yet another winning IPA from the SoCal area. Mikey Likey, get ya some before they are all gone.

22. Thanks, Foolish_Mortal! BP’s usual cool label happening, that’s for sure. Pours a crystal clear, coppery medium amber with a towering, sudsy white head and plenty of lace down the side. Rich orange and mango nose...soooo citric and hop-oily. Creamy medium body with soft carb. Piney bitterness starts to emerge out of the mid-palate, under a lovely soft and sweet wash of peach, mango, apricot, and orange. Mild, crackery, piney finish. Delicious, sweet, and refreshing. Awesome IPA.