Skagit River Scullers IPA

Brewed by Skagit River Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Mount Vernon, Washington USA

Jello fused dark amber brown with a modest capping of dark ivory, firmly sitting foam. Lacing is thin in small curtains breaking up into light webby strings. Aroma is deep and woody with an earthy toasty realm of a burnt forest floor and dark fruits; muggy plummy heat. Notes of dark mint, chocolate, and black tea. Oh...what’s this...roasted chocolate laced hops? Yep. Good stuff eh. Right from the get go this stuff intrigued the hell out of me and got my attention. Deceivingly dark and ominous oily hops elude until the very last instant of the finish. Greasy, waxy, and scorched tinted hops sit and bubble as it turns from its heavy almost smokey roasted malt and thick waffer chocolate backing at the front and middling areas. Once those hops kick in they remain persistent and dark. Beautiful balance of flavors. The finish is amazingly dark and bitter carrying qualities reminiscence of an Imperial stout. Lovely, just lovely. Feel is amazingly deep in a fairly full bodied encompanyment. Oily rich, resinous, and sappy hop flavors. Dark, roasty, earthy, and balanced with bittered roast and transfered hop oils. The bomber with the skull on it is gonna sit on my shelf as a trophy along with some of the Stone and other west coast goodies I’ve feel in love with over the years. Kick ass stuff!

22 0z bottle via Liquid Solutions. Pours a dark hazy amber color with a small head. Aroma is of fresh bread, orange, lemon. Taste is of pine, orange amd more pine, with some more pine and then a bit more pine followed by some grapefruit. Wow, this is about the quickest, dryest, chalkiest finish ever. The label does it justice! Some ipas are a grapefruit rind, but this one is an orange rind and a raw crisp pine cone. This is for hardcore pinecone skull and bones hopheads only!

This is one of the best and most drinkable IPAs that I have had in years. After a round of samples at the KLCC brewfest, this is defintely one of my favorites and woke my palate and my nose up after tasting a lot of mediocre beers. The aroma is immense, and I walked around smelling this for about 5 minutes and just marvelled at how much I enjoyed it. The flavor is perfectly balanced with alot of sweet maltiness and some grapefruit hoppy resins, coats the mouth with flavor and dances of the palate with carbonation and acidity. Enjoyable and easy to drink, and is not a palate killer.

Thanks to Old Mr Crow for yet another wonderful West Coast IPA. This one pours turbid copper with ruby edges and 2-fingers of off-white head. Great lacing, and an overall great look to this one. The nose was piney hoppy, caramel malt, citrus, black pepper. The taste was hoppy, fruity, with a solid caramel malt base. I also got varied amounts of mango, pineapple, and honeydew in the flavor, and this one was nicely balanced. The dry hopping became more apparent as it warmed. This is yet another IPA that I’d stock by the case if I could, and I thank Mr Crow for the opportunity to try it.

Sampled at Rose and Raindrop. Pours a somewhat cloudy golden/orange with a nice white head. Aroma is a blast of fresh grapefruity hops. Pleasantly sweet with big notes up front of grapefruit/citrus then pine and resin. Bitter hop finish. The body is full and round with moderate carbonation. Great head retention, that thing sticks around forever. Very nicely done.

Had at the brewpub in Mount Vernon. Excellent IPA for a small microbrewery. Has a nice grapefruit citrusy aroma and a dark orangeish cloudy appearance with a off-white sticky head - good lacing. Has a snappy, tangy cascade induced hoppy flavor. Excellent, thick mouthfeel. Wished I had time to stay for another but they were closing up shop for the night.

Name: Sculler’s IPA
Date: July 14, 2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, O-Town Throwdown
Appearance: cloudy amber, fine dirty white head, streaks of drippy lace
Aroma: sweet caramel malt aroma with lots of earthy hops
Body: very creamy body
Flavor: lots of earthy hop flavor with a light floral note, dark caramel character offers some balance but stays very dry

Name: Sculler’s IPA
Date: September 07, 2009
Mode: draft
Source: brewpub
Words: 3.6 to
Appearance: clear copper, fine beige head, sheets of lace
Aroma: sweet crystal and citrus aroma, grapefruit
Body: creamy body
Flavor: liquid hop flavor, lots of citrus, touch of fruity orange, hint of pine, just enough bitterness to balance

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 9/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

22 oz. bottle, from Liquid Solutions. Pours a deep copper-amber color and clear, with a huge fluffy off-white head that leaves thick lace. Sweet gruity malts in the aroma, witha bit of caramel, green apple, floral hops, some pineapple and citrus. Delicious flavors, sweet and slightly caramel, quite fruity, with lots of oarange juice and lots of grapefruit, some pine and spicy notes in the finish as well. Medium to full body and gentle carbonation. Very good IPA and a joy to drink!