Sculpin IPA - Grapefruit
Ballast Point Brewing Company in San Diego, California, United States 🇺🇸
IPA - West Coast Regular|
Score
7.57
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Our Grapefruit Sculpin is the latest take on our signature IPA. Some may say there are few ways to improve Sculpin’s unique flavor, but the tart freshness of grapefruit perfectly complements our IPA’s citrusy hop character. Grapefruit’s a winter fruit, but this easy-drinking ale tastes like summer.
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8.2/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
On tap into a shaker showing translucent, dark caramel brown but well filtered with a finger of clean white foam. The nose shows a lot of soft and round grapefruit pith mixed in with mango and other tropical/citrus notes. Moderately intense but definitely there. The palate is where the majority of the flavor is shown. My first impression blew me away as to the amount and intensity of grapefruit flavor on the palate. In some ways it may be a little bit too intense as it tones down and softens the bitterness quite intensely although the distinct IPA bitterness is still there. The texture is evenly carbonated and light bodied with a distinct IPA abrasiveness still apparent on the palate at the finish. Definitely worth its reputation.
Tried
from Draft
on 14 May 2015
at 22:01
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
12oz tap pour in The Goat Hill Tavern, Costa Mesa (Orange County) on 11th May 2015. Orange to golden body with a white crown. The grapefruit esters fill your nose and then the flavour hits the back of your tongue. Citrusy hops all the way here, nothing else to report.
Tried
from Draft
on 12 May 2015
at 08:40
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
355ml bottle. Clear, orangey golden colour with small to average, frothy, half-way lasting, minimally lacing, white head. Sweet-ish, citrusy hoppy aroma, notes of grapefruit, orange, mandarine, corresponding zesty notes, candied orange peel. Taste of "grapefruit lemonade", ostensible grapefruit notes without the exertion of influence on physiognomic processes usually executed by real grapefruit juice qua tart- and bitterness; counterweight sugary sweetness contributes to a super-easy drinkability that is tantamount to customised, streamlined shape and lack of character. Comparable to Alesmith’s in their sophistication and engineered cleanliness, Ballast Point’s beers seem to be crafted with but a completely different objective: i.e. to be suitable for children.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 May 2015
at 13:19
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle at The Bishops Arms Sundbyberg. Clear dark orange with a small white head. Aroma of grapefruit, hops and some light hay. More grapefruit in the taste, also hops, light caramel and some hay. Medium bitter. A good one but propably not that fresh.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 May 2015
at 02:50
9.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 10
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 9.5
I’m actually surprised I liked this one as much as I did. This one was consumed on draft at Rustico, Alexandria. Poured a clear light amber color with a small white head. Aroma is a blast of grapefruit. So much grapefruit, followed by a pretty sizable portion of pine resin and a decent balance of malts in the finish. Despite the smell of grapefruit, like my face is smashed into of of a freshly cut one, the flavor is pretty well balanced. Highly drinkable, at least with the one glass I got. I’m going to have this again and modify my rating up or down based on that.
Tried
from Draft
on 07 May 2015
at 22:43
8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Can from a six pack purchased at RedStone Liquors, Stoneham, MA. The appearance is a clear gold with lasting head retention. The aroma is just damn good! Grapefruit, citrus peel and maybe even a peach type hint, juicy fruits.
This would have been nice to try right next to the base Sculpin since it has bee a long while since I sampled and rated the base IPA. (July 22, 2013 on draft at a NY Brewfest) The juicy fruit is lasting throughout the sip with grapefruit the main player. Still enough malt to provide some balance with a moderate lingering bitterness after the swallow with the grapefruit lasting for days. The fruit is done so well I have to score this a 4. Glad I have a few more cans to sip.
This would have been nice to try right next to the base Sculpin since it has bee a long while since I sampled and rated the base IPA. (July 22, 2013 on draft at a NY Brewfest) The juicy fruit is lasting throughout the sip with grapefruit the main player. Still enough malt to provide some balance with a moderate lingering bitterness after the swallow with the grapefruit lasting for days. The fruit is done so well I have to score this a 4. Glad I have a few more cans to sip.
Tried
from Can
on 03 May 2015
at 16:12
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
New Beer Distributors, NYC bottle ($2.25): Pours orange with a white head. Aroma is grapefruit (real grapefruit, not hop grapefruit, or rather it might be hard to tell the difference between the two), and some pale malts. It seems to me that the grapefruit attenuates the IPA aroma. Taste is very lightly bitter. Grapefruit is obviously the most powerful flavor. Very smooth and very easy to drink. Aftertaste is kind of bitter, but not too much. I don’t think that this is mind blowing or anything.
Tried
from Bottle
on 01 May 2015
at 18:52