Sculpin - Grapefruit
Ballast Point Brewing Company

Sculpin - GrapefruitSculpin - Grapefruit
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From:
Ballast Point Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
American IPA
Ranked #33
ABV:
7%
Score:
96
Ranked #1,134
Avg:
4.31 | pDev: 9.28%
Reviews:
936
Ratings:
6,414
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 10, 2024
Added:
Jan 19, 2013
Wants:
  593
Gots:
  3,138
Our Award-winning IPA, with a citrus twist.
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.

The Sculpin IPA is a testament to our humble beginnings as Home Brew Mart. It showcases bright flavors and aromas of apricot, peach, mango & lemon. The lighter body also brings out the crispness of the hops. The Sculpin fish has poisonous spikes on its fins that can give a strong sting. Ironically, the meat from a Sculpin fish is considered some of the tastiest. Something that has a sting but tastes great; sounds like a Ballast Point India Pale Ale. This version of our Sculpin IPA has grapefruit added; the grapefruit flavor really enhances the citrus aroma of the hops.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by socon67:
Photo of socon67
Rated by socon67 from New York

4.3/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Jun 12, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of buckthehog
Rated by buckthehog from Texas

4.27/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Blast from the past. Tart and citrusy with an interesting commingling with hops. Original, unaffected, and confident. Your mom goes to college.
Mar 10, 2024
 
Rated: 4.87 by jcallover34 from California

Jan 20, 2024
 
Rated: 4.16 by rajreddy from Tennessee

Oct 02, 2023
Photo of Foxbush
Reviewed by Foxbush from Virginia

4.04/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
12 oz can from Total Wine and More in Short Pump, VA This is a one-of-a-kind ale along with Sculpin. A go-to beer for all times. The ale pours a clear amber with a white foamy head and lacing. The noticeable aroma is citrus mostly grapefruit is nicely balanced. The mouthfeel is smooth with excellent body and texture. The ale has a medium body with average carbonation.
Sep 08, 2023
Photo of HalfFull
Reviewed by HalfFull from California

3.03/5  rDev -29.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Yet another beer that has been destroyed by being bought out? Pour is deep copper to light amber, much deeper than I recall 'back in the day'. Decent hop notes and some light lacing. This is fresh beer yet offers no grapefruit notes that existed in the past. Taste is a bit malty, subdued, pleasant yet unexciting. Pleasant hop character on the nose yet not stellar, finish is fairly soft for an IPA, lacking the bitterness it is known for. Warming does bring out just a hint of grapefruit though it is fleeting at best. Touch of hop spice on the close. A decent quaff but heading into the 'not worth the calories' realm of once great beers. Who owns this brand now? I don't know and they don't care. Utopia is behind us...
Aug 29, 2023
Photo of eWell
Reviewed by eWell

4.83/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
This beer is impossible to get hold off where I live. It’s truly excellent and enhances the flavors of the Sculpin with slightly sour but more refreshing notes.
Aug 23, 2023
 
Rated: 4.53 by jbolger from Connecticut

Jun 29, 2023
 
Rated: 3.58 by funku2 from Colorado

Jun 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.11 by rfreed from Washington

Apr 01, 2023
 
Rated: 1.87 by morsa_95 from California

Mar 21, 2023
Photo of AlCaponeJunior
Reviewed by AlCaponeJunior from Texas

4.15/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
My shock and horror to see that after all these years I hadn't reviewed sculpin grapefruit! Well no more. I love this beer, as grapefruit is a lovely way to compliment the biting hops of sculpin. Not for amateurs or posers, and BMC drinkers head's will aspolode upon the first sip. Similarly to arrogant bastard, keep this one away from the unsophisticated newbies.
Mar 19, 2023
Photo of hbeimers
Reviewed by hbeimers from Illinois

4.56/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Had to have while visiting San Diego. Perfect west coast IPA to drink while on the west coast. perfect amount of grapefruit and perfect sipability to the whole brew
Mar 07, 2023
Photo of LoganFarinhas
Rated by LoganFarinhas from Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Not much to say... Beer like this makes me Hoppy! Absolutely delicious! Smell taste body is all 10/10
Jan 09, 2023
 
Rated: 3.79 by lakewy17 from New Hampshire

Jan 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4.38 by Beergod420 from Michigan

Oct 24, 2022
 
Photo of dano213
Reviewed by dano213 from Pennsylvania

4.04/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz can purchased off the shelf as part of a mix-a-six pack for $2. PKG 07APR22, so this is almost four months old.

Look: Pours a very pretty copper color. Almost completely clear; just a very faint haze that appeared after I poured the bottom of the can. There was a thick, rocky off-white head that slowly reduced to a very thin layer.

Smell: I definitely smell the grapefruit aroma up front. It smells nice. Other fruity, caramelly, and herbal/vegetal notes but nothing distinctive besides grapefruit. After delving into it, I can detect nice apricot and orange zest aromas.

Taste: It's very tasty. Up front, there's grapefruit flavor with a bit of acidity. The mild, gentle initial grapefruit flavor explodes into an oily, bitter, pithy profile that attacks the sides of the tongue and the back of the palate. The finish is long, piney, resinous, and bitter with lots of grapefruit peel and pith. Eventually, I can detect a pleasant caramel malt sweetness after the bitterness subsides. Even though this beer is so bitter, I feel like there is an element of balance to it because along there's also a lot of caramel malt to help counteract the strong bitterness.

Feel: Medium bodied with an appropriate level of carbonation. Someone oil, slightly chewy mouthfeel.

Overall: This has got to be one of the quintessential West Coast IPAs. I tried regular Sculpin IPA many years ago, and I was utterly unprepared for how bitter it was. This is also very bitter, and I think that my palate has adjusted over the years and now embraces bitterness. This beer requires a palate adjustment for many folks, and that's okay because many folks' palates (and minds) need to be adjusted! It's also nice to see that this beer can hold up to Father Time; at almost four months old, it's still very aromatic and flavorful.

Grapefruit Sculpin
India Pale Ale
With Natural Grapefruit Flavors
Sep 06, 2022
Photo of azak99
Rated by azak99

1.36/5  rDev -68.4%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 1.5
I found the taste to be completely unpalatable. Way too bitter, not very smooth. Hated it
Aug 05, 2022
Sculpin - Grapefruit from Ballast Point Brewing Company
Beer rating: 96 out of 100 with 6414 ratings