Habanero Sculpin | Ballast Point Brewing Company

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%

4.33/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Peppery, Heat, Fruity, Citrus

The label reads: "Heat may vary." And it does. Opening this bottle releases a fruity bouquet with a blast of pepper in the nose indicating the heat to come. It's creamy and a bit chewy with a big dose of spicy pepper that drops layers as it builds up to a very noticeable heat. The beer’s fruitiness and citrus bite complement the habanero, while the underlying sweetness rounds things out and a raw, leafy hop finish reminds you that this is still a West Coast IPA. To those who complain that it's too hot: No shit. It's a habanero beer! Protip for those who worship at the Temple of Capsaicin: Blend some Habanero Sculpin into your Grapefruit Sculpin.

As reviewed in BeerAdvocate magazine #103 (August 2015).

 744 characters

4.4/5  rDev +17%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

If you dislike heat, then you will dislike this beer. However, if you have an open mind and you are familiar with the habanero as an ingredient, then you will know that Ballast Point completely nailed it here.

In the chile beer category, you will not find another habanero beer as good as this one. The head brewer expertly combined habanero with Sculpin.

After each sip, you get an even, but bearable heat throughout your mouth. A minute passes, and the heat disappears until the next sip.

The aroma is amazing. You get a blast of habanero carried by the head, which smells tropical and fruity. The taste is on par with the aroma, but due to decreased drinkability, I rated taste a quarter point lower.


Not too many people are familiar with habaneros and that is a shame. They are my favorite chile and extremely unique in flavor. I use them in place of jalapenos and serranos whenever I can.

 900 characters

4.59/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Easiest beer to rate ever. If you like Habanero peppers as I do, you will find this delectable. Spicy food lovers and heat heads do not miss this beer. Much less IPA than Chili beer, it goes right up to the line but does not cross. The Habanero flavor is very real, while the Sculpin flavor is bringing up the rear. I'll buy this whenever I see it. The most perfect pizza beer I can now think of....

 405 characters

3.94/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a hot little number, much like my ex wife (screw you Jasmine!), and it may be tasty at first, but it will burn you bad, and then fuck all of your friends.

 162 characters

4.5/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I love spicy food/beverages, so one could say that this review is biased. But I think it's really the opposite. You wouldn't want someone who hates IPAs reviewing regular sculpin, would you?

This really is one of my favorite beers of all time. I get that most people can't handle it, because it is actually hot enough to make me break out in a solid sweat, but I frickin' love that. Really bummed that it hasn't caught on as much as the grapefruit variant because I could drink this all day on a regular basis. Definitely nothing noteworthy from the IPA perspective... the habanero basically dominates so much that it could be any beer hidden under there. But god damn is it tasty as a whole.

 694 characters

4.58/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Caution: *HOT* You must enjoy the heat of habanero to enjoy this offering. They did not wimp out on this.

Pours transparent copper/golden in color. A small amount of fluffy head retention. This smells sharp and hoppy.

Flavor and heat in this one is insanely perfect. I like spicy things. I've tried several chile beers in the past, none of which could hold a candle to this one. This is incredible. Its the perfect amount of hop flavor paired with actual, intense, real habanero flavor. As intense as the habanero is in this, the hoppy sculpin ipa flavor never backs away. Pair them together and I feel like I've gone to ipa heaven.

I'm buying as much as I can tomorrow. The end.

 694 characters

4.09/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

I love the flavor of this when you can taste it but it's just too damn hot for me to drink. If they could dial it back a notch or ten it would be fantastic.

 156 characters

3.59/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a 6 pack at my local bottle shop since it's now available here in NH. As I am a big fan of Grapefruit Sculpin I had to try the Habanero Sculpin I will have to say the Habanero over powers this beer way to much burn to be a pleasant beer to drink on a regular basis. Maybe at a chili fest but not for normal drinking day to day.

 337 characters

4.44/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin.

Went back to a shop I said I'd never return to because I heard through the grapevine that they had some singles I wanted to try. Regular sculpin was a solid ipa but it didn't live up to the incredible amount of hype surrounding it. Grabbed two new variants tonight. Single twelve ounce bottle from Monroe Liquor Plaza for $2.49. Lets see how this one stacks up.


Look - From the twelve ounce bottle into a dimpled pint glass. Hard poured. Body is a nice transparent see through golden witg a frothy, immediately stick white head that leaves pits and craters as though you were looking at an image of the moon. No pepper pieces floating around anywhere. Carbonation appears to be extreme in increments that could likely pop a champaigne bottle into the ceiling. Remaining lace after the drink is finished is sticky and soapy.


Smell - Smells much like the regular sculpin with a noticable vegetative peppery aspect with just a tinge of nostril synging (sp?). Floral hoppyness with just a touch of the malts. More well balanced than the regular sculpin with a nice new dimension from the peppers. Not a HUGE nose by any means, but very welcoming. Let's see how the heat stacks up in the flavor.


Taste - Yep, it's definitely better and more flavorful than the regular sculpin. Floral hoppyness like the regular version, but with a good bit more malt to keep things better balanced. The heat is definitely real and will bother those who are not fans of spicy foods and sauces and it adds yet another nice dimension to an otherwise typical session IPA. I'd put the heat as double that of tabasco sauce ( around 10,000 scoville units ).


Feel - The feel is also very nice. Sits medium to full bodied and very creamy though surprisingly the carbonation isn't as strong as you would expect due to the appearance. Moderately strong hit of heat as the beer sits in the mouth. As you continue into the beer is tingles the lips and slightlt numbs the mouth. Heat at this point would be guesses at around 13,000 scoville units. Swallows spicy and very clean.

Overall - If you don't like hot foods you won't be able to handle this beer. Me? Everything I eat it hot so this is a nice treat tor myself. Drink it with a bowl of chili hot or not. I would go far enough as to even say this is my favorite ' chile ' beer so far. Good beers with peppers are hard to come by, but if you are a fan of the style this one will tickle your pickle or clit. As always, try it for yourself and come to your own conclusion..

 2,533 characters

4.78/5  rDev +27.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 5

Looks very much like regular Sculpin, whose orange color also coincidentally happen to match the skin of a Habanero pepper. The head atop the clear body was two to three fingers thick. foamy, and durable. The aroma was very hoppy and did not bring to mind any kind of pepper, as I could detect grapefruit and orange rind. On deeper inhaling there possibly was a hint of chili pepper, or may be it was just my imagination. The taste however had a very definite pepper kick to it. The Habanero was once considered the hottest pepper in the world, and while it has since given up that crown, it was still king of this beer. The pepper head was clearly evident in every sip, forcing the normally dominant citric hops to play second fiddle. It was quite one dimensional, and it was glorious. The feel was medium thick, with a pepper burn at the end of each sip. This was not quite a harmonious pairing like the Grapefruit Sculpin. Instead it was a showcase for pepper lovers.

 979 characters

4.21/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I really enjoyed this beer, but I'm a fan of the habanero. Imagine regular Sculpin with the same exact balance, yet just a touch of heat. I had it extremely fresh, so the citrus notes were unbelievable, as well the dank resinous action I got on the finish. I know this beer isn't for everyone, hence the overall score; however, if you enjoy eat, this beer will be right up your alley. Larrrrrrrrrrrrge.

 402 characters

2.01/5  rDev -46.5%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Completely unnecessary addition to a great line of beers. Don't like this.

75 characters

4.29/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

...If you aren't a fan of heat, why on earth would you drink (let alone rate???) something called a "habanero beer"? The amount of significantly low scores almost entirely attributable to the poster's dislike for spicy/hot things is ridiculously asinine. This, like the grapefruit and pineapple sculpins, is a master-class in balance between the original template (sculpin) and the additional flavor pairing. So, to reiterate one more time for any too slow yet to grasp this simple concept, if you like heat, this beer will give you a new appreciation for what is possible in regards to chile beers; and if you don't like heat...don't drink a habanero beer?

 657 characters

1/5  rDev -73.4%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Sorry, could not drink this beer. My own fault, I read the label, just didn't expect that.

91 characters

3.58/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

I was happy to finally try this one. I was surprised to not get any spice on the nose, but it was definitely there in the taste. This beer is very well constructed. Unlike some other pepper beers I have tried, the spice doesn't build on successive sips. It numbs the tongue a bit but isn't overwhelming. That said, none of the great qualities of the base Sculpin come through. It's a good pepper beer if that's what you are looking for.

 442 characters

2.97/5  rDev -21%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

This beer was one of the biggest disappointments of my beer drinking life. I love sculpin and grapefruit sculpin, but this one was unbearable. The heat is, in a word, INTENSE. You basically can't taste anything else except for a deep burn in one's throat that is present for the entire drinking "experience". I don't mean to be discouraging, if you like spicy beer by all means give it a try. It just wasn't for me.

 420 characters

1.97/5  rDev -47.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

As a heat lover, this was completely undrinkable for me. Couldn't take more than a few sips from it, the aftertaste is too strong. It just doesn't work.. I still can't understand how did this go into production.

 211 characters

3.82/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle in a stemmed tulip glass.

Translucent orange color with a touch of red pepper dye, pepper -white colored head, about 1f and modest looking, decent lacing.

Smell of habanero pepper sauce, salted and buttered.

Hot and fresh habanero peppers. Pickled habaneros. There are fresh citrus hops underneath. It's a stretch to pick up the malt, except in just a bit of underlying sweetness.

Heat, that's the feel. Good body, hop tang, touch of sweetness on the end.

"Heat may vary" reads the label. Well, mine varies toward the upper end of the Scoville scale, it was good and hot. Pretty tasty, too.

.

 612 characters

3.72/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I consider myself to be a spicy beer fan, but this one is extreme. It's not undrinkable, though, but all I can get is heat and carbonation. However, I find myself wanting to try another. Go figure.

 197 characters

3.24/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.25

Medium golden color, light head. Quite spicy finish. If you like spicy things go for it, if not then it's not much more than a fun talking point. Not a sessionable beer

 168 characters

4.71/5  rDev +25.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

First, if you don't like heat, avoid this beer. I see a lot of negative reviews from people who can't handle the heat. This beer smells of the habanero and it comes out profoundly in the taste and feel. Ballast Point nailed this one, a delicious Sculpin and all the components of what a habanero is. Not for the faint of tongue. Bravo Ballast Point!!!!

 352 characters

2.96/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Love Sculpin. Love grapefruit Sculpin as much if not more so. I'm good with heat so was willing to pony up a big $16 for a 6'er. Rarely write reviews but... consider this a public service announcement. This is awful. Tastes like you left your beer to go piss and your friends pranked you and dumped a bunch of burning hot sauce in your pint glass. Don't let your enjoyment of Sculpin trick you into wasting your hard earned beer money on this Tabasco IPA.

 455 characters

2.81/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The habeneros completely overpower the excellent base beer. It's not solely the excessive heat - hops are less pronounced as well. Adjuncts should complement the flavors of the base beer, not obliterate them. Very disappointing.

 228 characters

2.47/5  rDev -34.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

This isn't a beer, its a challenge, and not one I'd take again. Had this after a mango magnifico which managed the habanero's very well, this set my chest on fire for an hour afterwards.....how this is rated world class is almost as strange as the beer itself.

 260 characters