Grapefruit Sculpin | Ballast Point Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Ballast Point Brewing Company
California, United States
ballastpoint.com
Style: American IPA
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.00%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
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.
Added by arfenhouse on 01-19-2013
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 5,971 | Reviews: 843
4.16/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.5/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.39/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.49/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.42/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.84/5 rDev +13.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Delicious!
10 characters
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Delicious!
10 characters
4.5/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.62/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Light balanced IPA with tender grapefruit taste.
48 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Light balanced IPA with tender grapefruit taste.
48 characters
4.5/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bright, clean gold with a 1/4" off white head falls to a cap slowly....sticky lace, looks great.
sweet malty base with a grapefruit rind/pithy aroma...smells delicious.
Sweet grapefruit flavor, great balance between hops/malt...medium-low to medium bitterness with a pleasant linger.
Mouthfeel is just right, again...everything in balance.
Tasty and crushable.
360 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bright, clean gold with a 1/4" off white head falls to a cap slowly....sticky lace, looks great.
sweet malty base with a grapefruit rind/pithy aroma...smells delicious.
Sweet grapefruit flavor, great balance between hops/malt...medium-low to medium bitterness with a pleasant linger.
Mouthfeel is just right, again...everything in balance.
Tasty and crushable.
360 characters
3.62/5 rDev -15.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
4.08/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4.25
3.53/5 rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25
4.5/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.56/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4/5 rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This was poured into a nonic pint glass. The appearance was a nice hazy golden orange color with a one finger white foamy head that dissipated within about a good thirty seconds. The lacing stuck at first and then slid in a messy sort of way. The smell had a sweet and bitter grapefruit, somewhat like pulp and somewhat like rind. Extra citrus comes through nicely. The taste took all of those previously mentioned flavors to combine and lead a slight spice to round out. A dry grapefruit/grassy aftertaste leads to a quick dry finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a fairly decent sessionability about it. The carbonation pounds like a fresh AIPA and subdues my tongue into submission. Overall, this is where it’s at, great stuff!
772 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This was poured into a nonic pint glass. The appearance was a nice hazy golden orange color with a one finger white foamy head that dissipated within about a good thirty seconds. The lacing stuck at first and then slid in a messy sort of way. The smell had a sweet and bitter grapefruit, somewhat like pulp and somewhat like rind. Extra citrus comes through nicely. The taste took all of those previously mentioned flavors to combine and lead a slight spice to round out. A dry grapefruit/grassy aftertaste leads to a quick dry finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a fairly decent sessionability about it. The carbonation pounds like a fresh AIPA and subdues my tongue into submission. Overall, this is where it’s at, great stuff!
772 characters
4.19/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.87/5 rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
Bottle dated 17140 (May 20). DFH Tulip.
A: pours a beautiful orange copper with 1 finger white head. Not much visible carbonation. Little lacing, modest retention.
S: Grapefruit! Really overpowering grapefruit. Smells like the air freshener I use in my office (which is nice, but man is this strong). Maybe some bready malt behind it, but really - just grapefruit.
T: initial arrival is standard hoppy IPA, with a little backpack BH crisp crackery malt. Then the grapefruit essence builds up almost immediately into a very early and strong grapefruit mid palate. The bitterness follows very soon thereafter. The quickness of the transitions here is the big story for me. The bitterness is high and profoundly grapefruity.
M: like the regular sculpin, this is a perfect West Coast IPA texture; mid bodied with moderate carbonation and pretty highly attenuated. Very clean, but for the lingering grapefruit pith.
O: that was different. I like grapefruit. I even like grapefruit flavors in my IPAs. But this takes it to a whole other level of grapefruitiness.
1,062 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
Bottle dated 17140 (May 20). DFH Tulip.
A: pours a beautiful orange copper with 1 finger white head. Not much visible carbonation. Little lacing, modest retention.
S: Grapefruit! Really overpowering grapefruit. Smells like the air freshener I use in my office (which is nice, but man is this strong). Maybe some bready malt behind it, but really - just grapefruit.
T: initial arrival is standard hoppy IPA, with a little backpack BH crisp crackery malt. Then the grapefruit essence builds up almost immediately into a very early and strong grapefruit mid palate. The bitterness follows very soon thereafter. The quickness of the transitions here is the big story for me. The bitterness is high and profoundly grapefruity.
M: like the regular sculpin, this is a perfect West Coast IPA texture; mid bodied with moderate carbonation and pretty highly attenuated. Very clean, but for the lingering grapefruit pith.
O: that was different. I like grapefruit. I even like grapefruit flavors in my IPAs. But this takes it to a whole other level of grapefruitiness.
1,062 characters
Grapefruit Sculpin from Ballast Point Brewing Company
4.28
out of 5
based on 5,971 ratings.
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5