What's up with Sculpin?

That may be so, but in a year, your store will not be selling 17 cases every three weeks.

 

I really don't understand all the negative vibes from so many people regarding Sculpin. A lot of craft beer enthusiasts really like this one and some don't --get over it. Don't be mad that folks pay $15 or so willingly for a six. If $.50 a beer is breaking your bank--DONT BUY IT!!!

Sells out regularly to well informed experienced folks around me. Personally love it. Sculpin turding around you does not detract from my experience.

 

Sculpin can blow my mind but it's too fickle and high-maintenance so not worth it for me.

Plenty of other stuff is more reliable and leaves me 5 bucks for more pizza toppings.

 

it does matter, especially with a one dimensional beer like sculpin that relies on bright tropical fruit flavor.

some hoppy beers hold up better than others. some are only worth drinking < 2 weeks and refrigerated. some taste hoppier than those same beers after sitting on a shelf for a month (if i recall, green flash DIPA really holds up, but that could be my imagination).

just need trial and error, or erring on the side of caution (only drink fresh and refrigerated, and be open to trying different brands).

 

LOVE your avatar! My buddy has that poster on his wall. I'm not even a big Neil Young fan but that shit is awesome. I see you just joined BA today. Welcome!

 

cool man thanks ! Neil's got that spirit !

 

Sorry to tell you this but I have worked for two beer dist. and the beer is kept at room temp in the warehouses so it doesn't matter of its cold at the store it has been warm at somepoint. Beer is transported in semis or vans none of which are refrigerated. the cold warm thing is a myth

 

I never understood the love for Sculpin until I finally got to try it out of a can a mere eight days after packaging. Ever since, I refuse to buy it out of a bottle, and I do my best to get it fresh, buying it from a couple different sites (since it doesn't distribute locally) when they first get it in.

Two other things:

1. Grapefruit Sculpin is the best Sculpin.
2. Big Eye is also a fantastic IPA, but hard to compare to Sculpin, since it's more in the pine/resin/earthy realm compared to Sculpin's big, bright tropical flavors.

 

Sculpin has been had thrice; a 12 week bottle, 6 week bottle and a 5 week can. Bottles were ass, the can was serviceable, but underwhelming for sure. Another easily accessible canned bright IPA, Hop Nosh is superior in every way, even at older dates. And it can't even launder Bale Breaker's jock.

 

^^^I know this sounds "cliche" but I'm in full agreement. For Sculpin, as well as Knuckle Sandwich (which I KNOW changed), as well as Alpine's Exponential Hoppiness.

 

Hop Nosh is definitely a good beer, but really?

 

This. Sculpin is way better. They're very different beasts as well. Hop Nosh is a bit more citrusy and malty. Reminds me of Jai Alai from what I recall. Sculpin is just a super clean, bright IPA with loads of tropical fruit.

 

What's wrong with sculpin? For starters, a lot of it sits around here on the shelves (in a cooler or on the shelf) for a long time.

Is this one a barleywine yet? (this picture was taken this past sunday)

 

Starting to get that way with FW Union Jack as well. Prices in our area range from $12 - $14 a sixer. Despite it's long journey, I've never had one that was significantly off, but there are nearly comparable IPA's for almost half that price.

 

Sculpin is probably my favorite IPA but I almost never buy it, $16+ per sixer/$10 bomber around here and trying to figure out the bottling date is a mystery.

 

Recently bought my first 6 pack for $15.99. Unrefrigerated and close to 60 days old. And delicious. Is it better fresh? Probably, and I hope to find out. At $15.99 it would be an occasional splurge only. I guess the bottom line is it will be a while until I have enough experience with this beer to complain about how bad it has become and how quickly it degrades into pond scum.

 

It goes from fresh to death quick, but if you do find it super fresh I still think it is one of the best IPA's out there. Just getting a little harder to do nowadays, especially with their 6 pack price. Its causing it to sit longer than it did years ago.

 

I had some from the first bottled batch back in the day and, even though it was over three months old at the time, it was bursting with all those wonderful succulent tropical fruit flavors.

Cue "the great hop shortage" and revised recipe.

It has never tasted as good since and lately seems even less like I remember (based on my review here). I still have it if I see it on draft when I'm out (which is more often than one might think in the LA area), but it is not the same beer it used to be.

 

Overpriced. I think so man of us have also become enamoured with newer hop varieties that old classics are becoming shelf turds, But yeah, overpcied here in NY at 15.99 a sixer

 

I have to say that the case I am currently drinking is a bad batch. Its not horrible
but its not Sculpin either. Paid $52 for the case + tax and its not right
It tastes chalky and weak. There is a little bit of the correct "tropical" flavor but its not right
I'd say the best way to describe it is blah...Sculpin to me is usually complex flavors and tastes
this is ehh okay...