What's up with Sculpin?

I only buy it the first month.

It's still the real thing when fresh. And especially so for a fresh keg. Until you find a good shop that rotates the inventory it's not worth buying it. Sorry, but the shelves have too many things on them now, and the incessant demand from people who want to buy once and move on have encouraged stores to carry more inventory than they can maintain fresh. The market needs repeat buyers of the good stuff, and not more incentive to carry everything available.

 

New BrewHouse?

 

Five years ago Sculpin was my go to when I had a little extra money to spend. Now the market is so flooded with awesome IPA's that cost $6 less for a six pack that I never have Sculpin anymore. It's just way to expensive for a single IPA.

 

It's overpriced when you aren't in the west coast and the market is flooded with comparable iPas.

That's it.

 

It has been a while since I had it, but when I did, it was spot on. I don't recall hearing/seeing anything about a bad batch recently, let alone ever. It could also be though that your taste has changed and it doesn't sit in the same regard as it once did.

 

I will drink Alesmith IPA over Sculpin any day. But i have not had any bad luck with my bottles of Sculpin. It has always been very decent even when over a month old. Very over-priced for a 6-pack for sure. I don't know why $15 for a 6 pack seems too much when a $8 bomber seems reasonable.

 

I wish PA prices weren't so awful. I think it is sad when your $15 a sixer sounds appealing. I have seen it here at $20

 

I had the exact opposite experience with sculpin actually, where it was a sub-par ipa at first, and a year later I loved it and got all those tropical flavors. Maybe there's some inconsistency with the batches, maybe my first bottle was old, but changes in palate might be the reason too. For instance, I used to love sixpoint resin when I first got into craft beer, but a year later and it was way more piney and harsh. Maybe time and countless beers in between have changed your palate to where you no longer enjoy sculpin's unique hop flavors.

For reference, my last sculpin was in April back in CT and it was great. Maybe worth noting it was cans and draft where sculpin tasted great, but in a bottle not so much (but like I said I'm not sure of the bottle date).

Keep giving it a chance though!

 

Jumped the shark...obviously.

 

Ballast Point just arrived to Colorado. Sculpin is $13.99 and the first batch they sent was fantastic. What's that work out to, $4.27 a bomber? If it's fresh, I will buy it. Great beer.

 

I picked up some Sculpin earlier in the week, tasted great when I had one then, tasted just as good when I had one today.

 

Oh dear dear dear.......

Given that 4 of the last 25 user ratings on BeerAdvocate gives it less than a "4", I'd say it's doing quite well.

Responding to the cost of a six-pack, I often find that many of the same users say a six-pack for $15 of a 4.41 rated beer is too expensive, but a $5 single 22 ounce bottle of a 4.19 rated beer (<cough>Hop Stoopid <cough>) is one of the best bargains in the beer world. And if alcohol level is your justification, maybe moonshine should be your drink of choice.

 

their dorado double ipa is amazing.... not that its on topic, but mmmmmm

 

So much wisdom in this post. I fear it will fall on deaf ears. Err... blind eyes. Whatever.

You hit the nail on the head.

 

Completely disagree with above comments that it is overpriced, in the context of it being very fresh. I haven't tried every IPA out there, but I have yet to come across one that does the aromas and flavors like this one, especially the tropical ones, apricot, etc. When fresh, it is quite possibly my favorite IPA.

 

It's overpriced when you are on the west coast as well. I think it's a great IPA (when very fresh, it does seem to fall off very fast), but for $13.99 a sixer... C'mon, man. I'm not ok with paying a $5 hype tax. It's hard to find fresh anyway: since it is so expensive, it just doesn't move as fast as others. There's a bunch of very comparable IPAs for around 8 or 9 bucks a sixer. Bottom line: Sculpin is good, just not that good. Obviously, your mileage may vary.

 

I drank it on tap a few weeks ago and it was mediocre. To each their own. I still pound pints of Big Eye. That is real talk!

 

$17 a sixer here and never fresh, a never buy. On tap I still think it's average at best.

 

I agree that sculpin is over priced but i can't get a good IPA for $6. Which IPA are you referencing? I want that one!

 

Grapefruit Sculpin is incredible

 

Never buy warm beer. Sculpin at $15 a six-pack is well worth it if fresh and kept cold at all times. Visit your local craft beer shop that keeps it cold. It's worth it.

 

Loving the Sculpin always and forever!

 

I find it quite nice, but wish it was cheaper. I think it lives up to the hype, definitely one of my favorite IPAs, but I think of it as a treat, not something I pick up every week.

 

Just had some cans here in Atlanta dated 2 weeks ago. It's a great IPA, but at $15 a six, there are other options...

 

Finally arriving fresh in Vermont for $15/six pack and a quality IPA, though I wish it were unfiltered. I would buy fresh Sculpin cans @ $15 over a $9 bomber of contract brewed "Lawson's" Sip of Sunshine made in CT any day.

 

I got a six pack of Sculpin and let one can of it sit around for a couple months before drinking it -- it seems to me like Sculpin falls off way faster than most other IPAs for some reason.

Within a month or so of being canned (got it at about two weeks), it was awesome.

 

We get it regularly in northern MN and I usually pick up a sixer when the new watch arrives...tastes like a top notch IPA like always....also pricey but worth it to get a sixer a month of so..

 

I still think Sculpin is great but obviously it has many contenders. Never had a bad batch. I saw at BevMo they had cans priced at a dollar more than bottles. I thought that was really weird.

 

Back in the day Sculpin was a fantastic tropical fruit, peach, apricot forward beer. I think the recipe changed or something because it's nowhere near how it used to be.

 

It's not what it's hyped up to be and better with actual grapefruit, but otherwise fine. At least it was the last time I had it.

 

Not for $6, Sculpin is $6 more than any other IPA on the market for a 6 pack.

 

It's overpriced over here too.

 

Ive had it on tap twice and wasn't impressed or blown away. If the tap handle had any other "ipa" name on it, I wouldn't have noticed. Nothing about this beer stood out to me. Not bad at all, but just not reflective (in my opinion) of its very high rating on here.

There are some bombers around me sitting on the shelves with 14044 date. What is that, early February? Never have found it fresh in bottles (but then again, I haven't really looked hard).

 

I live in Atlanta. Sculpin is delicious. With almost all beers, there is a slight variance in taste from batch to batch.
I travelled to San Diego last January and it is true that there are many beers that are Sculpin's equal.
If you live on the west coast you have access to much better IPA's and Double IPA's thaan we do in the South.

 

Bought a couple fresh six packs and with a $1 off coupon it was $9.99. It was drinking amazing as usual. One of my favorite IPAs.

 

Up until recently I was regularly drinking Sculpin in Korea and it was always packed with tropical fruit.

 

Sculpin is good but Big Eye is definitely a better IPA by Ballast Point.

 

I rarely (if ever) have seen Sculpin for less than $14.99 a six pack. It's a solid IPA but as others have said, I would gladly pay $6 less for something of equal value. How is a sixer of this priced on the East Coast? I can't imagine it could somehow be cheaper…

Edit: seeing above that it is $15 in Vermont too…