Ballast Point Sculpin IPA (North Star)

Colour... pours a medium amber. The nose... OH MY! WHAT A NOSE!! Take the me down the hop-a-dise city, where the hops are green and ale is pretty!! The palate... Indian River grapefruit, impetuously hoppy bite runs amuck over the entire palate, piney, resinous, dangerously quaffable, quite a fetching IPA!

22oz bottle. Golden pour with a pretty nice white head. Nice piney aroma. A bit of sweetness up front, with a good light hop bite in the end. Pretty decent brew.

Bottle shared by some of the excellent people at the Rosso release at Captain Lawrence. Pours a hazy brown amber with a soft off white head. Aroma is piled high with pineapple. Reminds me of the Green Flash imperial in that regard. Lots of citrus and pine notes as well. Body is light and a little bit thin, and not as complex as the aromas lead me to believe. Finishes well with a deep grapefruit bitter. If the middle of this was a little fuller I’d probably be in love.

Poured from a 22oz bomber (thanks Torry) and served in a shaker. This poured a lightly hazed amber with a foamy, beige cap that left some decent lace. The aroma consisted of strong apricot, peach, and orange. Also some pine needles. The flavor had a big hop profile, but there was also a nice toffee element. Piney and citrusy with a stiff bitterness. The mouthfeel was medium-bodied and slightly sticky. This was an insanely quaffable brew. The alcohol was well hidden but packed a good punch. A really nice IPA.

Bomber in trade with Stefanje. Nose is rich and has peaches, passionfruit, and heaps of pine sap. Body is on the light side of medium. Floral rounded hop infused malt balances easily on ones tounge. Hops are not omnipresent but certainly not wallflowers. A sweet even bosy and finish that blend into one another s well that the finish is nearly undetectable other than the lack of beer in your mouth. Very nice.

Maybe the best IPA iv’e ever had, although it feels more like a double. All the citrus you could possibly want, almost as Hopslam and Nugget Nectar had a baby. A truly fantastic beer.

bomber from south bay drugs poured into a pint glass. pours a very clean and clear golden color with a very thin white head and slight lacing. aroma was extremely fresh and clean. the nose drifted out of the glass immidiately with huge, gorgeous fruit notes of apricot, pear, peach, and grapefruit along with a fresh, floral, piney hoppiness and a touch of sweetness. flavor was outstanding and very unique. started off with a slightly spicy hop kick followed by big citrus notes of grapefruit and orange and some sweeter tropical fruit notes of pineapple and apricot. the finish had a wonderful piney and almost minty/herbal quality that i’ve not tasted in an IPA before. great bitterness but also very well balanced with light, roasted malt flavors. palate was medium bodied and extremely clean and smooth. amazing drinkability with a great long lasting, bitter finish. one of the best IPAs i’ve tasted and damn am i glad i had the chance to have this one.

Big for a straight IPA. Thanks to snojerk for sending another fine CA brew. Clear dark yellow color. Grassy citrus hop aroma. Mostly grapefruit hop flavor with a bit of green apple hiding in the back ground. Finish is a bitter metallic but pleasant. Running the gamut of hoppy goodness here.