Ballast Point Sculpin IPA (North Star)

Brewed by Ballast Point Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
San Diego, California USA

Botte #27 at Papsoes blindtasting. Cloudy amber coloured with a medium sized white head. Sweet aroma of fruits, grass, pine needles and hops with notes of grape fruits. Fruity flavour of hops, grape fruits and pine needles with notes of cardemomme. Dry hoppy finish.

Bottle. Papsoes MadsBerg homecoming blindtasting, bottle #27. Pours hazy orange with a lacing white head. Solid hoppy aroma with a mild spice note. Flavour is solid dry hoppy. Subdued malt base. Light spice note following. Solid hoppy fruity note briefly appearing too. Ends dry and hoppy, nice one.

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle; vibrant orange lightly hazed. Furiously bright mandarin and sweet garlic clove nose; sunspots of brilliant tropical flourishes and a dank bed of florals, needles, and cannabis. Sunny and smooth, with balanced bittersweetness; a really ebullient and unrestrained hop presentation.

Flavor is big and citrusy, almost so bright and tangy as to be sweet with orange and pineapple sugary acidity. Lemongrass and caramelly dough bring it back. Pine-like and grassy aromatic bitterness coats the mouth slowly; commanding and firm, but never aggressive and always careful.

Honey sesame seeds, sweet pine wood, and pastry crusts lend dryness and chewiness; full, almost heavy palate is very resinous and rich, which is my only issue with the beer, really. I’d really love it to retain this punchy, perfectly balanced bittersweetness and dry texture while weighing a little less. Finishes with caramel, tropical fruit, and floral sweetness, lightly dry. Not as fun as it could have been, but it’s hardly a dissapointment; another stellar offering from this fine brewery. Thanks Larry!

(bottle, thanks Stine!) Pours gold with a white head. Aromas of pine, orange, slight lemon zest, caramel, lilac, and pepper that’s really complex and enjoyable. Taste is caramel, with some mandarin orange, grapefruit, and an initial burst of pineapple tartness that appears when the beer warms. Although the flavor improved upon warming, I thought there would be more based on the aroma. Mouthfeel was medium, with a lightly bitter finish.

22oz bottle. Upon initial nosing, you would think this were an IIPA. Heavy resiny aroma. Honey glazed candied ginger. Tangerine and tropical fruit essences with a heavy, sweet malt base. Fresh and spritzy. Spruce. Wet grass and tree bark. Plenty of wet, juicy hops. Pours a mostly clear copper with a decent white head. Flavor has plenty of wet hoppiness. Spruce tips. Fairly resinous. Lots of residual sugar mid-palate but finishes quite dry and doughy. There’s also a good tropical fruit flavor as well. Fairly creamy on the tongue with bright carbonation and a lengthy, dry, bitter finish. Thanks Eben!

22oz bottle. Poured a slightly hazy medium orange color. The head was foamy and white with pretty good retention. Some tattered lace was left behind on the glass at the end. Very attractive, fruity aroma with citrus and pineapple elements. There was also some distinct, but less prominent spruce. Dry up front with moderate hop bitterness of about 5-6 out of 10. Some sweetness emerged toward the end and balanced out the bitterness to some degree. Body was on the lighter end of the spectrum without being thin/watery. Hop flavors including the likes of citrus (grapefruit and orange rind) and pine were present throughout. Some malty caramel and graham cracker flavors were also there (mostly at the end) and lingered with the citrus after the finish. In general, the flavors and aromas improved as the beer warmed up a bit. I really liked this one.

22 oz Bottle from Churchill’s in San Marcos. Pours cloudy amber orange with a fluffy white head. Sweet aroma of hops and citrus. Flavor begins with sweet hops and ends with hints of lemon and orange. A very very good IPA!

22 oz bottle. Clearish orange with a whitish head. Nose is mango, pineapple and musk. Crisp, with a tingle; substantial but light enough to refresh. Taste is orange pith, mango and toffee. Finish is dry grapefruit zest with herbal hints.