Ballast Point Sculpin IPA (North Star)

I had this at the IPA fest and thought it should have won. Man this is one heck of a beer and right at the top of my hoppy list. Yeah Baby!

This IPA pours a gorgeous clear bright golden orange color with a good sized bone-white head on it that left spotting lacing on my glass. The nose on this beer is very unique and interesting for an IPA. I think mango is the strongest scent followed by passion fruit, peaches, lemon and orange zest, floral hops, and a slight pine bitterness as well. The smell on this beer is leaping from my glass, and it never left for the entire beer. The flavor profile is loaded with citrus fruits with grapefruit and tangerines being very dominant followed up with only a slight touch of caramel malt. The hops are extremely fresh and vibrant on this offering. The malt is only barely noticeable, but somehow supports the hops beautifully. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation that left a very dry finish on the back of my palate. The drinkability is superb on this beer, and is one of the best IPAs I’ve have ever had the pleasure of tasting

Style; glass: IPA; tulip 22 fl oz x 7% ABV = 154 / 60 = 2.56 beers * 150 C = 384 calories (est.) Purchased at: Craft Beer Outlet, Phila, PA for $11.99 Aroma: nice, calming, beach, field, grassy, salty, citrus. Visuals: brand focused packaging, a bright engaged yellow, brilliantly clear, bright white tight bubbled head, sticky lace. Taste: expertly balanced, honey, citrus, rind, peppers. Palate: Bright, crisp, and layered, drying, increasingly bitter long finish. Overall: Fantastic. In my top 3 IPAs, certainly. A favorite. From a firkin. Oh boy. This knocked me over at the Bella Vista Grand reopening in October in Philadelphia. Those 2 oz samples were like little tiny bricks sealing me in to a personal twiddly state. It was amazing, memorable, and significant. After about the third small sample, the world was a blur. Use with caution, and enjoy. If you can get it, suckas.

Aroma is off the charts - hello super pine and resin bomb! Nice golden in color with a little white head. Flavor subsists of pine, citrus and melons with the Ballast Point dryness at the swallow. This is easily one ofthe freshest IPAs I have ever had and my favorite beer of 2008.

Bottle from Craft. Pours hazy deep gold with copper edges and off-white head. Nose is piney, with tropical citrus fruit including pineapple, tangerine, feety Simcoey hops, and malt. Tastes intensely hoppy, very tropical citrus fruity, with a crisp hop burst and mid-palate malt. The hops do overpower the malt here, but not to a degree that would warrant deductions. I was very excited to find this one, and was not disappointed. This is a world class IIPA.

22oz. Bomber Pours a very nice hazy golden light orange color, very nice carbonation, awesome one-finger plus thick creamy off-white head, which leaves some small islands and sticky lacing behind. The nose is slightly malty, big time hops, some scents of lemon/orange, and piney. The taste is slighlty sweet, nice malt notes, very nice hoppiness, with some lemon/orange tones, and some pinyness. Medium body, a very nice chewyness with a slightly dry/bitter finish. Very drinkable, a truely awesome IPA, highly recommended. Thanks Bill!

Most delicious new IPA I’ve had in years. Color is a bright golden hue, transparent, with a slight tinge of orange. Head is white and frothy rich, thick, meringue-like and jiggles when nudged. Head recedes to a thinner, but long lasting lace and Belgian lace surrounds the inside of my glass as this one goes down. Nose is full of bright citrus and citrusy black tea aromas. I’m leaning towards tangerine and peaches with that black tea component, and a slight suggestion of biscuits. Sharp on the palate right away, but not an overwhelming in your face hop presence. It’s big but not an assault like some APA’s can offer. The bright citrus comes through and again some of the black tea qualities. Faint biscuity malt is in there, and it has a smooth creamy mouthfeel. I pick up some lemon towards the end.