Ballast Point Sculpin IPA

Brewery: Ballast Point brewing Companu
Location: San Diego, CA
Style: IPA
Brewery Website
Rating: A+

For today's tasting I am finally getting to review a beer that I have been trying to track down for a very long time, the Ballast Point Sculpin IPA. The Sculpin has been the top-rated IPA on BeerAdvocate for a long while now, and I was finally able to track down a bomber at one of the many stores I frequent. The Sculpin pours up a deep-gold color with a hint of amber, with a sticky, off-white, large-bubbled head. The nose is just loaded with fruit. There are citrus notes of grapefruit and lemonade, along with notes of peaches and apricot. This is truly one of the most amazing beers I have ever smelled.

The first sip of the Sculpin is like taking a swig of grapefruit juice. The initial impression is juicy fruitiness with a bit of an acid bite. There is a wealth of hoppy fruitiness here. There is a tart orange juice note, along with hints of stone fruit and berries. A hint of sweetness provides some balance and fills out the fruit flavor nicely. There is only a moderate level of bitterness here for such a highly hopped IPA, which fades to reveal pretzel and pasta dough malt notes tucked in the background. The Ballast Point Sculpin is medium-bodies with a bit of fizzy carbonation. The finish sees lingering tart citrus notes fading to an herbal/bitter hop finish.

The Ballast Point Sculpin IPA is by far the fruitiest IPA I've ever tasted. There is a nice tartness here that only serves to accentuate the fruit even more. In addition, there is just a hint of residual sweetness that fills out the fruitiness. It's easy to see how the Sculpin IPA has garnered such acclaim, as this is truly a one-of-a-kind beer. The juicy hops fruitiness may be an acquired taste for some, but there is no denying that this is truly a special beer that belongs on every beer lover's bucket list.

San Diego County Session Ale

Today, Beer! asks the question - Can you cram big hops into a small beer?

Brewery: Stone/Ballast Point/Kelsey McNair

Location: Escondido, CA

Style: Pale Ale

Brewery Website

Rating: B+

The good folks at Stone and Ballast Point have gotten together with homebrewer Kelsey McNair with the noble goal of creating a session beer (i.e., a beer with a low enough alcohol content that it can be consumed all day long - generally in the vicinity of 4%) that has the big hoppiness that is generally reserved for big double-IPA's. The San Diego County Session Ale pours up hazy gold/amber in color with a foamy white head and some dark swirls of sediment floating. The nose has huge grapefruit and pine hoppiness.

On the palate you are first hit with the telltale grapefruit citrus notes of West Coast hops. There are some toasted grain notes as well as a dry wood/oak note. There is a really big bitter bite with piny, oily hops. The San Diego County Session Ale is light-medium bodied with quite a bit of tannic astringency. The finish is very long and dominated by the bitter hop notes of pine and oily resin.

Well, there's no doubt that the San Diego County Session Ale has met its objective of cramming a massive amount of hops into a session ale. There really is an amazing amount of hops in this beer. Of course, there is something to be said for the higher alcohol and bigger body of an imperial IPA having the ability to hold up to and balance out a tremendous amount of hops. Even though the lighter body and alcohol content qualifies this as a session beer, for me the huge hoppiness still keeps this beer in the "sipping beer" category for me. This is a well-executed, unique idea, but I'll stick to the real deal when I'm looking for an IPA.

Ballast Point Yellowtail Pale Ale

Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company
Location: San Diego, CA
Style: Pale Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: A

Today's tasting is the Yellowtail Pale Ale from Ballast Point. The Yellowtail Pale Ale is golden yellow with some fine carbonation in the glass. It pours with a short white head. On the nose there are notes of citrus and pine hops along with lagery malt aromas and some wheat.

The Yellowtail Pale Ale is crisp and off-dry with citrus and wheat bread malt on the palate. There is a nice hops presence with some citrus and pine along with some slight bitter notes. The finish is crisp and smooth with lingering light hops and doughy malt notes. The Yellowtail Pale Ale has a light body with a slight fizz.

The Ballast Point Yellowtail Pale Ale is the perfect model for a summer ale. It is crisp and easy drinking with just enough hops. Impress your guests and serve this at your next cookout.