The Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin IPA is the beer that all other “fruit inspired” beers strive to be. It’s the Homecoming Queen of “fruit” beers. I used air quotes because I don’t really consider the Grapefruit Sculpin to be a fruit beer. I consider it a great IPA with some added fruit notes.
The Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin was introduced in late 2012 or early 2013 depending on where you look and was an an immediate success. It was the first extension to the Sculpin IPA (review upcoming) line which now includes three beers.
- Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
- Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin IPA
- Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin IPA
Ballast Point is based San Diego, CA and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area so I am lucky enough to have nearly unlimited access to most of their releases. So you’re going to see a lot of reviews of Ballast Point brews coming up.
Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin
Style: American IPA
ABV: 7%
Hops: ?
Malts: ?
Availability: Year Round in bottles and cans
MSRP: I get it for about $14 for a six-pack
Brewer: Ballast Point, San Diego, CA.
Nose: Bright grapefruit notes with some bitterness. There is an underlying “IPA funk” in there as well.
Appearance: The beer is clear with a burnt orange in color with a clean white head. On the pour there is a 2″ foamy head which settles in at about 1/2″.
Flavor: The grapefruit flavor is not as strong as you might expect, but you definitely can’t miss it. The profile of the original Sculpin (pine, tropical fruit, bitterness) is still there and it plays very well with the sweet and bitter notes of the grapefruit. The balance is perfect. If you’ve had the original Sculpin you may think that adding grapefruit (which is already present in the original) might be too much. I know I did. But the folks at Ballast Point managed to make a great IPA even better.
Overall Thoughts: Simply put, the Grapefruit Sculpin is one of my favorite beers of all time. Not just one of my favorite IPAs, but one of my favorite beers! It is the perfect summer IPA with a perfect balance of sweet and bitter. The only thing that keeps it from being in my beer fridge at all times is the price. Some folks say it is better out of a can and they are right. If given the choice, I go with cans every day of the week and twice on Sunday. I don’t really know why the phrase is “twice on Sunday,” but it reminds me of A Few Good Men, so I go with it.
