Thursday, January 12, 2017

Beers with Chuck: Grapefruit Sculpin from Ballast Point Brewing

by Chuck P



When I heard the news that Ballast Point Brewing Company, based in San Diego, California, was finally coming to Louisiana I was as giddy as kid on Christmas morning. Like many other beer geeks, the only way you could get any Ballast Point beers before this was by either taking a trip over to Pensacola, heading to Houston or trading beers online. Those days are over now as the the first round of Ballast Point brews are showing up on store shelves around Baton Rouge and surrounding areas.

I’ve had quite a few beers from Ballast Point but amazingly one of their most popular beers, the Grapefruit Sculpin, somehow flew past my radar. Obviously, this is something that needed to be rectified and I was quickly kicking myself for not trying this sooner.

The Sculpin IPA is a classic and one that Ballast Point is well known for, but over the years the grapefruit version seems to have surpassed it in popularity. The grapefruit notes shine through perfectly with just enough tart and bitterness to compliment the citrusy notes of the Sculpin IPA.

On the nose, as well as flavorwise, you get the grapefruit along with notes of lemon, mango and apricot. These scents come rushing to meet you in a nice balance. As crushable as this beer is, remember it’s coming in at 7% so just enjoy the ride as opposed to speeding through it.

Coming from someone who isn’t a big fan of fruit I can see myself drinking quite a few of these whether hanging with friends or perched up at the one of my favorite craft beer hangouts.

Hopefully the other variations of Sculpin like Pineapple and Habanero will make their way down to Louisiana soon but in the meantime make sure to grab a six pack (12 packs coming soon) or a pint and enjoy the deliciousness of Grapefruit Sculpin. 

When you do, raise a glass and give a big Louisiana welcome to Ballast Point Brewing Company!

To hear more about this beer, check out this podcast with Mockler's Craft Brands Manager Jacob Talley and James Brown of Ballast Point talk about the Grapefruit Sculpin phenomenon:


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