Why we picked it: A little something different. This could have some heat with it.
About Ballast Point's Habanero Sculpin: Our popular IPA, with a punch of heat. Our Sculpin IPA with Habanero Pepper began as a crazy experiment that’s taken on a life of its own. While its bright fruit notes and hoppy bite has made the original one of our favorites, this version takes that balance of flavors to the next level with the citrusy, floral heat of habaneros. Sculpin are known to sting, but this one’s got a kick.
The Sculpin IPA is a testament to our humble beginnings as Home Brew Mart. It showcases bright flavors and aromas of apricot, peach, mango & lemon. The lighter body also brings out the crispness of the hops. The Sculpin fish has poisonous spikes on its fins that can give a strong sting. Ironically, the meat from a Sculpin fish is considered some of the tastiest. Something that has a sting but tastes great; sounds like a Ballast Point India Pale Ale.
Beer Advocate Score: 85 and 96.
Food Pairings: Coconut Basmati Rice, Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Tropical Bread Pudding
ABV: 7.0%
IBU: 70
Case Cost: $54 ($15 per 6 pack)
*website: http://www.ballastpoint.com/beer/sculpin-with-habanero/
Excited for this beer! If I wasn't so fucking drunk at 2:18 in the morning I would crack this open and take it to the head. Alas, work is beckoning and I probably should retire. I will be back on the morrow with my review...
ReplyDeleteThe label says "heat may vary" and mine is not very hot but it is very obviously made with habeneros. It has the taste and that residual heat. I normally can't handle habenero. Jalopenos is my limit, but I think hab is a better beer flavor than jalopenos would be. I like this one but its a novelty. Since I'm posting early I recommend everyone get some chips and salsa to eat with this... I wish I had them after the first sip.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of sips and peppers, I'm on my way to first down for wings, beer, and maybe football.
Correction: definitely football
DeleteI love spicy food! I tend to not like spicy beer, since I use beer to extinguish the fire I create by adding habanero sauce to most anything. The nose is nice with spicy citrus, but the flavor is all about the heat. Which is fun, but just not what I want in a beer. This is definitely something I would have tried on my own were I aware of its existence, so I appreciate the selection.
ReplyDeleteOnce I understood what this beer was about, I did a mini chug of about 1/3 of the beer just to see how that treated the throat... hot fire! I then put a little dab under my eye... tears... wife asked me if one of the kids had stepped on 'my area.' The real test will be in the morning on the throne. Don't let me down Ballast Point Devil Beer!
Giving it 2.5 on Untappd... Points for the fun & gimmickry! Beer can be a playful thing and I love it when brewers take chances.
I like spicy....but this is downright nasty.
ReplyDeleteI have a four letter word for this beer and its yuck. I appreciate the chance they took with this beer and ballast point makes some good beers but this is not one. That being said this would probably be an awesome beer to use for beer can chicken.
ReplyDeleteHell yeah on the beer can chicken!
DeleteI really liked this beer. the little habanero on the throat was subtle and not overbearing but game it a real interest for me. The nicest part about this beer is you can drink it and then make out with your gal and she'll think you just brushed your teeth with cinnamon tooth paste (and gargled with beer afterwards). I'm telling you, this beer just might get me a little som'tin som'tin.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of spicy food in general, so I didn't hold out much hope. Not for me. The burn I felt was anything but subtle. My septic system is enjoying the rest. On to tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteOne word. Abomination. I first had this on my birthday this year at a Ballast Point tap takeover. At the time I didn't like it and was convinced it was just a conspiracy to make me order faster. This one is much, much, much hotter than I remember. I am generally a pretty big fan of spicy foods and Sculpin is one of my favorite beers in the entire world, but I'm getting nothing but burn here. Literally tastes like burning. I can't even taste the beer, just habaneros. I stole half my children's chicken nuggets to try and dull the burn but still burning. Again, sculpin is a truly great beer, so why fuck it up?
ReplyDeleteFrom the sting on the tongue to the taste of regret to the burning sensation in my stomach that's only a prelude of worse things to come, the pleasure I get from drinking a beer is overwhelmed in this case by the sinking suspicion that I'm the butt of some brewer's joke or that I'm secretly being filmed for some hidden camera show to be seen on regional airlines.
ReplyDeleteHold on...fourth sip isn't any better for me.
I love - LOVE - IPAs in general and Ballast Point IPAs in particular. I hate - HATE - spicy food that's spicy for its own sake. Unfortunately, this beer came off as much more of the latter than the former. I'm five small sips into this and doubt I can get even halfway through. I sincerely respect the brewers for daring and the folks who picked this for the 24 Days, as I think it better to try something new than to stay in your comfort zone. But Habanero Sculpin is something I'd'a drunk in college if I lost a bet.
This is different not to sure if I like it. I had something like in the past not sure If you remember us trying something like this tony. The stuff we had actually had habaneros floating in it
ReplyDeleteWas it Cave Creek Chili Beer?
DeleteI was all kinds of excited to try this when I read the label as I put it in the fridge this morning. Not a fan at all, this one and Eggenburg beer are at the bottom of my list.
ReplyDeleteahh geez, I cant taste anything other than the pepper. I can only remember having like 2-3 other chilli/hot beers before, maybe like one every 5 years. So, this meets my quota for a while. Glad its in this 24 days though, cause otherwise I wouldn't have tried it.
ReplyDeleteOf all the beers this year, I was most excited to try this one. I am a big fan of spicy food so to combine that with a style beer I am a fan off had me juiced. Well just like everyone else, epic fail. Maybe the first beer that I am not glad I tried. Would rather of held on to the excitement of the unknown than be let down.
ReplyDeleteWhew...HEAT. They were not kidding when they said "heat may vary." I got a lot of heat in mine. I do not like it. This might be the 1st beer in all 5 of the 24 DoB that I'm not going to finish...wait how could I have forgot Son of a Peach? So this makes two that I will not have finished. I do not like overly spicy so this goes on the naughty list. Glad I tried it and only have one of them. Grade 2 of 10, F
ReplyDeleteI love spicy. I love beer. Sounds like this would be a match made in heaven but every spicy beer I have had so far has been mostly a let down. This one hit me with serious spice on the first sip. Ever have that feeling when you swallow spiciness and start coughing? That was what happened. I am a fan of Ballast Point though. They make a lot of good stuff and this is the first spicy beer I would go back for.
ReplyDeleteHeat May Vary. No kidding. I've had this a few times and it'd been either slightly warming or just tasted like hoppy bell peppers.This one is ALL HEAT. Habanero juice. The 70 IBUs are practically obliterated by the overwhelming hot peppers.
ReplyDeleteIn a statement by Ballast Points head brewer, Yuseff Cherney, the heat can apparently vary from bottle to bottle, not batch to batch. This is partly because any residual secondary fermentation in each bottle will alter the overall flavour, apparently wildly. Also the oils in the Habanero additive used during brewing can collect or thin out within the mix, as they dont mix well, which makes an "even filling" impossible. So they say. Whatever the actual reason, they certainly use it as a "buy more and maybe that'll be the perfect heat for you!" sales angle.
This needs rice, beef, grated cheese and sour cream.
No joke, I sneezed on the first sip. I enjoy spicy and beer as well as most of you but it was a total fail. I got one of the "hot" ones. This beer definitely drank like a novelty beer.
ReplyDeleteF
I love spicy food. I love a good chili beer. This is not a good chili beer. Way too much heat. There are times when I think I can make out the underlying beer flavors, but the pepper is just too overwhelming and it builds with each sip and swallow. I think chili beers are hit or miss. This one is a miss, but I'm willing to take a few of those if I can come across a hit. I love that this was included in the lineup, but it's not going on my list of winners.
ReplyDeleteLoved the grapefruit sculpin but I was not excited about this one. I had a ghost pepper beer before that was terrible and I stayed away from all others since. First few sips of this were definitely spicy but manageable. It actually got more tolerable as I kept drinking and towards the end I almost sort of liked it. Almost. Since this is a gimmick/novelty/extreme experiment, I'm not rating this other than to say I'd pick this over the last two boring beers. It definitely spiced up the lineup!
ReplyDeleteGlad to know there is at least one person still up and drinking with me Simmons
DeleteI think I now know why ballast point does this as a limited release...not sure ppl would buy this one on the regular.
ReplyDeleteI love habanero...started our romance back at Carlos O'Kellys when I was making the weekly hot sauce for taco night.
Mine was real hot. Got a hint of the habs on the nose right along with the wonderful aroma of sculpin. I had read all the reviews and wondered what all the fuss was about.
Then the taste...wonderful play between the hops and uniquely fruity habanero. Then it builds...the heat multiplies with every sip. Grabbed some chips and mild salsa. Great play with the salsa but you lose all the complexity of the beer.
I decided to take this one nice and slow sans accompaniment. Maybe I am a bit wrong for cherishing the lingering burn after every sip...but I savor it and wait for it to subside before taking another drink. I taste the sculpin goodness then get run over by the habs in short order. This is not a crushable beer at all. I can feel the anger in my relatively empty stomach.
I savor every sip and am now staring at my last sip in the glass. Would I have another? No. Am I sad that this is about to be my last sip of this beer? YES!
I know that I will never buy this beer again...unless it is to pair with a particular dish for a dinner party. Although, I am now considering designing a dinner party all about the heat while pondering the slow lovely burn while waiting for this last sip...
I would prolly not buy this beer again (exception noted above) and certainly would never consider putting it on draft at the restaurant.
I sure am glad to have tried this beer tho.
I pulled the trigger on this one, so I am sorry for those of you who abhorred it. It's not for everyone and needs to be enjoyed gently. I do however appreciate all those who noted that they didn't like it but appreciated it being on the list. That is what this is all about...a frothy journey of discovery.
Oh yeahhhh bro! Didn't have the kid tonight so I immediately hit the bar after work. Hard! But something kept nagging at me the whole time I'm throwing em back. Then it hit me! I got a mandatory brew at home!
ReplyDeleteNow that I think about it, this one had more character than anything else I drank today. I wouldn't get a sixer, but I could imagine picking up a single every now and then to switch things up. I change my mind, I am going to rate this. B! Good choice Tommy!
The beer I had was on the hot side for sure. Hated every drink of it to the point that I gave up up half way through. Worst beer I've ever had. Sank to the bottom of the list immediately.
ReplyDeleteTook two swigs and then tossed it out. Thought my taste buds were deceiving me on the first gulp...it wasn't. My first spicy beer and might wait another 39 years until my next.
ReplyDeleteOne sip last night, put a temporary cap on it and put it back in the fridge. Overwhelming and more than I could take at the time. Will try again later, but always know I prefer Jailbreak's Welcome to Scoville for how to balance heat with beer.
ReplyDeleteThere's just no reason to throw a beer label on this and sell it .
ReplyDelete