Ballast Point Brewing Company Habanero Sculpin
What the brewers say
“Our Sculpin IPA with Habanero Pepper began as a crazy experiment. 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.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Aroma is light overall with a moderate amount of ancho chile pepper aroma. There’s some citrus light pine and grassy hops behind that.”
Flavor: “Chile pepper is a bit more apparent in the flavor with grassy, herbal, and slight piney hops. Maybe a bit of citrus. There’s a fair amount of heat, which masks a lot of the flavor, but there’s a malt backbone supporting it. Tastes like Anaheim and jalepeño chiles with some peach and orange character from the hops. Clean beer beneath with bitterness that complements the heat.”
Overall: “Fairly hot but not a ton of character in the aroma or flavor besides that. Okay if you like spicy things, but I would like more flavor to match. The base beer is crisp and clean, which pairs well with the heat. It’s probably good that it’s not hoppier; that would probably just end up clashing.”
