Ballast Point - Sculpin (Can)

Ballast Point - Sculpin India Pale Ale - 7% ABV -  From San Diego, CA.  I have always enjoyed this IPA when it has been on tap because they have always put it on while it was a fresh keg.  Bottles have always been a gamble upon the freshness of this beer and they have been pricy for a bomber and six pack.  I am excited for this in cans because the freshness will be more on point and also this is such a great IPA I like the idea of having another beer available to drink from a can.

Appearance - larger foamy head when poured out of the can than from the bottles but the head resides pretty quickly and leaves a nice 1/4 centimeter head around after subsiding.  Lots of active bubbles in the glass which shows this has some nice carbonation.

Smell - Pineapple, pinetree and honey. The sweetness comes out first versus the smell of a straight hop bomb.  All I can think of how delicious this will taste because i notice this is almost what it smells like on tap versus the glass bottle because in the bottle it seems more hop dank forward and this has more of the honey sweetness smells coming out of it.

Taste - Honey pineapple sweetness followed up by a extremely mild hop bite at the end.  I can't deny this IPA has always been on the top 10 of my favorite single IPAs because of how clean it tastes and how the sweet hops are tasty but they do leave the bitterness about 10 seconds after the first sip.  It is balanced and the hoppy flavors like most California beers is not the focus but the pine and sweetness are well balanced. 

Mouthfeel - Carbonation starts well but fades fast but for the sweetness in this IPA it isn't as sticky as many of the others that are from Southern California.  Sculpin has a nice watery mouthfeel that makes this easily drinkable from the can or from the pint glass.  The ease of drinking this for a 7% ABV single ipa is quite amazing because most are so bitter it takes awhile to drink. 

Overall -  This beer is way to dangerous to be in a can because the ease of drinkability and that it tastes like sweet honey.  I am going to be always keeping this in my fridge and this has ensured my confidence in buying a great product.  Compared to most six packs Sculpin has always cost around $15.99 and is far by the most expensive bottled six pack for a single IPA i have seen but now with these cans they are the same price but the freshness has now justified buying it on a constant.  I might be harsh on the bottles but drinking this beer for many years and being a huge fan of all the beers this brewery comes out with I am glad they took the step to get some consistency for there flagship beer.

I got the point!