When I uncapped my 12 oz bottle of Pineapple Sculpin, an immediate aroma
of pineapple juice washed over me. This brew, born and raised in San
Diego, California, was nurtured to maturity by the stalwart folk at
Ballast Point Brewing Company. Like their Grapefruit Sculpin, the
pineapple variety is brewed with natural pineapple flavour. It's an IPA,
and accordingly contains a nearly immodest 7% alcohol.
Lightly
hazy and with a brassy orange hue, P.S. pours with a thinnish off-white
foam. As already mentioned, its aroma bellows "pineapple!", but also
pays some homage to bitterness as well. Before sampling this India pale
ale, I was mildly concerned that it would over-emphasize the piña
elements at the expense of hops and malt bricks and mortar; however, the
taste proved to be enjoyable IPA first and flavoured ale second. In
spite of the jumbo aroma, the ale itself wasn't over-sweet or cloying.
Rather, it was pretty damned tasty. That this beer would benefit from a
bit meatier front end is my only real note of critique.
I
enjoyed the Grapefruit Sculpin as well, but grapefruit is a much more
traditional IPA flavour than pineapple, and so requires less art to make
things click. Pineapple is a bit more of a challenge, one the team at
Ballast Point was up for.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10.
No comments:
Post a Comment