Tinnie of the Week: NZ-brewed Ballast has point to prove with flagship West Coast IPA

BEER NAME?

Sculpin IPA and Aloha Sculpin Hazy IPA

WHERE’S IT FROM?

Ballast Point Brewing Co.

WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT IT?

San Diego craft beer pioneer Ballast Point has enjoyed a rollercoaster ride since its 1990s home brew origins.

Finding global fame for its hop-forward, fruit-infused West Coast IPAs, particularly its flagship Sculpin, it sold for $1 billion at the height of the craft beer bubble in 2015 before returning to independent hands for a fraction of the price just four years later.

Production has now shifted to New Zealand in a partnership with Behemoth Brewing to cater for the Australasian market.

So how does it hold up to the original?

The award-winning Sculpin IPA — designed to ’sting’ like the poisonous fish it is named after — pours a dark golden, almost coppery colour with a quickly dissipating foamy head.

When you crack open the can, that “tropical fruit basket” of aromas immediately hits you, as you would expect from the beer that sparked the fruit-forward trend in the US and Australia.

There’s apricot, peach and mango up front, lemon and grapefruit, with faint floral notes.

It has a balanced flavour, despite its high bitterness (70 IBUs), with an immediate splash of stone fruits. But the ‘sting’ from the bitterness and resinous pine that arrives late is much more muted than the original, despite the well-hidden 7 per cent ABV.

Despite the fruity start, the finish is crisp and dry, without the cloying sweetness.

The Aloha Sculpin Hazy IPA is a departure from the clarity and bitterness of the flagship beer, pouring a cloudy, honey gold colour with a thick, frothy white head. The aroma is sweeter, with pineapple, guava, mango and passionfruit all present.

It boasts a truly juicy flavour, with a tropical punch up front, a subtle dankness and a smoother bitterness. It has a smooth, velvety texture, with a sweet, fruity finish rather than the crispness of the flagship.

Ballast pioneered fruit-infused IPAs and it’s easy to see why with its trademark fruity zing and finishing bite.

SHOULD I SHARE IT?

Both boast a 7 per cent ABV that is well hidden, making it dangerously drinkable for almost two standard drinks to a can.

WHAT’S THE DAMAGE?

$9.99 each