Secret Santa Loves Sculpin

Like any good place of business, come this time of year people like to enjoy Secret Santa type shit..  so why not have fun with it!  We also like to occasionally have a 'happy hour' on Fridays, where we all split some 6er's from the Tedeschi's down the street and sit around after work.  Nice way to unwind!  This one was midweek and I was getting a little tired of the limited selection, so I'm gonna start bringing my own...

Up for this happy hour...

Ballast Point - Sculpin IPA  7.0% ABV and a hefty 85 IBUs  I had heard a lot of talk about this beer and had been sitting on it for quite some time now.  Yeah, that's only a baby cup, all they had at work!  A nice coppery pour with  a solid head on it, the moment I cracked the bottle the hop aroma dominated the room!  Huge grapefruit and piney hop with a touch of toasty malts...  some tropical citrus fruit notes poke through the deeper you get.  Not as cold and crisp as it should've been, which I feel muted some of the taste.  Warm caramel and toffee malts came upfront, followed by the hops.  Not as overpowering at the nose would suggest, but still quite potent.  Definite citrus with orange, mango, some lemon peel with a decent lingering piney bitterness.  And by lingering, I mean lingering... the bitterness stays until the next sip!  Not sure if it lived up to ALL the hype, but damn was it solid as all hell!