Regarding household names in the IPA world, it’s tough to beat the name recognition of Ballast Point Sculpin IPA. Always one of the top-rated West Coast IPAs, Sculpin IPA is named for (and adorned with an image of) the Sculpin fish, which is well-known for its sting — a reference to the bitter, hoppy bite of this beer.
The best part of this brew? It’s available everywhere, much to the excitement of IPA-loving beer drinkers.
So… assuming you’re a big fan of Ballast Point Sculpin IPA but want to continually try other beers with a similar flavor profile, which IPAs should you drink? Good news! There are countless high-quality, hoppy, dank, piney, perfectly bitter IPAs on the market just waiting to be discovered. And you don’t have to spend too long in the walk-in fridge at your local beer store and risk hypothermia looking for them, we did the work for you.
Below, you’ll find eight of the best IPAs for lovers of Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, ranked. Keep scrolling to see all the hoppy, resinous, citrus-filled goodness.
8.) Bear Republic Racer 5
ABV: 7.5%
Average Price: $14 for a six-pack
The Beer:
One of the most well-known West Coast IPAs ever made, Bear Republic Racer 5 is brewed with malted barley, wheat, and crystal malts. This popular, award-winning IPA gets its hoppy aroma and flavor from the use of Cascade and Columbus hops.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is filled with caramel malts, citrus peels, and floral, dank pine needles. The palate is filled with freshly baked bread, caramel malts, lemon peels, grapefruit, tangerine, and pine tar. The finish is filled with dank pine and lingers long after your last sip.
Bottom Line:
This is the epitome of a West Coast IPA. It has everything fans of the style look for. Especially fans of the Sculpin IPA.
7.) Melvin IPA
ABV: 7.5%
Average Price: $14 for a six-pack
The Beer:
If you’re a fan of Ballast Point Sculpin and you’ve never tried Melvin IPA, what are you waiting for? The Wyoming-based IPA has won multiple awards over the years because of its balanced, piney, dank flavor profile. This popular beer is brewed with 2-row base malt, C-40, and Carapils malt. It’s hopped with Citra, Simcoe, and Centennial hops.
Tasting Notes:
Before your first sip, you’ll be met with a nose of lemon peels, mandarin orange, grapefruit, bready malts, caramel, and floral, dank, pine needle aroma. There’s more of the same in the best way possible with freshly baked bread, toffee, candied orange peels, lemongrass, grapefruit, hay, and dank, resinous pine. The finish is dry, lightly bitter, and lingering.
Bottom Line:
Like Ballast Point Sculpin, Melvin IPA has a nice mix of malts, citrus peels, and dank, resinous, lingering pine.
6.) Smuttynose Finest Kind
ABV: 6.9%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Brewed with 2-row, Crisp Pale, and C-60 malts, this beloved, bitter IPA is hopped with Magnum, Simcoe, Centennial, and Santiam hops and dry-hopped with Amarillo hops. It’s known for its flavors of citrus, resinous pine, and bitter hops.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. There are notes of caramelized pineapple, grapefruit, tangerine, grass, bready malts, and fur tips. Sipping it reveals notes of candied orange peel, grapefruit, toffee, freshly baked bread, lemon zest, and dank pine resin. The finish is loaded with citrus and lingering, bitter hops.
Bottom Line:
While this IPA does have the lingering bitter presence West Coast drinkers love, it also has a nice balance of malts and memorable citrus flavors.
5.) Fat Head’s Head Hunter
ABV: 7.5%
Average Price: $14 for a six-pack
The Beer:
If you’re a “hophead” you’re likely already a fan of Fat Head’s Head Hunter. If not, you need to add this beer to your IPA rotation. Brewed with Simcoe, Centennial, Mosaic, Citra, and Chinook hops, it gets its malt backbone from pale, C-15, Carapils, and Carahell malt.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a mix of tangerine, pineapple, grapefruit, lime, caramel malts, grass clippings, honeydew melon, and a ton of resinous, dank pine. While this IPA begins with a nice, sweet, malty backbone, it’s all about the hops. The palate is loaded with grapefruit, tangerine, lemongrass, hay, and a ridiculous piney hop presence. The finish is bitter, hoppy, and highly memorable.
Bottom Line:
You’ll like this beer if you’re a fan of Ballast Point Sculpin. But you’ll love this beer if you can’t ever get enough hop aroma and flavor.
4.) Ithaca Flower Power
ABV: 7.2%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
With a name like Flower Power, you should have a pretty good idea about what you’re getting into when you crack open one of these bad boys. Often rated as the best IPA in New York State, this timeless beer is brewed with 2-row pale and honey malts and gets its hop aroma and flavor from the addition of Simcoe, Cascade, Centennial, and Ahtanum hops in the kettle. To add to that, it’s dry-hopped with Chinook, Simcoe, and Amarillo hops.
Tasting Notes:
Unsurprisingly the nose is very floral. There are also scents of caramel malts, clover honey, lemons, tangerines, grapefruit, and resinous pine. The palate continues this trend with orange peels, stone fruits, honeycomb, hay, wet grass, fresh flowers, and more pine. It ends with a lingering, dank, bitter finish that leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
This is a popular beer for a good reason. It’s balanced and flavorful. This is one for the fans of floral hops.
3.) Upslope West Coast Style IPA
ABV: 6.8%
Average Price: $10 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Upslope might not be located on the West Coast, but that didn’t stop the brewers from creating one of the best examples of the West Coast IPA and one that will appeal to fans of the Ballast Point Sculpin IPA. This year-round brew is well-known for its mix of tropical and citrus fruits, dank pine, and lasting bitterness.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is fruity with grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, and some light tropical aromas sneaking through. This is followed by a light malt aroma and a nice kick of resinous pine. Sipping it brings forth notes of lemon, pineapple, grapefruit, orange peel, caramel malt, and more dank, sticky pine needles. It’s hoppy, with just enough hop bite to keep drinkers satisfied.
Bottom Line:
If you enjoy Sculpin, but you wish it was a little fruitier and had the bitterness turned down a notch or two, this is your jam.
2.) Sixpoint Resin
ABV: 9.1%
Average Price: $11 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
This is an extremely aptly named beer. This year-round brew from the folks at Sixpoint is brewed with a wallop of Chinook and Centennial hops. It’s well-known for its massive hop aroma and dank, sticky, resinous flavor. This is one for real hop lovers.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is extremely dank and resinous with a ton of pine. But there are also notes of citrus, tropical fruits, and light caramel malts to back the hop flavors up. The palate continues this trend. There’s a surprisingly sweet malt backbone surrounded by dank, sticky, weed-like hops, pine, grapefruit, and mandarin orange. The finish is super dank and perfectly bitter.
Bottom Line:
This beer leans heavily into the dank pine, but there’s enough fruity flavor and malt background so it doesn’t seem one-dimensional.
1.) Green Flash West Coast IPA
ABV: 7%
Average Price: $13 for a six-pack
The Beer:
When it comes to San Diego (and all breweries in the US), Green Flash is a big name in the IPA game. Its classic West Coast IPA is a great choice for fans of Sculpin. One of the most popular, pioneering IPAs available, it’s brewed with a mix of five different hops as well as British Crystal malt. The result is a mix of sweet malt, tropical fruits, citrus, and dank pine.
Tasting Notes:
Complex aromas of ripe raspberries, pineapple, guava, mango, caramel, and floral, piney hops greet you before your first sip. Drinking it reveals notes of grapefruit, berries, honeydew melon, freshly baked bread, caramel, pineapple, and resinous, floral, herbal pine. The finish is dry, pleasantly bitter, and lingering.
Bottom Line:
If you only try one beer on this list, make it this one. This is a classic West Coast IPA. It ticks all the IPA boxes and should appeal to you if you enjoy Sculpin IPA.
