Ballast Point Brewing Brings Back Cult Favorite Habanero Sculpin IPA

(SAN DIEGO, CA) – Ballast Point is pleased to announce beginning today, fan-favorite Habanero Sculpin IPA is returning on draft and 16-ounce cans in limited quantities.

The winning beer of Ballast Point’s Bring it Back Bracket social media contest in 2020, Habanero Sculpin is now available on draft for purchase exclusively in all Southern California tasting rooms and online (CA shipping only) in 6-packs of 16-ounce cans. Brewed with one of the hottest chili pepper varieties available, Habanero Sculpin brings a spicy, hot finish to the gold-medal winning original.

It all started with 16 beloved Ballast Point beers no longer in production. When the purchase of Ballast Point by independent craft brewery Kings & Convicts Brewing Co. officially closed on March 2, 2020, the number one response on social media came from fans asking to bring back their favorite Ballast Point beers. With new owners and no basketball team to cheer on, Ballast Point kicked off the Bring it Back Bracket contest soon after. The playing field was narrowed down from 16 to 1 and 20,847 votes later, Habanero Sculpin took the prize, taking the honors of Best of Ballast Point’s Bring it Back Bracket and the opportunity to be brewed and released on a limited basis.

Hop profiles that pop with citrus and mango aromas naturally work well with heat: think mango salsa. Adding habaneros to tropical IPAs as part of homebrewing R&D was happening in advance of the release of the original Sculpin IPA in 2005, and continued with the casual blend of Sculpin with a jalapeño beer at a beer festival later that year. In 2007, the brewing team got behind the idea of Habanero Sculpin IPA very quickly as the idea of adding culinary ingredients to existing beers seemed like the next natural progression in the industry. The experimental recipe, originally brewed at Home Brew Mart, called for 10 stemmed habaneros in a 10.8 gallon Firkin (cask). Eventually the production scaled with the move to Ballast Point’s Scripps Ranch facility and led to the first bottling of Habanero Sculpin IPA in 2011. At one point eclipsing Sculpin Grapefruit IPA, Habanero Sculpin continues to be one of the most beloved Ballast Point beers of all time.

Habanero Sculpin IPA: American IPA
7.0% ABV, 70 IBUs

Tasting notes: Hints of apricot, grapefruit, and tropical fruit with the citrusy, floral heat of
habaneros

Release date: March 31, 2021 in limited release

Availability: On-draft in pints, crowlers, and growlers and retail 6-packs at Ballast Point’s Long Beach, Anaheim, and San Diego brewpubs, Home Brew Mart, and online retail for shipment in California, while supplies last

Packaging: 6-packs of 16-ounce cans

To learn more about Ballast Point and the limited release of Habanero Sculpin IPA, visit the website.

About Ballast Point Brewing Co.
What started in 1996 as a small group of homebrewers who simply wanted to make great beer evolved into the team of adventurers known today as Ballast Point. A pioneering brewery born 25 years ago within the hallowed, hopped walls of San Diego’s Home Brew Mart, the complete art of the craft swims in the DNA of Ballast Point and informs both what’s inside and on the can. On March 2, 2020, Ballast Point officially returned to its iconic independent roots under the new ownership of San Diego-headquartered, Kings & Convicts Brewing Co., and continues to be an internationally recognized leader in the industry with five tasting room locations in California and a sixth brewpub expected to open in San Francisco in fall 2021. From bringing a hoppy twist to a porter or adding four types of malt to its amber ale, to creating the breakthrough gold-medal winning Sculpin IPA, Ballast Point is known for adding its touch and asking if there’s a better way. Ballast Point brews over 50 styles of beer with an emphasis on R&D and innovation and is distributed in select markets across the US and internationally. For more information, visit www.ballastpoint.com and follow our journey on Instagram and Facebook.

About Kings & Convicts Brewing Co.
Kings & Convicts is a privately held company headquartered in San Diego and Highwood, IL, in the North Shore of Chicago. Conceived by an Englishman and an Aussie, Kings & Convicts started brewing for the public in 2017 and was built on the freedom of anti-authority and the spirit of fellowship. They brew ales and lagers inspired by the tales of convicts, royalty and the undercurrent of American gangsters. Every beer tells a story. Kings & Convicts’ beer is available on draft and in cans at its taproom and in bars and restaurants across Chicagoland and southern Wisconsin. For more information, follow along on Instagram and Facebook and visit www.kingsandconvicts.com.