After making a surprise appearance at the latest Brewvival, Brooklyn-based Sixpoint Brewery will make its debut in South Carolina’s major markets with launch events throughout this week.
Tag Archives: New York
Westbrook launches in Upstate New York today.
Westbrook is expanding its footprint in New York beginning today after inking a deal with an Upstate distributor.
The Lowcountry brewery announced late last week it would launch in Upstate New York and the Hudson Valley beginning December 16. The brewery’s year-round cans – IPA, White Thai and One Claw – will be available first with Gose following in the spring, as well the rotating seasonals. Draft will arrive in early 2014.
Albany-based Remarkable Liquids – which sells only craft beer, meads and ciders – will serve as Westbrook’s regional distributor. The brewery is already available in other parts of the state. “We are really excited to be working with a distributor that truly understands and believes in craft beer,” brewery founder and CEO Edward Westbrook said in a press release. “Upstate NY is a surprisingly craft savvy market and we are happy to finally be there.”
Outside of South Carolina and NY, Westbrook is available in Georgia and select parts of Alabama.
Sixpoint Diesel
Sixpoint Brewery
Brooklyn, NY
Diesel Black IPA/Stout
6.3% ABV
According to my Untappd, the first Sixpoint beer I had was Diesel, the Brooklyn brewery’s hybrid black IPA and stout. I remember getting my hands on that first can of Sixpoint and being really excited to finally try something from one of the most-hyped breweries I’d seen in a long time.
I’ve regularly gotten my hands on Sixpoint beers since then – take a look at my archives and see – and have been continually impressed with the new stuff they’ve been putting out. But with Diesel being their winter seasonal, I’ve had to wait until now to really get into it.
Diesel is blend of a black IPA and an American stout, with the end result leaning more toward the former. As with most Sixpoint beers, it’s hoppy as all get-out, but not in an overly abrasive way.
For a “stout,” this beer is monstrously hoppy. There’s a lot of pine and citrus on the nose that is halted just slightly by this nutty, biscuity malt note. The slight sweetness mellows out what I think would otherwise be a hop bomb of a “stout.” There’s a light roasted coffee note in there as well. Also, there’s a bit of a fruity sweetness there, too, sort of like a light banana ester note or some cherry juice. It’s faint, but it’s there.
The taste begins with a strong pinch of citrus bitterness right on the front of the tongue. The body is lighter and just slightly thin, and the carbonation is mild throughout. In the middle of the mouth, these big bitter roasted notes arise. It’s just slightly more mellow than black coffee, but it leaves the same lingering bitterness on your tongue. There’s a good bit of bittersweet chocolate in there as well. On the end is where the malts really become prominent. There’s this chewy bread characteristic and a really strong roasted grain quality. The hops finish it all out, leaving that lingering citrus and pine bitterness on the back of your tongue.
While Diesel is a great beer, it’s probably the least favorite of Sixpoint’s selection I’ve had so far. Don’t get me wrong: It’s good and I certainly enjoy it, but it just seems like a strange, if unique, blend. If it was marketed as just a straight black IPA, I wouldn’t even be able to look for or pick up on any of the stout qualities. Still, I’m a hophead and Diesel certainly hits the spot for me.
Southern Tier 2XMAS
Southern Tier Brewing Co.
Lakewood, NY
2XMAS Double Spiced Ale
8% ABV
As far back as I can remember, Southern Tier has been one of my favorite breweries. Their year-round beers have never been all that great – aside from the IPA, 2XIPA and 2XSTOUT – but their Blackwater Series is phenomenal and their seasonals, including longtime favorite Pumking, are ones I always look forward to enjoying again.
The newest seasonal from STBC is 2XMAS, a “double spiced ale” brewed in the vein of Glogg, a Swedish drink made with red wine, spices and raisins. The 8% spiced beer uses many of those same ingredients – cardamom, cinnamon, clove and ginger – as well as orange peel and figs. The result is a spicy, sweet and warming beer, and easily one of the best-smelling beers I’ve come across.
The color is a deep ruby with spots of amber and dark brown, and an almost purplish tint in places. It’s pretty deep in color but there was a little light coming through. There was a finger of a slightly off-white head that didn’t last long. Lacing is watery and really weak, but some alcohol legs do cling.
The nose on the 2XMAS is pretty incredible. When people say it smells like Christmas, they’re not kidding. The first thing that hits you are the spices, which are incredibly rich. There’s a ton of cinnamon, ginger and clove in it. There’s also the pungent orange peel smell permeating everything else. Imagine a spice cake, or one of those oranges with cloves stuck around them and that’s exactly what you get. It’s all rounded out with the richness of the figs. It’s syrupy sweet with hints of plums and caramel. It’s certainly one of the most aromatic beers I’ve smelled and is well suited for the season.
On the front of the tongue is just a touch of a hop bite. There’s just a little carbonation and it’s very smooth across the palate. The spices really take over in the middle of the palate, and they’re quite biting. There’s the pinch of the ginger and a dryness from the cinnamon, along with the citrusy bite from the orange. But as with the nose, it’s balanced out really well with the sweetness of the figs. That syrupy sweetness melts into the back of the taste. The finish is surprisingly dry, I’m guessing from the cinnamon. The taste is just as rich and rounded as the nose.
Southern Tier excels in making flavorful and aromatic beers. Choklat, Creme Brulee and the other Blackwater beers can be a bit much on their own, but they’re all absolutely delicious (in my opinion). Same goes for 2XMAS. It’s full of flavor and aroma, yet still really drinkable and something I think embodies the season.
Sixpoint Autumnation
Sixpoint Brewery
Brooklyn, NY
Autumnation Pumpkin/Harvest Ale
6.7% ABV
To quote “Simple Jack”: Sixpoint, you m-m-m-m-make me haaaapy.
Another change in the seasons brings another great seasonal release from the boys in Brooklyn. With Autumnation, the brewery melds the richness and full-flavored pumpkin beer style with the pungent and biting addition of wet hops. The twist on this one is this year, the drinker got to pick which hop was used. In an online vote, Citra won out over Centennial, Chinook, Amarillo and – my choice – Simcoe. (So close!)
Autumnation pours a slightly hazy rust orange color, like the color of changing leaves. The head’s about two fingers worth, really foamy and sticks around for a while. The lacing’s pretty mild and there really aren’t any alcohol legs holding on.
The nose has a strong, wet pungent hop smell of citrus. Orange and grapefruit are what pop out the most. There’s a bit of spice on the nose as well from the ginger used in the brewing, with brown sugar giving it a mellow sweetness. Definitely a good malt backbone and a bit of a nutty note as well.
On the front of the tongue is just a bit of hop bitterness and it’s got a fairly medium-bodied mouthfeel. There’s definitely a subdued wet hoppiness on the front and toward the middle of the palate. The finish starts off with a juicy orange note and blooms into a really citric, biting grapefruit flavor. The hop bitterness sticks to the roof of your mouth, but the maltiness is definitely there. It’s nutty and a bit sweet with a good bit of spice added in as well.
There’s been a lot of gnashing of teeth over the lack of a pumpkin taste in the beer. But remember: You don’t taste the pumpkin in a pumpkin beer; you taste the spices (nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, brown sugar) generally used in pumpkin dishes. The pumpkin affects the mouthfeel more than the flavor, kind of like what oatmeal does in oatmeal stouts and porters. With that in mind, there’s only a little bit of a creaminess from the pumpkin. The malts take over more as it warms and the mouthfeel of the pumpkin becomes more noticeable, but it’s there.
And with that, Sixpoint is now 4-for-4 with me. (See: Resin, Apollo, Brownstone.)
Sixpoint Brownstone
Sixpoint Brewery
Brooklyn, NY
Brownstone Brown Ale
6% ABV
Sixpoint seems to be doing everything right. I was wowed by Resin and Apollo, and I regularly look forward to whatever new release they crank out. That trend continues with Brownstone, their new year-round brown ale.
Their website doesn’t help much with ingredients, so I’ll just dive right in.
The look of the beer certainly lives up to the name. It’s a very murky, hazy brown that appears as a lighter amber toward the edges. There’s two fingers of a nice foamy head that sticks around a good long while. Incredibly strong lacing and alcohol legs, or at least more than I’d expect for a 6% beer.
There’s a surprising hoppiness on the nose. It’s a big, bright citrus notes with a definite presence of some lemon zest. There’s definitely a maltiness to it with a slightly nut and bread note. Bit of brown sugar and a really nice roasted note. It really works to keep a really balanced nose.
The hop bitterness is very strong on the front of the tongue. The citrus pops mid palate and lingers on the back with a bit of hop mouth, but it gives way to that classic biscuity brown ale taste. There’s a really great roasted note that lingers as well. The big bready malts are covered nicely with those hops. At 6%, it’s extremely drinkable.
Sixpoint is three-for-three with me, and every beer of theirs I’ve had so far has one thing that really makes it stand out. Resin clearly had its super-dank hoppiness, Apollo was smooth and flavorful, and Brownstone is balanced extremely well. The hops clearly get me hooked, but the roasted notes and maltiness are very pleasant as well. Keep ’em coming, guys.
