Comments (2)

By Scottie, March 26, 2010 7:39 am

I recently had the privilege of trying two phenomenal brews from Sixpoint Craft Ales, the Grand Crüe and their Russian Imperial Stout. From my understanding, both of these beers are somewhat difficult to come by if you don’t live in the New York area. For info on where to find these, and other great beers from Sixpoint, check out their website or find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Sixpoint Grand Crüe

Sixpoint's Grand Crüe

Appearance:

Copper in color with hints of ruby and a medium sized light tan head.

Smell:

This beer stinks of greatness from the first sniff. Rich caramel, dark fruits, figs, plums, and brown sugar emanate from the glass.

Taste:

Raisin, figs, honey, caramel, Belgian candy sugar, and roasted malt flavors perfectly complicate the aroma of the beer. This beer will make your taste buds party like it’s 1999!

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with average carbonation.

Drinkability:

A subtle alcohol presence (subtle for having 12.4% ABV) warms the body and soul. The bold and delicious flavoring make you not want to put the beer down. The only problem I had with this beer; I only had one bottle to enjoy.

Russian Imperial Stout

This specialty brew has been aged 5 years, is bottle conditioned and fermented with distiller’s yeast, and comes in a wax dipped bottle. According to Shane, Sixpoint’s President and Brewmaster, they initially hopped the “bejesus” out of the beer with a staggering 126 IBU’s. Fortunately, the hops have mellowed over time, making this one complex and delicious Russian Imperial Stout.

Sixpoint's Russian Imperial Stout:

Appearance:

Sixpoint’s Russian Imperial Stout pours out black-as-night. Millions of tiny bubbles dance to the top of the glass, creating a mountainous mocha-colored head.

Smell:

There is an overall sweet aroma to this beer. Chocolate, coffee, and alcohol aromas are complimented by the sweet smells of caramel, plums, raisins, and cherries.

Taste:

This is one hell of a complex and well-balanced stout. Like the smell, sweet dark fruits (raisins, plum, dark cherries, currants) are prominent upfront but are perfectly matched with flavors of dark chocolate, molasses, roasted coffee, and piney hops on the backend.

Mouthfeel:

This full bodied beer coats the mouth to perfection with every sip.

Drinkabiltiy:

According to Shane, the beer fermented-out to 12.4% ABV (no label on the beer to state otherwise). For being full bodied and having such a high alcohol content, this is a very drinkable stout.

Simply put, Sixpoint’s Grand Crüe and thier Russian Imperial Stout are perfect examples of what is possible with these particular styles of beer. I was completely blown away with the richness and complexity of both beers. If you haven’t yet, do yourself a favor and track down these two amazing brews.

CHEERS!

Comments (4)

By Scottie, March 5, 2010 12:54 pm

Sixpoint Craft Ales

After fifty years of low quality beer, Americans are finally coming to their senses – and the craft beer industry is witnessing amazing growth! This should be wonderful news, right? Well, overall yes, but with an increasing number of impostor craft beers (those created by the mega-breweries of ABInBev, Coors, and Miller) popping up in supermarket aisles, many open-minded beer drinkers are left stumbling.

Impostor craft beer, as I call it, is a weak attempt at creating “craft beer” with low quality ingredients, lack of imagination, and massive marketing budget. Needless to say, another great venture brought to you by Anheuser-Busch. Thank you very little.

Fortunately, as we all know, there are many amazingly-new microbreweries opening all over the country. One microbrewery definitely worth checking out is Sixpoint Craft Ales out of Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY.

Background:

Sixpoint Craft Ales was founded in 2005 with limited funds in a small 800 square foot garage in Red Hook, Brooklyn. This small craft brewery is a prime example of the growing number of diverse and talented microbreweries across the country. They appreciate both the history of the beer industry and of their community in Brooklyn.

The Meaning Behind the Name:

Our logo – a unique combination of the brewer’s star and nautical star – combines the rich history of each and takes on an entirely new meaning. We pay homage to the ancient craft of brewing, but at the same time recognize our modern role and duty to interpret the art on our own terms. We remind you that we are from Brooklyn, and that we are proud to represent. Above all else, we help you to navigate through the endless ocean of various beers, bringing you back home to quality, back to Sixpoint Craft Ales.

Brewing: What’s their secret?

Sixpoint believes in using traditional brewing practices, such as using a hand-made hardwood mash paddle, yet have the creativity and forward thinking necessary to create amazing and unique brews.

Beer Mantra:

Sixpoint’s President and Brewmaster, Shane Welch, sees Sixpoint and its staff as more than simple producers of beer.

We are producers of beer, yes, but we are also scientists and philosophers and perhaps most important, educators. Teaching people about the science and the art of craft brewing the Sixpoint way is one of our most important tasks, and something we approach with honor and dedication.

Now those are some tasty looking beers!

Scottie’s Choice:

I’ve had the pleasure of trying several brews from Sixpoint (reviews to come) and I was thoroughly impressed. If you have the opportunity, look for their Russian Imperial Stout – it will blow your mind.

Sixpoint Craft Ales is a perfect example of how the craft beer industry is growing in America. If you haven’t had the opportunity of trying their beers, check out their site or follow them on Twitter to see if their beer is available in your area.

Cheers to Sixpoint Craft Ales!