Sixpoint Autumnation

Brewed By: Sixpoint Brewery in Brooklyn, New York 

Purchased: Tall 16oz can (one pint!) from a 4-pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2012

Style/ABV: Spice/Herb/Vegetable (Pumpkin IPA), 6.7%
Reported IBUs: 74

Continuing with the pumpkin beer thing...tonight, I'm drinking a seasonal beer brewed with pumpkin. But this beer is really about using fresh, wet-hops. Wet-hopping is simply using freshly harvested hops. Most hops are usually dried or compressed into pellets to preserve the oils and resins that contribute to the "hoppy flavor" in beer. The challenge with using fresh hops is that hops will degrade almost immediately. Wet-hopping should (theoretically) add some vibrancy and freshness to a beer. Add in the fact that this beer uses Citra, a relatively new hop variety, and that makes this beer interesting and unique in two ways. Citra has a citrus and tropical fruit character, and was used in Three Floyd's Zombie Dust. With that said, about Sixpoint:

Sixpoint Brewery is relatively new to the world of craft beer, as they were founded in 2004. The brewery was founded by brewer Shance C. Welch, as he began brewing in an 800 square foot garage in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook. Wikipedia states that the brewery was co-founded by Andrew Bronstein, who met Welch at the University of Wisconsin. Andrew provided the cash investment needed to lease the facilities and begin brewing. The brewery is known for its philosophy. More specifically, Sixpoint is all about not defining their beers according to style guidelines. This point is echoed if you visit their Beers page. They state that they have brewed hundreds of different beers, and they have no plans to stop this proliferation of styles. Of final note, Sixpoint began canning their beer in 2011, which is pretty cool, especially for a craft brewer.

If you stroll over to the Autumnation page, you can get the info on this beer. This beer is made with subtle pumpkin and spice, and features Citra wet-hops. This beer supposedly uses a new hop strain each year (using the Citra this year). This year's beer clocks in at 6.7% ABV, and packs a mean 74 IBUs. There's a cool video on the beer HERE.

 Sixpoint Autumnation

The beer pours a darker orange color, with 3-fingers of foamy, IPA-looking head that is slightly off-white with an orange tint. In bright light, the head is slightly orange, and the body is a lovely orange color. The beer looks to be filtered, but you can't see completely through it as it has a touch of murkiness. You see quite a bit of carbonation in the form of tiny bubbles. The head is sustaining very well, like an IPA, and as it pulls away it is leaving sticky lacing.

On the nose/aroma are big hops. You get sharp Citra hops, with big grassy aromas, pungent and juicy aromas, pineapple, sharp citrus, slight metal/metallic aroma, and some spice. There's a grainy malt thing in the back as well.

The taste is big, and features an English water/malt profile. It sort of reminds me of a Pale Ale, or an ESB. Up front is a big blast of dark bready malts, followed by some citrus hop kick. I'm getting sharp citrus, grass, hints of pineapple, maybe some mango, earthy hops, hints of hop spice, and some smoothness in the back that tastes like lingering biscuit. I get a lot of hop spice in this, but I'm not really pulling out cinnamon. You do get a meaty vegetable thing in here, and it's very earthy. I wouldn't guess pumpkin in a blind testing, however. There's a doughy/bready thing that comes and goes, and more hard water.

This is medium-light, well-carbonated, and fairly drinkable for a 6.7% ABV beer. At 74 IBUs, this is fairly bitter, and also fairly acidic. You do feel it, I suppose. I still would say this has high drinkability. Palate depth is good, and complexity is so-so. I'm not sure what this is, and I think Sixpoint would be happy to hear that. Nevertheless, for a beer that advertises the use of cinnamon and pumpkin, you have a hard time pulling them out. Even at warm temps, the malts have a hard taste, and there is some elusive vegetable thing. Up front are hard malts, hints of hops, and then hops; the middle is grassy, floral, earthy; the back end is lingering hop bitterness, and earthy happenings.

Rating: Average 

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. This is interesting, and I love me some Citra. I'd probably bump this up to above-average, if not for the lack of noticeable pumpkin and cinnamon. But you know, like Sixpoint's Resin, this makes good use of those sharp and acidic hop characters. In some respects, this is a great Pale Ale/IPA-style beer. My only other gripe is this beer is fairly acidic, and has some metallic astringency that comes and goes. Could just be me. Food pairings: pizza, pizza, pizza. Did I say pizza? Burgers would work too, and anything that goes with an IPA or Pale Ale, really. 

Random Thought: And I drove home to a beautiful sunset, stuck in lazy traffic, listening to the Jets and the Patriots on the radio. It really does feel like Autumn, and the reality is setting in. I'm in a daze, rolling along. Stop. Go. Stop. Go. You have to be patient, and sometimes the best way to be patient is to just daydream. Oh shit, I sound emo. And Sanchez and the Jets almost won. Shit! Tebow at wide receiver! 3 yards! 3 yards! And that's why the Jets suck. Or something.