Spice Of Life - Riwaka
Sixpoint Brewery

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From:
Sixpoint Brewery
 
New York, United States
Style:
American IPA
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.69 | pDev: 11.65%
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
17
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 27, 2014
Added:
Sep 07, 2012
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by grittly:
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Rated by grittly from Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

Mar 15, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.25 by malfunxion from New York

Aug 27, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by djre4orm from Virginia

Jun 13, 2013
 
Rated: 5 by JohnQVD from New York

Mar 17, 2013
Photo of Darkmagus82
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas

3.69/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Served on tap in a pint glass

Appearance – Served a clear orange amber colored brew with a one finger white head. The head fades relatively quickly to leave a moderate level of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The nose was heavy of sweet and citrus hop smells. The sweeter aromas were a blend of tropical fruit aromas of tangerine, mango, and papaya mixed with a caramel smell. The citrus hop was largely of a ruby-red grapefruit variety, but along with this were a lighter hop aroma of some pine and lemon aroma.

Taste – The taste begins with a sweet tropical fruit flavor of tangerine and some light mango along with a bready flavor. Upfront there was also a moderate amount of grapefruit hop flavor. The grapefruit hop grows stronger more toward the middle of the taste where it reaches its maximum intensity and retains this way throughout the remainder of the taste. Once the grapefruit hits its apex, some pine and floral notes begin coming to the tongue. They remain light throughout the taste, but persist, and when joined by a light caramel flavor that comes at the end of the taste, one is left with a somewhat bitter, but still smoother citrus hopped flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel –The body of the beer was rather average in terms of its thickness, possibly with just a bit more chewiness then the average. The carbonation is rather average as well, providing a good drinkability as well as good for the hoppy and citrus flavors of the brew.

Overall – A good single hoped brew. The Riwaka have a nice flavor profile, while mostly citrus in nature, they contain other flavors and aromas as well and never take too bitter a flavor for good drinkability. A tasty and nice brew to try if you get a chance.
Mar 13, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by brandoman63 from Illinois

Jan 16, 2013
Photo of mdfb79
Reviewed by mdfb79 from New York

4.15/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
From 12/18/12 notes. On tap at Beer Authority in NYC.

a - Pours a hazy medium yellow color with one inch of white head and moderate carbonation evident. Looks pretty good.

s - Smells of fruity malts, citrus hops, pine hops, tropical fruits, floral hops, earthy notes, hay, grapefruit. Ton of fresh fruits, I like the nose a lot.

t - Tastes of citrus hops, fruity malts, pine, lightly sweet tropical fruits, resin, floral hops. A little sweeter than the nose but a ton of fruit again; I like it a lot, not too sweet at all.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation, with no bitterness at all from the hops. Pretty smooth, and a very easy to drink IPA. Great mouthfeel.

o - Overall a really nice IPA; I've had 2 or 3 of these Spice of Life beers and this is definitely my favorite so far. A little sweet but definitely nothing too sweet, with a lot of fresh fruit and hops to it. Would love to have it again sometime.
Dec 20, 2012
Photo of CHickman
Reviewed by CHickman from New York

3.91/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours very hazy orange gold color with a 1 finger thick foamy off white head that faded on the slow side and left very good spotty lacing sticking to the glass and rings as it goes down; a nice looking beer, and spot on for an IPA.

Smells of sweet citrus and piney hops, with orange peel, mango, mild grapefruit, biscuit, apple, light caramel, faint grains or toast, grass and herbs; a softer nose than I expected, but still pretty nice and akin to an IPA-lite.

Tastes of sweet citrus hops, piney hops, orange peel, mango, faint grapefruit, biscuit, apple, flowers, floral hops, light caramel, toasted grains, cracked wheat, grass, herbs, pepper and other spices; the hops account for most of the flavor, and this strain of hop is very herbal and unique. Malt backbone adds balance and steers it in an earthy direction, like peat moss or dry potato skin.

Mouthfeel is creamy, smooth and almost watery, with very mild carbonation, a light-medium body that's almost chewy, and the finish is almost dry, almost clean, yet slightly bitter and a tad bit grainy; I thought it finished nicely, with spicy hops and herbs sliding down with the brew and allowing the complexities to leave a bundle of flavors.

A nice experimental beer and concept, I will seek out the other Spice of Life series beers as the concept and execution of this was tasty and enjoyable, while also satisfying the beer geek curiosity of trying a single-hop IPA made with one different variable: the different hop strain. Bravo Sixpoint!
Dec 09, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by Proclarush from Maryland

Nov 30, 2012
Photo of TheBrewo
Reviewed by TheBrewo from New York

3.77/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This was served from the tap at The Ginger Man in Greenwich, CT. It arrived in a generic flared pint glass, showing a golden honey coloring. It held a one finger head of white foam, showing okay retention. Sheets and wisps of thick lacing were left all around the glass, and a thick film of light bubbles covered the liquid for the remained of the tasting. No haze or sediment was noted, and carbonation appeared light. The aroma was of sweet hops, with notes of earthiness, and light, fruity nectars. The malts were of the palest available, with light adjuncts, mild toast, mineral, and baker’s yeast. Our first impression was that the flavoring was nice and easy. The sip opened with pale malts, mild passion fruit sweetness, and citric and soapy hops. The middle took the citrus to the peak, with lemon, spice of far off phenols, and lighter malts with that same faded toast and dirty grit. The finish showed a slight mustiness that was quickly overwhelmed by that same citric hop component. There was equal show from those same pales, but here they felt more watered down and washed out, for a very mild ending. The aftertaste breathed of alcohol, mild black pepper spice, lemon and grapefruit of hops, soap, mineral, and dirt. The body was lighter to medium, and the carbonation was high and prickly. The mouth was coated with wetness, leaving it satiated. There was nice slurp, sip, and glug, with soft froth and cream. There was little dryness, if any. The abv was appropriate, and the beer drank very easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the nice hoppy aroma, and how sessionable this beer was. The hops were sweeter, yet more gritting through both the nose and the flavoring, making for a very fresh experience. This beer seems to be right in line with the series, where the single hop varietal takes center stage. The flavoring, however, did come out a bit muted, especially towards the end of the sip, leaving us wanting more. Either way, this beer is great for a quick session, and drinks down with inviting smoothness.
Nov 12, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by Giantspace from Pennsylvania

Nov 04, 2012
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Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

3.53/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
On-tap 10/14/2012 at Track 84 in Warwick, RI, served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a cloudy deep gold color, with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is faint but contains fruity citrus, caramelized malts and a good amount of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with a floral hops bitterness. Then a mild citrus and caramel sweetness comes in. There’s some spice in the background. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and brings some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: A little tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, it’s a solid beer but there are many better options in the style.
Nov 04, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by 2dogbrew from Virginia

Oct 20, 2012
Photo of NuclearRich
Reviewed by NuclearRich from Connecticut

3.41/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A- hazy golden amber with a creamy white head. Good retention and great lacing.
S- orange peel maybe grapefruit. Light, refreshing
T- strong bitter upfront but mellows into a grapefruit orange melody with a little pine
M- bitter upfront, mellows to a nice smooth drink on the back of the swallow
O - nice, interesting flavor. Fun to try the different versions but nothiNg amazing
Oct 09, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by sdaly3 from New Hampshire

Sep 30, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by tmhessel from New York

Sep 26, 2012
Photo of palma
Reviewed by palma from New York

3.8/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I really like this project by Sixpoint. A controlled experiment over the last 2 years. Only changing one ingredient of the same recipe every month - the hop strain.

I found the August Release - Riwaka hop - on tap at Shake Shack Midtown (theater district).
Also love that Shake Shack promotes good beer. They always have one rotating seasonal on tap - this Sixpoint was it today.

Pretty, summery looking beer. Bright, orange-yellow body. Cloudy. Limited frothy white head with excellent lacing.

Smell is sweet and fresh, light floral, orange, lemon drops candy.

Tastes is sharp, slighty prickly upfront. Mellows nicely in the middle with a light-medium malt body. Juicy. Fresh wet hops come to mind. Flavor is big on the grapefruit. Notes of orange rind. Bitterness showcases at the end and then transforms into a clean dryness in the aftertaste.

I drank this one fast. A refereshing, simple, and a little different American IPA with a very interesting theme behind it. I enjoyed it.
Sep 07, 2012
Spice Of Life - Riwaka from Sixpoint Brewery
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 17 ratings