Sweet Action
Sixpoint Brewery

 

 

Hazy amber appearance with a larger than average white head and very good lacing. Subtle fruity aroma, more like peach than citrus. Taste is just as laid back as the aroma, smooth and wheaty, little bitterness, gently hopped. There is a bit more of a piney, resinous note in the aftertaste. Moderately carbonated, light-to-medium bodied mouthfeel. Close to the 'best by' date of 9/26/21.

Hard to nail down the style on this one. "NYC Pale Ale" is on the can but the website indicates it is a blond ale, a wheat beer and a pale ale. With a scattershot approach like that, just about any descriptor a reviewer uses would stick. Overall, inoffensive but unexciting.

 

 

 

NO!!! They ruined it! WHY!?!? THEY RUINED THIS BEER.

Sweet action used to be branded as a "Cream Ale" back in the day, and it was superb. Hands down the best for it's style.

What we have nowadays is a mockery, an imitation of the original, sharing it's name only. This is not the liquid that I remember, the beer that turned me onto craft beer. This is an impostor masquerading around in an old friends clothing. It's depressing.

Look: The look is more or less the same ... nice head retention. Excellent lacing as with almost all sixpoint beers. Golden, slightly orange color with a big frothy head.

Aroma: Certainly more hop dominated and less malty than it used to be. The beer used to be restrained and elegant in the use of its hop bill. Everything was supple. Hops would come through only on the end of the nose - not dominate the entire aroma. Now hops are just thrown in there for the sake of being hoppy thanks to the pale ale rebrand. It smells like any other generic pale ale, take your pick. A mishmash of spicy grapefruit and orange peel. None of the original depth of smell.

Taste: My god. . . what did they do. Why would they do this? I don't even know where to start. It's not even sweet (why the hell is it named sweet action still? just call it "generic pale ale" how about?). It doesn't taste "bad" but it has no character . . . grapefruit . . . orange peel . . . some pine sap. . . just bland. Nothing like the original. A damn shame.

Feel: Is it even brewed with wheat anymore? What the hell? Not even close to the original. Thin and dry, not silky and savory like it used to be. At least it's still somewhat refreshing.

Overall: It's boring. Yeah if I was thirsty I'd drink it. I'd probably still take it over a myriad of other lesser pale ales but thats not the point. They turned this into a generic, boring american pale ale - none of the body, creaminess or sweetness that was such a definitive characteristic of Sweet Action before it was re-branded by some numbskull who should be fired immediately and belongs nowhere near a brewery. Thanks for killing one of the best cream ales of all time.

At least people who have had it before the rebrand can still remember the good old days. I'm going to try and find an old homebrew recipe for the REAL sweet action cream ale and try and brew up a batch. Really astonished they would do something like this.

 

 

 

 

Decanted from a 12 oz (355 ml) can into a muffin top, taster pint; canned 07/26/19.
A: Pours a ever so slightly hazy, dark copper color with orange highlights, a one finger, off-white head, more than rim retention, but only moderate Belgian lacing.
S: Aromas of rich caramel, lemon citrus, honey, star anise, and pine.
T: Semisweet with palate following nose closely. Mild bitterness.
M: Light to medium bodied with decent carbonation.
O: Really delicious take on the style. Reminiscent of a Pale Ale.

 

 

From old, undated notes. Poured from the can.

Clear dandelion hue.

HUGE white head (careful pouring!); frothy lace.

Orange citrus, pine & honey sweetness in the nose.

Medium thin mouthfeel.

Mild orange citrus, mild pine & honey in the flavor as well; a macro-corn lager finish mars what could have been a summer delight.

Close.

 

 

 

 

Sweet Action, indeed...

The moment I poured it out it caught my attention - copperish colored beer with a thick, foamy head and good lacing down the glass - checking off all the attributes I love to see in a brew. The smell was hop-forward, making me think this was more IPA than ale with light hints of citrus. I found it to be light on carbonation but astringent as well, with a taste that more hop than anything else. Though I will say I think I took in notes of grapefruit and maybe even oranges. A solid beer, one that I'm sharing with my son, as we wait her on his mother to go to the gun show...

Canned in hopefully what is a crafty craft can, purchased from Mark’s and Spencer’s
Pours a very slightly hazy golden body with massive white head
Aroma is a thick slightly sweet piney affair
A bit barley sugar a bit trad English bitter with a touch of honey

L- Dark gold, slightly hazy, pours with 1cm fine-bubble white head - later recedes to lacing.
S- Quite a feint but contemporary [hop-induced] aroma of flowers/tropical fruits...
T- ... which, as night follows days means it's very hoppy/dry. Verging on a hop-bomb, not sure after 2 sips, but it's close to being over hoppy/bitter/dry for me. If there are subtleties re: fruit/flowers sadly they are lost to me under the almost withering hoppy bitterness.
F- Contemporary, fashionably hoppy [such beers usually have labelling that lists all the various hops involved, this one has the ingredients listed in 4 languages so perhaps there isn't room]. It's over-hopped to me, any sense of balance on the palate is lost. Very well carbonated in the mouth.
O- This might work for me better on a day when it's 30C+ as it should slake a thirst fast. For February there is nothing comforting and warming here; you could perhaps say it's the opposite of a 'winter warmer' style.
355ml can. BB: 9/Sep/19 I bought this in a West London supermarket, IIRC Waitrose.

Appearance: Golden, one finger head shrank fairly quickly to a ring.

Smell: Mainly grassy, citrusy hops.

Taste: Like the smell, dominated by grassy, citrusy hops, with a little grainy malt sweetness, but really pretty dry. Very smooth bitterness, leaves a clean hop aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Medium light body, probably lightened by the hops and the moderately-high carbonation.

Overall: It's hoppier than I would expect for an "American Blonde Ale," but that'll appeal to a lot of people today, and I like it. A change from modern citrus-tropical fruit hops, maybe to older styles.

 

Drinkable beer with a smooth start and a more complex finish.

Nice, pleasant , unexceptional - like kissing your sister.

 

 

Wasn't too impressed with this beer as it tastes kind of off....hard to describe. It just tastes like something is missing which put me off a bit. Possibly I'll try it again someday buy won't be buying a sixer.

 

A: Pours a think 2 finger head that dissipates into a thin film. Color of sunset gold. Plenty of lacing.

S: Citrus, piney hops, caramel.

T: Piney hop bitterness is front and center, but it's reigned in towards the end to finish mildly dry. An orange, wheaty, creaminess complements the profile and wraps up clean for the next sip.

O: Unique beer with a slightly different profile. I think it's a successful endeavor and executed well.

Pours a slightly hazy orange with a inch and a half white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left little lacing. Smells of citrus fruits, wheat and sweet malts. Tastes of sweet malts, wheat, caramel, bitter apricots, grapefruit, grapefruit peel, pine, grass and floral notes. On the light side of medium bodied, medium carbonation, dry finish.

 

 

 

Cloudy gold orange . Around a medium body as well as medium carbonation.
Aroma is grapefruit , pine, grassy, some malt and grain. Aroma isn't overpowering but still pleasant.
Taste is similar to aroma, bitter citrus peel and mild pine are the prominent flavors. Some grass and cereal/grain follow
Tastes a lot like a pale ale. It's good and worked well with food. Not too memorable but still a decent beer

Pours out a hazy orange color. The head is white with moderate retention. Lacing is minimal.

Very malty. You get some caramel, honey, bread, and light floral hops.

Again honey in the taste. A bit more bitter than anticipated. Its a very different blonde ale.

Medium bodied mouthfeel. Well carbonated. Its crisp.