Sweet Action
Sixpoint Brewery
- From:
- Sixpoint Brewery
- New York, United States
- Style:
- American Blonde Ale
Ranked #31 - ABV:
- 5%
- Score:
- 87
Ranked #21,056 - Avg:
- 3.9 | pDev: 12.05%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 623
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Feb 05, 2026
- Added:
- Mar 04, 2005
- Wants:
- 229
- Gots:
- 572
SCORE
87
Very Good
87
Very Good
Ever heard of Sweet Action...the magazine? That short-lived sensation sparked one of our first collaborations--the beer you hold in your hand. Our quest to classify SWEET ACTION has ended; it's a beer your brain can't categorize, but instead speaks directly to your palate. Our senses and intuition sometimes conquer rational thought. It's Mad Science.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Greywulfken:
Reviewed by Greywulfken from New York
4/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: orange-gold and clear, finger or two of pale foam slimmed away into wisps
S: clean grain and caramel, grassy, a little bitter hoppiness
T: citrus and biscuit, suggestions of both oranges and caramels and breads, hopped but mild - very tasty
M: smooth and soft, light-medium body, rounded feeling
O: better than I expected - a soft and smooth pale ale kinda beer - very smooth, modest hops, modest malts - very humble and thoroughly enjoyable
Jul 12, 2015S: clean grain and caramel, grassy, a little bitter hoppiness
T: citrus and biscuit, suggestions of both oranges and caramels and breads, hopped but mild - very tasty
M: smooth and soft, light-medium body, rounded feeling
O: better than I expected - a soft and smooth pale ale kinda beer - very smooth, modest hops, modest malts - very humble and thoroughly enjoyable
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by ttoadee from Texas
3.25/5 rDev -16.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.25/5 rDev -16.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
RB transfer
Hazy creme soda color, thin off white head. Nose is slight caramel, with faint hops. Sweet on the tongue. Through the middle somewhat metallic & bitter. Dry and somewhat citrus finish. Not sure what to do with this one...|12/22/2012
Feb 05, 2026Hazy creme soda color, thin off white head. Nose is slight caramel, with faint hops. Sweet on the tongue. Through the middle somewhat metallic & bitter. Dry and somewhat citrus finish. Not sure what to do with this one...|12/22/2012
Reviewed by Sinfull from New York
3.87/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.87/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Clear, amber color. Medium-sized, white head. Malt, caramel, grass, and citrus in aroma. Sweet, malty beginning with and hoppy, bitter finish. A good summer option.
Jun 18, 2025
Reviewed by Spike from England
3.26/5 rDev -16.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.26/5 rDev -16.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
On draught at the brewery taproom in Battery Park City.
L: Hazy orange/amber colour with a short-lived head that leaves a smear and some lacing.
S: Clean but light to invisible.
T: Vague citrus/tropical fruit and a heft of resin. Moderate bitterness.
F: Medium body, crisp mouthfeel, moderate carbonation, dry finish.
O: A bitter, low ABV APA. Average brew.
Apr 20, 2024L: Hazy orange/amber colour with a short-lived head that leaves a smear and some lacing.
S: Clean but light to invisible.
T: Vague citrus/tropical fruit and a heft of resin. Moderate bitterness.
F: Medium body, crisp mouthfeel, moderate carbonation, dry finish.
O: A bitter, low ABV APA. Average brew.
Reviewed by Profundobaso from New York
3.47/5 rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.47/5 rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Look - poured into a tulip glass. Golden in color, hazy, with a beautiful three finger head and modereate lacing retention.
Smell - mostly malt with some fruity flavors, resembling candied peach. a fair bit of sweetness.
Taste - nowhere close to as sweet as suggested by the the smell. malt dominant, but has a surprising moderate hoppy bite that follows. the finish is relatively clean, with lingering malty notes.
Feel - medium bodied, average carbonation, and standard in ABV at 5%.
Overall - this beer is not bad. however, it taste quite different than the Sweet Action that I used to remember...in fact, I don't think this beer is even really much of a blonde ale, more so an APA (can now calls it an "NYC Pale Ale"). If evaluated as an APA, this is a lightly hoppy and balanced brew, but otherwise is not a standout. Personally preferred the old school "cream ale" version, so this is slightly disappointing.
Oct 09, 2023Smell - mostly malt with some fruity flavors, resembling candied peach. a fair bit of sweetness.
Taste - nowhere close to as sweet as suggested by the the smell. malt dominant, but has a surprising moderate hoppy bite that follows. the finish is relatively clean, with lingering malty notes.
Feel - medium bodied, average carbonation, and standard in ABV at 5%.
Overall - this beer is not bad. however, it taste quite different than the Sweet Action that I used to remember...in fact, I don't think this beer is even really much of a blonde ale, more so an APA (can now calls it an "NYC Pale Ale"). If evaluated as an APA, this is a lightly hoppy and balanced brew, but otherwise is not a standout. Personally preferred the old school "cream ale" version, so this is slightly disappointing.
Reviewed by milkshakebeersucks from Maryland
3.43/5 rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.43/5 rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
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.
Aug 31, 2021Hard 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.
Reviewed by BloodSoakedAleMug from New York
2.98/5 rDev -23.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
2.98/5 rDev -23.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
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.
May 31, 2020Sweet 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.
Reviewed by VoxRationis from New York
3.96/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.96/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
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.
Feb 05, 2020A: 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.
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