Power Ballad
Sixpoint Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 oz. canned on 3/22/18

Pours cloudy opaque gold with a creamy white foam head. Smells like concentrated pineapples, lemon zest, orange citrus, white grapefruit, peach, melon, apricot, slight tea, bready caramelized malt, with dank spicy floral resinous earthy herbal grassy pine. Tastes like big tropical pineapple, zesty citrus, lemon, orange, grapefruit, peach, melon, apricot, slight tea, bready caramelized malt, with dank spicy floral resinous earthy herbal grassy pine. Feels medium bodied, creamy smooth and slick with low carbonation. Overall a nice and juicy New England-style DIPA.

Released in Red Hook on 3/24 as part of their small batch program.

Pours a hazy yellow, with a big pure-white head that lasts for a bit but gives way to some lacing.

Smell is a bit muted each time I've had it but in an enticing way, if that makes sense. Definite pineapple, a touch of fruity California green, and a simple herbaceous quality from the hops. The notes are clear and bright, as if you're entering the front door of a great restaurant and the wafts of what's cooking in the back first hit your nose. You aren't quite sure exactly what you'll be eating, but the aromas you walk into let you know it will be good.

Oh yes. This is the best part of this beer. A week ago it was a little uncertain, as if it hadn't yet boldly stepped into it's place, but the flavor of this beer is awesome. Tons of tropical fruit -- pineapple, mango, guava, something kind of like passion fruit but not quite -- it runs the gamut. I also clearly recognize the fruity marijuana from the nose, and it brings with it a sort of diesel note to it. That probably sounds odd to most, but if you've smoked fruity weed before, you'll know what I mean -- that kind of slightly sweet harshness that comes from the flavor of the pot and the smoke that, when done well, really smooths out into something enjoyable. That's what I'm getting here from the dankness, and it works wonderfully with the tropical fruit overtones that stand strongly in front.

Really nice medium body that is super soft and smooth, but has a nice light carbonated zip that stops it from going too far down the pillowy route. I really prefer these beers when they have that bite to them, that extra something that brings you back from the edge of just drinking fruit juice or a smoothie. I also got the slightest resin on my tongue, but it always went away quite quickly. I wish it had maybe just a touch more carbonation, but that's a personal preference.

Last week, I wasn't too impressed with this beer. I mean, in the beer world we live in here in NYC, it was a very good NEIPA, but something I wouldn't have felt bad passing over for something else. What a difference a week makes, though -- this beer is absolutely fantastic today. It hits all the notes you want from the HazePA style -- soft, fruity, easy to drink, makes you forget you're drinking beer -- while not going too far down that path. Imagine a crossroads where the left path is marked "Fruit Juice" and the right labeled "Beer": this definitely took a right and did so proudly. Delicious beer. Sixpoint keeps using Idaho 7 hops incredibly well and I hope to see more beers made with them in the near future.