"Hop Obama" Ale
Sixpoint Brewery

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From:
Sixpoint Brewery
 
New York, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
ABV:
5.2%
Score:
89
Avg:
4.02 | pDev: 6.97%
Reviews:
26
Ratings:
29
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 05, 2016
Added:
Mar 18, 2008
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  1
Brewed in tribute to the inspiration that has been Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign. In keeping with the Illinois senator's unifying theme, the "Hop Obama" is an indefinable ale that doesn't adhere to traditional style guidelines. The 5.2% ABV creation contains five different kinds of European crystal malt and three different kinds of Pacific Northwest Hops. Combined with a Scottish yeast strain for fermentation.
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Ratings by kenito799:
Photo of kenito799
Reviewed by kenito799 from New York

3.88/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pint at Press 195, Bayside, NY.

Medium amber beer with a medium white head, recedes with really nice intricate lacing.

Fresh floral hop aroma, quite nice. A well-balanced ale with a lot of good hoppy complexity. The finish has a tea-leaf bitterness that is a bit annoying, but doesn't detract from drinkability. A very good brew.
Oct 18, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.56 by 54V4G3 from Belgium

May 05, 2016
 
Rated: 4.02 by rbloomberg3 from England

Apr 28, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by meganlibrarian from New Jersey

Nov 14, 2011
Photo of JohnQVegas
Reviewed by JohnQVegas from Tennessee

3.85/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Growler into Sam Adams Lager glass.

Pours opaque cloudy orange with a big, rocky off-white head.

Aroma is biscuity malt and citrus hops, hint of pine.

Taste is sweet citrus and caramel malt on the front, with a prickly earthy, piney hop character emerging on the back of the tongue, and soft lingering bitterness on the finish that coats the throat, along with a hint of biscuity malt.

Mouthfeel is creamy, with a subdued carbonation.

Like their IPA, the malt never really emerges from the hops -- it comes out a bit underneath, but never really establishes a presence independent of the hoppy character. Good beer - interesting, and very drinkable.
Mar 27, 2009
Photo of selecter70
Reviewed by selecter70 from Massachusetts

3.17/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
My first Obama brew disappointment. I eagerly sought it out at the Craft Beer Fest in Boston. While a decent IPA in general, it lacked overall quality, supplanted with extra hops. The on draught offering was a bright dark yellow with fluffy white head and an aroma of sharp oranges & lemon yeast. The feel was both thin & sharp, with a flavor that just pushed hops with the slightest yeast-malt. The lemon bitter hops were a bit much & I moved along unimpressed sadly.
Jan 28, 2009
Photo of u2carew
Reviewed by u2carew from Massachusetts

4.12/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
(A) Amber with a slight bit of haze (chill haze?). Mellow signs of carbonation.
(S) Fruity, hoppy aroma. Hints of peach.
(T) Fruity sweetness coupled with a nice hop bitterness, almost a grapefruit type bitterness. Some Earthy tones.
(M) Very mellow, smooth body. Citrus-like bitter feel.
(D) Very delicious. I recommend drinking this again and again. A great brew, unfortunately this may only be around a short while - 8 years?
Jan 21, 2009
Photo of scootny
Reviewed by scootny from New York

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Copper colored with slight cloudiness. Three fingered head with good retention. No visible carbonation. Good lacing.

Wonderfully complex smell. Citrusy hops with grapefruit notes. Heavy malt sweetness and bakery breadiness. Yeasty esters suggest juicy melon. A bit of toffee.

Big bready malt structure followed by an equally big hop component. Earthy and dry it features an herbal profile. Malt is sweet and yeasty bread. finish brings back herbal dry hops. Lingering on the palate is dark bread and hoppy earthiness. Whole grain crackers as well.

Lively and smooth feel with a medium weight.

Good stuff easy to drink and quenching.

From tasting notes 11/2/2008
Jan 10, 2009
Photo of LilBeerDoctor
Reviewed by LilBeerDoctor from New York

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Reviewed on 9/29/08. Growler. Pours a clear deep orange with a very small white ring of head. Aroma of citrus, piney, and grassy hops with a wheaty malt backbone. Flavor is quite hoppy with a nice balance of citrusy, grassy hops with wheat and caramel malt. Some light fruity notes in the finish. A very tasty beer that is practically an IPA.
8/4/8/4/15 (3.9/5)
Dec 27, 2008
Photo of gford217
Reviewed by gford217 from Georgia

3.88/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Handbottle from the Shane poured into a snifter.

Pours a murky reddish amber with lots of floaties and carbonation rising from the bottom. The head is a two-finger soapy white which hangs on as a cap and leaves decent lacing.

The aroma is very mild with some subtle caramel malts and bits of earthy hops in the nose as well.

The taste is a little more forward with the earthy hops popping up front with a strong bitterness. The bready malts form the backbone with some sweetness of caramel and fruits. The hops hit again in the finish and leave a bitterness in the finish.

The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied for the style and creamy. The carbonation enhances the slightly astringent bitterness of the hops.

This is a very good amber and the drinkability is hurt just slightly by the hint of metallic bitterness in the finish. Thanks again to Shane for the opportunity.
Nov 26, 2008
Photo of Imstillthegman
Reviewed by Imstillthegman from Delaware

3.88/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks go to Naproxen for this growler. Sent to me for the Growling at the Moon BIF.

Pours an amber-orange color with a nice head of off-white bubbles. Decent lacing.

The smell shows me some caramel, a bit of grain, doughy yeast, and some earthy/citrus hops. It's light, however, and I have try to force it out of the glass.

The taste is better, though. The grainy malt is strong, but the citrus hop profile helps to cut into it some. A little bit of caramel and some wood resin, also.

Smooth medium body leads to some almost prickly carbonation. Overall, a good beer. Nice job Sixpoint! Thanks, Aliza!
Nov 14, 2008
Photo of tedstertm
Reviewed by tedstertm from Wisconsin

4.12/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5
Had it on tap at Deep Ellum.

Pours a light gold with about a half inch of fluffy white head. The smell is fresh hops with floral notes with a little bit of spruce some fruit and a nice malt smell to it. It tastes almost exactly like it smells, a good amber ale with an extra hop kick added on. It was pretty light and fizzy in the mouth and it is a beer I could drink all day if circumstances allowed.
Nov 14, 2008
Photo of srandycarter
Reviewed by srandycarter from California

3.73/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A - Pours beautiful, slightly murky amber with a rich .75 inch head. Reduces to ring quickly, soapy lacing.

S - Somewhat earthy and barnyard. Muted hop and malt smells.

T - Nice but somewhat unbalanced. More hops than malt.

M - Good stuff, finishes nicely, good carb and mouthfeel.

D - Not quite fat enough for me. Nice to try one, though!
Oct 27, 2008
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at Flatbush Farm in Park Slope, Brooklyn on 1 August 2008:

Cloudy golden-amber body beneath a full head of white that held well and left sheets of lace.

The aroma was grainy and lightly caramel drizzled. There were suggestions of wheat, but that may have been from the yeast or hops giving the graininess an edge.

In the mouth it was medium-full with a delicate tingle from the median carbonation.

The flavor offered straight-forward grainy malt with a thin sliver of light caramel to round it out, and accents from some judiciously used citrusy and grapefruit-like hops. It starts with malt, gets spiked with a little bit of hop flavor, thins with bitterness, and then returns to hops and then residual malt in the finish. Only a very moderate bitterness remains.

Overall, it's a pretty basic ale that does offer some hop character, but certainly doesn't live up to the "Hop Obama" name.
Oct 23, 2008
Photo of Nickls
Reviewed by Nickls from District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
(From notes)

A - Hazy amberish orange color, with a thin slightly off-white head. Great lacing throughout the sample

S - Hops right up front, more fruity and floral with some malt sweetness

T - There's those hops again, definitely a more flowery hop character vs piney or cedary. Great, strong malt backing

M - Medium to thinner feel, with decent carbonation (but certainly not a main feature

D - This is superbly drinkable, and I would almost say sessionable for me.

Overall, this is more than just solid drinking and another great offering from Sixpoint! Would definitely recommend.
Oct 16, 2008
Photo of NoahSYGG
Reviewed by NoahSYGG from New York

4.32/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
this is a great local IPA. the color was a nice typical ipa copper. strong hop aroma. a huugee hop flavor, not too bitter though which is a good thing. slightly malty. a heavy ipa though. a great effort for a great candidate. when is sixpoint going to bottle its beer!?!
Oct 13, 2008
Photo of DrDogbeer
Reviewed by DrDogbeer from Massachusetts

3.91/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Handbottle from Shane @ Sixpoint. THANKS!! Poured into an Affligem goblet. Beautiful dark amber color with a fluffy white head. Long lasting and tons of lacing. Some caramel and candy like aromas along with a bit of earthy, bread like aromas. Taste is different than the smell would suggest. Lots of hops- kinda mish mashed, but good. good bittter finish on the sides of the tongue. Lots of sediment is left on the bottom of the glass. Crisp mouthfeel. Wish I had more!
Sep 12, 2008
Photo of Freshie
Reviewed by Freshie from Massachusetts

3.76/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had on tap at the Sunset Grille here in Boston (Allston Rock City)

Poured in the appropriate regular style pint glass. Dark amber color, unfiltered, with a thin wispy, but strong head. Lacing was very tight around the edges of the glass.

Aroma was tough to discern due the frigid serving temperature, but slight notes of citric hops, and sweet malt permeated my nose. Some candy.

At first, I could have sworn this was an IPA, and had to check the beer menu again to see what style it was under. True enough, it said American Amber . Very hoppy for the style, but still malty and refreshing. Some tea like qualities in the malt backbone, but the hops are up front and pungent. Very dry finish. Citrus flavors, with some herbal hop notes.

A very drinkable brew, but the conflicting nature of this beer keeps it from greatness. Still, a solid brew all around.

Hopefully the namesake of this one will fair better. :)
Aug 24, 2008
Photo of Biggness
Reviewed by Biggness from New York

4.46/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
This beer pours a lovely dark cloudy amber with a 1 finger white head. The smell is mostly of nuts with a slight hint of citrus. Certainly the second best Amber Ale I have ever tried next to yesterdays troeg's. The initial flavor is of nust and malts and the after taste is of citrusy hops. The mouthfeel is pleasant for this beer and the carbonation level is nice. Certainly the drinkability of this beer is off the charts! I hope the growler makes it through the evening :D GO OBAMA!!!
Jul 31, 2008
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

3.99/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Appearance: Quite the site to behold, with a cloudy peach nectar color and a full head that sticks and sheets

Smell: Biscuity, grainy and pithy

Taste: Biscuity on the opening with a building pink grapefruit bitterness; there are some sweet toffee tones in there, that were unexpected, that may have something to do with the Scottish yeast strain; after the swallow, there is a grainy, pithy bitterness

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Marketing genious in the naming of this beer, but I cannot help but note the irony in the difficulty of pinning down the style with the candidate whose platform of change is also hard to pin down; I hardly think this is among Sixpoint's best beers as, to my palate, it is dialed down, like the politician, to appeal to a broad audience; it's still a decent beer but with a name like Hop Obama, I was expecting something really hoppy but I should have known better - politicians, on either side of the aisle, rarely deliver on all their promises either
Jul 24, 2008
"Hop Obama" Ale from Sixpoint Brewery
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 29 ratings