Mad Scientists Series #10: Spruce Tip Ale
Sixpoint Brewery

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Sixpoint Brewery
 
New York, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
5.3%
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
4.18 | pDev: 5.5%
Reviews:
2
Ratings:
8
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 20, 2014
Added:
Jun 29, 2012
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
Pale Ale brewed with fresh spruce tips and Simcoe hops, coming to 35 IBUs.

After conditioning, the beer has a thick, foamy head and bright orange complexion. But its taste is much more than meets the eye. These fresh spruce tips lend a surge of brightness to the beer at first sip, balanced with a kick of bitterness from the hops. Its gentle aroma is slightly floral and fruity, and the finished beer has an IBU of 35, and ABV of 5.3%.
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Recent ratings and reviews.
 
Rated: 4.5 by ninaturner from Florida

Aug 20, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by SkinniePost from Wisconsin

Apr 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by clay23 from New York

Feb 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by JohnQVD from New York

Feb 17, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by smithj4 from New York

Aug 12, 2012
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

3.8/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
On-tap at Pacific Standard, Brooklyn, NY

A: The beer is slightly hazy yellowish amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with delicate lacing on the surface and a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of spruce, pine resin and citrusy hops in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has light flavors of spruce along with notes of tropical fruits from the Simcoe hops in the finish. There is a slight amount of bitterness.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This is a good beer if you want some spruce but don’t want a beer that has an overwhelming amount of pine resin flavors.
Jul 06, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by bentonquest from New York

Jul 05, 2012
Photo of fmccormi
Reviewed by fmccormi from California

4.18/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Always excited by new offerings in Sixpoint’s Mad Scientists and Spice of Life series! Straight pour from 750ml swing-top growler (thanks bentonquest!) to and oversized wineglass (HF stemware). Filled the same day.

Appearance (4.5): Gorgeous pour. The head quickly rises to a substantial but manageable 2.5 fingers of bone-white foam, quietly dissipating with fat bubbles into a rocky surface with fat rings of lace on the way down. Meanwhile, the body is a lightly cloudy, rich honey-orange color, and ridiculously appetizing.

Smell (4.0): Highly unexpected. This comes out with a bright, fruity flavor reminiscent of passionfruit, maybe, but it almost smells like fruit candy, too. And not in a bad way, because it doesn’t smell artificial in any way. There’s a lightly sweet breadiness in the back, accompanied by a lightly piny scent. Whatever’s going on here, I like it.

Taste (4.0): The first thing that comes along is a light bitterness, really kind of grassy more than anything, but then there’s an incredibly bright but moderate-strength fruitiness to it, like lemons without the sourness. Some citrus pith sneaks in here at the same time, as it transitions to a surprisingly long, herbal-grassy finish that’s more flavor than bitterness. This is all what’s going on at the top, though—underneath there’s an understated breadiness that meshes well with spicy, earthy notes that must be from the Simcoe hops. Through all of this, there’s a weird, funky, fruity tang that kicks around and is hard to figure out, but really pretty interesting—and I dig it. Spruce tips, who knew they’re so funky?

Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium-bodied beer with a lush, rich carbonation that’s never prickly and never particularly foamy, either. Very dry finish, appropriate to the style, makes you drink it faster than you want to (because this is a great one to stop and think about).

Overall (4.5): This gets high marks as an experimental beer. Sixpoint’s Mad Scientists series is always interesting and typically very, very enjoyable, in my opinion. A lot of people may not quite get it because it won’t fit nicely into whatever style category it’s in, but that’s the point. In this one, the spruce characteristics feel very familiar at first blush but then show themselves to be truly unique. There’s a lot of interesting things going on in this beer, and it’s all good stuff. So, once again, great job, Sixpoint—and seriously, considering bretting this bastard. Would be dynamite w/ some musty funk!
Jun 29, 2012
Mad Scientists Series #10: Spruce Tip Ale from Sixpoint Brewery
Beer rating: 4.18 out of 5 with 8 ratings