Spice Of Life - Wakatu
Sixpoint Brewery

 

 

A: A nice orange color with a good haze to it, a nice off white head at the top that leaves a slight lacing around the glass.

S:Biscuit and grains up front on the nose, a good amount of citrus is there as well, some pine notes on the tail end.

T: Up front on the tongue is lots of biscuit flavor with hints of caramel throughout, the hops are very present, and nice kick to this one.

M: Crispy, Medium bodied, and a slight amount of carbonation.

O: A very good SOL, from Sixpoint, love that I get to try all these different hop flavors, this brewery is getting better by the beer, awesome brew.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well this smells like a used diaper. That's a nice touch. Flavor is quite bright, and not very restrained. Seems high on citrus (in an odd way), minimal spice from hop tones in the mix (should be more imo). Decent enough to drink, I guess, but not very interesting. Better as it warms, but still not overly interesting.

 

 

 

Commercial brewers and homebrewers alike hands Sixpoint a collective "Thank you" for the education on hop flavor, and for giving us a very tasty IPA at the same time. And now introducing the little-known Wakaty hop variety...

Like many other India pale ales, the beer pours with a hazy amber glow that showcases unfiltered hop implementation. A creamy ivory-white head tops the beer with the lightness of meringue. Firm retention and random lace gives the beer a great amount of visual appeal, right down to the last drink.

Chocked full of citrus and tropical fruits, the nose is vibrant and zest with hop influence while a backside whiff of caramel supports the hops in a juicy and ripe fruit kind of way. Light bread crust, mint, and fresh-cut grass keeps the aromas bouncing from hop to malt and back to hops once again.

The taste is every bit as refreshing as the nose suggests. Thin honey-like caramel sets the early palate, just before the middle palate receives hop flavor. White grapefruit, citrus peels, mango and apricot emit from the hops just as the malt sweetness gives a plumper, sweeter, and slight candy-dipped support to the fruit impressions. And as the beer leans toward finish, the sweetness trails, the fruit dries, and the hops develop into a racy grassy bitterness that's full of mint, muddled herb, and soft vanilla bean.

Mild hop acidity provides light, crisp, and refreshing texture early on despite the supple creamy feel of malt and carbonation. The beer turns dry, zesty, and bitterly focused early to allow hop dominance to shine in finish. Light minty hops and alcohol combine for playful warm / evaporation cooling interplay. Couple that with the soft vanilla-like finish and we have an IPA that is as characterful as it is refreshing.

The Wakatu hops (as far as I can tell) gives the beer the classic "American" character of citrus and tropical notes. Its focus on sharp bitterness is sure to appease the most demanding hop-heads. Its herbal, minty, grassy nuances adds more than just fruit and hints toward noble German and English varieties.