My search for the best beer in New York continues….
I’m completely oblivious when it comes to sports. I didn’t even know who was playing in the Super Bowl until the game started this past Sunday night when I was convinced to attend a small party. And to show you how much I paid attention to the game, after the Giants won, I asked which color uniform they were wearing. Seriously. I’m a total moron.
The main reason I was excited about attending a Super Bowl party (aside from bringing Robicelli’s amazing Buffalo Chicken cupcake) was an excuse to finally try Sixpoint’s canned beers. I thought it was appropriate to hold a can of beer in your hand while watching a football game (even if I was glazed over while staring at the television). The Red Hook-based brewery started selling their beers in cans last summer and I had never had a chance to try them.
Aluminum cans supposedly keep beer fresher (and protect it from sunlight) and are easier to recycle. Sixpoint is not the only craft brewery putting their beer in cans. There is even a new beer called Bomb Lager (based in New York) that is only offering their beer in cans.
I picked up two of Sixpoint’s offerings for the big game. Both The Crisp and Righteous Ale are available on tap, but with slightly different names.
I started with the Crisp, which I had never tasted in any form. It’s a light pilsner (which is a lager and ironic for Sixpoint Craft Ales to even be making) that poured a pale golden with a large white head. There were wonderful hop aromas mingled with wet grain on the nose. I even may have gotten some tropical fruits like pineapple. I found the flavors to be a bit watery, but nonetheless crisp (as advertised) and balanced. The mild hop and firm malt flavors disappeared rather quickly with not much finish and a very light body.
Although the Crisp may have been more appropriate for pounding during a football game, the Righteous Ale (which I’ve tasted before under the alias Righteous Rye) had more complexity and backbone. The dark amber hue lay underneath a tall tan creamy head. I got lots of roast notes on the nose with sweet malts and perhaps some light coffee. The spicy rye flavors were pronounced (almost tasted like pretzels) with a bit of sweetness on the finish balancing things out. It had a creamy, medium bodied mouthfeel and was utterly drinkable.
I don’t know either of these beers well enough to say how or if the can affected its flavor, but they both tasted fresh and clean. And the one thing I did pay attention to during the big game were the commercials and the fact that I had these in my hand while the big commercial breweries tried to win us over with their gimmicky commercials, made the entire evening go down a whole lot easier.
Is Sixpoint Brewery’s The Crips (in a can) the best beer in NY? It’s a drinkable lager so it gets a 7 out of 10, but I found it to be overly light and slightly watery.
Is Sixpoint Brewery’s Righteous Ale (in a can) the best beer in NY? I liked the pronounced rye flavors that played with the sweet malt notes making this one much more interesting to drink and earning it an 8 out of 10.
| SIXPOINT CRAFT ALES |
| sixpoint.com |
