Ah, the words we use to describe hops. Some of them don’t sound very appetizing. Weirdly, this seems to be the case for my favorite hops. The big, American citrus and pine bombs that are so popular actually have some rather weird descriptions hurled at them. Cat urine? Um, what? Sounds rather gross. Apparently some hops really do give off that sort of aroma, but not having cats, I can’t really say. In any case, I don’t get that sort of description when it’s being used as a positive (I mean, I love me the smell of something like Weyerbacher Double Simcoe – does that mean I like cat piss?) Dank? Yeah, that’s not usually something I want to drink… and I’m not much of a weed guy either (dank being something that’s apparently positive in that realm). Ditto for the word resin, which also has that pot connection, though at least its standard definition isn’t super disgusting. It’s got a more neutral connotation, so it’s got that going for it…
Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love beers that people describe as having dank, resiny, cat uriney hop flavors and aromas, I just don’t tend to use those words to describe it, with the exception of resin. I actually love that piney, resiny flavor that comes from some hop varieties like Simcoe, Chinook, and Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus. So when I saw this beer’s name, it sounded promising! Sixpoint is a brewery I’ve not had much experience with, and those energy drink looking cans never really inspired much confidence, though I don’t know why. They’re distinctive and well designed, so let’s give them a shot:
Sixpoint Resin – Pours a hazy orange brown color with a finger or two of head that leaves plenty of lacing as I drink. The smell is full of sweetness and fruity hops, with just a hint of pine (with a moniker like “Resin”, I was expecting more of that piney aroma). Ah, I see, the pine comes out much more in the flavor, which starts very sweet, with a big, resiny pine flavor, followed by some more citrusy hop character. Bitterness doesn’t really emerge until the finish, and it intensifies through the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is light and bright, plenty of carbonation, but quite drinkable for such a big beer. Overall, a very nice DIPA, something I could certainly go for again! B+
Beer Nerd Details: 9.1% ABV canned (12 oz.) Drank out of a tulip on 5/12/12.
A promising start for Sixpoint, and I’m sure I’ll have some more of their stuff at some point, though who knows when?