Bengali Tiger - Sixpoint Brewery

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had this on cask at the Ginger Man. A very suitable cask beer, and the turnover is good here so it is fresh. A head with foam, opaque yellow amber body. Significant lace in the glass. Leafy hop aroma, and the taste is leafy bitter and drying. Definite hop fix here.

Serving type: cask

04-30-2007 14:39:36 | More by northyorksammy

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.63/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The pour was just wonderful. Clear as day with a rich orange tinted amber color that held together very well. Nice two inches of head on top quicky settled down to a thin film which thoroughly coating the entire inside of the glass to the point nothing could be seen inside. The I lean in for a whiff. Holy citrus knockout. This thing is a cannon of hops. Rich orange and tangerine notes lined with loads of pineapple and grapefruit. This is just insanely fresh. Even warming does nothing to depart from the super fresh hops that are just owning my face right now. Intense is not even the right word for it. Crisp and clean taste offers more of the same, just intense and crisp, hop flavor all over the place. Pineapple and grapefruit dominate, clean dry finish with super sticky resin like flavors, not an ounce of balance here and none needed.

Serving type: can

06-26-2011 04:52:48 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.25/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Trevor for this one.

A: The beer pours a cloudy light amber color with a huge white head that sticks to the glass.

S: This is an IPA? Very...bland aroma. Mostly bread and pale malts with just a hint of floral hops and maybe some tea. Just a little bit of citrus peel and that's about it.

T: The flavor is similarly unremarkable. There is a light bitterness and just a bit of grassy and floral hops. Mild citrus peel notes and a little bit of tea here, too.

M: Medium in body with the carbonation just on the low side of medium.

O: Amazingly bland for an IPA. I've had some pretty decent beers from Sixpoint, so this was a bit of a letdown for me.

Serving type: can

07-28-2011 05:21:51 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at J. Ryan's in Syracuse last weekend. Served in a pint glass.

Pours a dark orange color with a good white head and some spotty lacing on the way down. The nose brought forward a moderate amount of hops -- citrus and some pine, mostly. The flavor had a bit of a malt backbone with some light bread. Taste was slightly grainy, and added in a bit of hop flavor. Some pine and just a bit of citrus. Medium body with a bit of a bitter, dry finish. Not a bad brew, but not something I would go out of my way to try again, though I love that they're canning now.

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2011 13:27:50 | More by Thorpe429

brentk56

North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Arrives at the bar with a cloudy medium amber body and a modest, rocky head that leaves some lacing behind

Smell: Fruity esters of apricot and grapefruit

Taste: Starts out with a bitter apricot and kumquat flavor that leads to a resinous, piney finish; a slight residual fruitiness remains in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Medium to heavy bodied with low carbonation

Drinkability: Intriguing flavor profile; more of a mainstream American IPA - nothing over the top - just enjoyable

Serving type: cask

05-11-2006 00:47:39 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

3.48/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to jmpizzo for sending me this one!

Pours a hazy honey orange with a huge puffy 3 inch orange-white head that settles to an island of craggy foam. A random latticework of lace lines the glass on the drink down. Smell is of sweet malt, citrus fruits, and some herbal and citrus zest hops. Taste is of sweet malt, various sour citrus fruits, and some herbal and citrus zest hop flavors. A mild bitterness lingers on the tongue after each sip. This beer has a low level of carbonation and seems to be a bit flat for an IPA. Overall, this is a pretty good IPA but probably my least favorite of the Sixpoint cans I have tried thus far. The carbonation level kind of kills this one for me.

Serving type: can

10-11-2011 22:10:38 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a hazy amber color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of dry hoppy notes with light caramel malt notes. Taste is also dominated by light dry bitter hoppy notes with some floral undertones and some semi-sweet caramelized malt. Body is about average with good carbonation. Overall, I thought this was lacking some hops punch but it is still an enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 18:46:17 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.53/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Delightfully smooth and portraying a more delicate balance that's normally reserved for English-style IPAs rather than the sharper and more aggressive American versions, Bengali Tiger delivers an effortless taste and texture that will surely satisfy the taste buds for the staunch hop heads.

The hazy copper ale pours with a zesty and rich decantment while the carbonation separates the liquid from foam, constructing a creamy off white head that resists any fade and blanketing the glass with lace. All signs point to a well-made India Pale Ale.

Citrus is met with pine, caramel with rich bread- spice, grass, earth, and grapefruit all sculpt the notion that the beer is partly of American and partly of English influence. The nose captures all this with closer balance and richness than expected.

Taste starts off with deeply embedded breads, caramels, and a slight English biscuit quality. The moderately rich malt taste provides a substantial underpinning to the hop profile that decorates the flavor with zesty grapefruit, pine resin, orange zest, freshly mulled grasses and herbs, and an overall resiny/earthy taste that develops into a deep bitterness in finish that leaves the beer decidedly hoppy.

Medium bodied to start, but the beer retains its hearty malt and carbonated creaminess throughout, or at least until deep in finish where the resiny dryness of hops, along with alcohol warmth and fleeting malt character, where the beer's dry finish closes the session and allows for an extended grassy bitterness in aftertaste.

My taste interprets Sixpoint's Bengali Tiger as a slightly rustic American IPA or a clean English IPA that's no more American or English than Goose Island's IPA. The straddle of the style fence makes the ale as interesting and complex as it is indecisive or confused.

Serving type: can

03-19-2012 17:41:46 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the Growler station at Consumer Bev. in Orchard Park,I have been looking forward to trying this for sometime.Poured into a nonic a clear copper/brass color with a thinner but well sustained white head that left no lace as it settled pretty quickly.Sharp citric and herbal notes in the nose with a light toastiness and caramel taking a backseat but notiecable,good sharp grapefruit rind bite upfront on the palate the hops really hit hard with some pine as well then it gently melds into a long caramel sweet,toasty finish that doesnt measure up to the hop attack but lets you know its there.A little thin after a few sips but the flavors are spot on a very nice hop-burp inducing IPA here.

Serving type: growler

03-06-2008 21:47:34 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at The Levee in Brooklyn.

Hazy - as expected due to the hops. Great head retention! Very nice lacing. Fruity and caramelish in the nose with lots of resiny and citrusy hops. A touch peppery? - or is that alcohol peeking through? Perhaps a combination with some piney hops.

In the mouth it's medium bodied with a dextrinous edge, and moderately crisp. Standard carbonation @ 2.57 to 2.64 volumes.

The flavor is malty (bready), bitter, and caramelish against the hops. Alcohol is present to a certain extent, but hey, it's an IPA! Hoppy, resinous! Beautiful! It finishes dry and bitter as might be expected.

Overall, a pretty damned decent IPA that offers lots of balance and drinkability. Enjoyed fresh - this is certainly worth trying!!!

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2006 04:09:45 | More by NeroFiddled

WesWes

New York

4.43/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a dark gold/amber color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is great. It has an intense hop aroma that is laid over a solid malt base of pale and crystal malts. This is one hoppy beer nose; nice! The taste is great also. It has a very bitter hop bite up front that resinates through to the finish. The malt bill is simple; pale and crystal malts. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is one of the better IPA's out there. It's well balanced, yet intensely hoppy; a fine beer for sure.

Serving type: growler

02-13-2008 01:28:39 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.4/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A bit of a disappointment here, too malty.

Beer is orange and sweet with a thin off white head of small bubbles, some lacing, moderate carbonation, so far so good.

Beer smells mildly piny but mostly malty.

Beer is heavy on the front end with a lot of malt. I've had this beer twice and this was my experience both times. The hops come through as an afterthought and I don't understand why. The flavors are there but the hops should run the show in the beer. The malt is dominant and boring. Next.

Serving type: on-tap

09-23-2011 04:15:52 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to djrn for sending this beer in a box full of goodies from Sixpoint.

The beer pours a hazy orange-amber color with a white head. The aroma is full of pine and resin notes, with some bread notes thrown in. I also get some orange citrus in the aroma. The flavor is similar. I get a lot of bitter orange and pine notes with some bread and toffee thrown in for good measure. The bitterness is fairly high, but not overpowering. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: can

04-10-2012 02:40:05 | More by Mora2000

metter98

New York

4.08/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is slightly hazy orangey amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin off white head that transitioned to lacy patterns of bubbles and eventually completely faded away.
S: There are aromas of pine resin hops in the nose along with some hints of citrus.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell and has a mixture of piney and citrusy hops, but these are well balanced by the underlying malts and only contribute a light to moderate amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and clean on the palate and has a moderate to high amount of carbonation. There is a bit of dryness in the finish.
O: The beer is very easy to drink compared to others in the style because the overall taste is very well balanced and isn’t dominated by the hops.

Serving type: can

06-03-2011 01:34:30 | More by metter98

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.45/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 16oz can into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep golden brown color with a thin off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick but spotty lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains earthy hops, caramelized malts and some citrus.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of caramel and citrus that are quickly followed by a strong grassy hops bitterness. The malt character is hearty and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly bitter.

M: Crisp but not very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is dry and slightly sticky.

O: A little tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, it’s a solid beer but not one of the better IPA’s that I’ve had.

Serving type: can

06-15-2011 03:11:43 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is a pretty decent IPA. The pour was golden in color with a pretty nice looking white head. The lacing wasn't too strong here. The smell of the beer has a citrusy hop aroma. The taste of the beer was a little on the light side. It's hoppy but a little on the faint side. The mouthfeel was almost medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Overall it's a not a bad IPA, worth trying if iterested.

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2011 21:06:11 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.88/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Best before 8 Aug 2012

Pours an effervescent amber with 2 fingers of cream colored head. Sheets of lacing & great head retention

S: Grassy, not a ton of nose here

T: Bready notes followed by dryness along with much grapefruit up front, some grassy & grainy notes too up front. Much grapefruit as this warms, along with some bready sweetness & a touch of pineapple as this warms, plus a touch of pineyness. Finishes grassy, crisp & piney

MF: Creamy, medium bodied, good balance

Drinks easy, but not a great AIPA by any means, glad I got to try it & would happily drink it again. But was hoping for world class

Serving type: can

05-29-2012 03:13:16 | More by russpowell

emerge077

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -22%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

How can this already taste faded with a best by date of Jan. 2013? :S

Bright saturated orange, tons of lacing all around the glass, pillowy head of offwhite foam. Bright clarity, saturated color, looks nice.

Smells floral with some caramel malt sweetness. Not a pungent or fresh impression, somewhat acrid with tangible rawness.

Taste is plenty bitter, but lacking much nuance or hop flavors. Some maltiness, aspirin bitterness, green grass, and a slight alcohol note. Dry bitter aspirin finish. Medium bodied with light carbonation. Overall seems pretty one-note and bitter without much to balance. Freshness/stability is in question though, it just arrived in the market weeks ago.

Serving type: can

05-10-2012 01:51:02 | More by emerge077

Gavage

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: slightly hazy orange color with a 2" head that lasts a while Nice lacing develops.

Smell: caramel sweetness, floral hops, and grapefruits are easily detectable.

Taste: follows the nose as the caramel and green grape sweetness is nicely balanced with some graperuit and a decent but not overpowering hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel: crisp throughout. Medium bodied. Aftertaste is soft and lasts a bit.

Drinkability: superb flavored beer that goes down easy. If you are looking for an IPA that doesn't overload your tastebuds, this is the beer for you. Great session ale.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2009 15:35:35 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours hazed orange-amber with a thin lasting head. Thin lacing sticks.

The smell is of juicy citrus and tropical fruits - mango, lemon, lime (banana/coconut) emanate from the aromatic hops.

The taste is a blast of bitterness - herbal/piney/resiny with citrus. It is bitter with some sour/tart. The sweetness of the malt stays in the background, but ties things together nicely. Finishes dry - slightly metallic.

The feel is slightly oily, with a touch of metal that lasts briefly. It is medium-to-full bodied.

A hoppy brew for sure. A citrusy, piney, resiny IPA that is enjoyable to drink.

Serving type: can

01-03-2012 22:38:57 | More by jwc215

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Drank a $6 pint on-cask at the East Village Tavern in NYC. Mmm, very nice beer. The hops come straight at you with juicy orange, tangerine and grapefruit. Biting pine and citrus rind kick in shortly after along with a little blend of dry biscuit and whole wheat bread. The aroma matches with a big (for cask ale) pineapple citrus aroma. Delicious.

Serving type: cask

06-01-2009 01:41:03 | More by tempest

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A pounder can from Finger Lakes. Got the whole canned line up there.

A: The IPA is a lighter tea color, oranges and yellows swirling together to create browner amber hues. A huge head, over three fingers, leaves thick patches of lace behind.

S: Quite aromatic, although the ale needs a few minutes to get started. Peppers and sharp citrus ring out. The style strikes me as East Coast, content to be hoppy and firm but not in your face. Caramel malts serve as a counterpount.

T: Damn, this is a strong IPA. Well-balanced, both the caramel and hops came at me at the same time. The hops are citrusy, strong but decidely reserved. I think that, if unbridled, they could be a whole lot stronger. That restraint makes the ale work, coaxing out the caramel. Pine follows, sappy and resiny. That pine becomes the defining aspect of the beer, a sweet, syrupy bitterness that sings on my palate.

M: A sweet mouthfeel, the caramel can't be avoided. The hoppiness, though, is powerful enough to leave a piney feel. A good IPA.

Serving type: can

09-11-2011 19:44:21 | More by akorsak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Another awesome hopped up ale from Sixpoint, at least I'm guessing it will be. Considering I'm in love with this brewery and it's early in our relationship so I have to be cautious about falling head over heels. This is their IPA so if this drinks as well as the other beers in their sampler than it could very well seal the deal. Aroma scares me not because this is a Bengali Tiger but because the hop nose isn't as expressive as I would hope for. Tame citrus spicy, even green onion garlic notes coming through but in a timid I work with Sigfreid and Roy type of way. As I dive in with my first big gulp, I will say this has hoppy flavors but a mild bitterness hard to estimate it at 62 IBUs. I like the vivid imagery of the label with watch out for the bands of lacing down the sides of the glass these our the stripes, the "mark of the Tiger". Where's the eye of the tiger? I'm not gonna make any brown eye references there, but listen I like my IPAs hoppy and this flavor doesn't pull it off. This is way to safe east coast style IPA still a nice version of a hoppy beer but not like some of the midwest/west coast IPAs that I've grown to love. Balanced IPA I can deal. Mouthfeel is medium bodied linger hop bitterness drys things out, but carbonation is a bit off here I'm not sure why it didn't seem to be an issue in any of their other beers. Overall, I need more hop bitterness to go with the big juicy balanced hop flavor of classic IPAs. I had a Sculpin yesterday, a Two hearted IPA, and a Crooked Tree IPA all with superior hop profiles to this canned offering. One is rarer than the other four compared but all the others were just better.

Serving type: can

08-28-2011 15:04:39 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a fully clouded in brown hued orange. Airy citrus nose. Smooth flavor. Citrus and floral tones are there, but I do believe the cask conditioning has calmed the hop intensity of this one. After having a massive amount of this at a previous job, the distinct profile is basically seared in my memory. Feel is smooth, just like a cask should be. Very easy to drink...on cask at least.

Serving type: cask

09-11-2008 20:56:58 | More by RblWthACoz

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Cloudy orange-light amber color. Good head that needs some settling before a second pour is made. Light lace.

Like many bar pours, this has a mild aroma with good balance (more to the hoppy side, naturally). I question the cleanliness of the glasses because there are some off smells I associate with poor washing techniques.

The taste starts off with a light toasted, biscuity flavored malt. The hop bitterness overwhelms this flavor quickly. Nice flowery elements. The body is as expected.

Serving type: on-tap

11-21-2009 19:27:45 | More by smcolw