Brownstone - Sixpoint Brewery

jondeelee

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Brownstone opens to a sweet, malty nose full of caramel and brown sugar, with strong touches of vanilla, and an overlying cola/kola nut aroma, lending the beer a strong resemblance to an old-fashioned hand-mixed vanilla coke. The brew is quite sugary on the nose, in addition to the aforementioned notes including some nice cherry, fig, melon, and mandarin orange fruit esters. Hops add a bit of pine and sweet pink grapefruit, but just enough to provide a soft bittering effect. As a whole, the nose is very nice, though the vanilla coke overtone is somewhat strange at the same time as it’s alluring, with the main weakness being a relatively light presence that could have used a bit of cranking up.

On the tongue, the beer is far hoppier than the nose let on, the 45 IBUs immediately present in good levels of pine, grapefruit rind, and light eucalyptus. These mix well with the sugars, which bring mainly brown sugar, as well as smaller notes of cherry, orange, and fig fruit esters. Breads are far more present here than on the nose, with biscuit, toast crust, and thick brown breads adding nice earthiness. The vanilla coke notes are thankfully gone, though touches of vanilla do remain, as well as hints of caramel and toasted nut. The aftertaste is mainly hops, toasted nuts, and toast crust, most of the sugars having died off. Mouthfeel is medium-light to medium, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, this is very nice fare, and for a comparatively low 6% ABV, has good flavor and presence, even over the course of several mouthfuls. It could have still used a bit more oomph for even more presence, and the sugars needed to be stronger to better make themselves noticed against the hops and breads. Still, what is given in here is drinkable and delicious.

Serving type: can

02-01-2013 20:09:23 | More by jondeelee

touchmeimsac

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

05-20-2013 13:46:31 | More by touchmeimsac

dkline72

New York

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

05-19-2013 13:18:23 | More by dkline72

danwho

California

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

05-19-2013 00:24:26 | More by danwho

SirHefeweizen

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%

05-18-2013 22:45:29 | More by SirHefeweizen

abcdefghijkyle

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

05-14-2013 21:08:16 | More by abcdefghijkyle

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +2.3%

05-12-2013 17:47:58 | More by mikeburd1128

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

16 oz can poured into a shaped pint glass.

Appearance
Mahogany with 3 fingers of creamy, off-white head. Good retention leaves behind decent rings of lacing. Really good clarity with low carbonation.

Nose
Caramel, bread and candy sugars. Hints of nuts and brown sugar.

Taste
Light on the palate. Caramel, brown bread and a dose of candy sugar. Light nuttiness with a touch of brown sugar. Just a hint of piney bitterness on the finish.

Mouthfeel
Medium-full bodied, silky and smooth.

Overall
A little bland in the flavor arena, but very easy drinking.

Serving type: can

05-08-2013 20:51:57 | More by justintcoons

KTCamm

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a sixteen ounce can.

Pours chestnut brown, good 1/4 inch white foam. Fluffy on top. Malty caramel nose. Vanilla too. Rich malty refreshing taste. Light bitter hop in the close. Subtle balanced sweetness. Halfway between a pale and a brown. Flavorful. Really good.

Serving type: can

05-08-2013 01:25:59 | More by KTCamm

schaffer9252

New York

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

05-04-2013 13:52:46 | More by schaffer9252

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.04/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Ruby caramel tinted mahogany brown body with a fine bubbled cream colored head, nice textured lacing around the sides of my glass. Aroma has some chlorophyll green quality mild citrus leafy tobacco notes, with caramel malt backbone riding thru with a quality bready maltiness. That's where Sixpoint ales win it's there malts they never forget that the hop show is nothing without the base malt, flavor here screams that with a nice bitter hopped up brown ale still able to show off a complex malt base. Semi bitter finish medium to light bodied nothing cloying or holding me back from another drink gravity did all the work, damn where did the beer go...drinkability is insane I want a whole four pack. Damn good balanced but hoppier neo brown ale.

Serving type: can

05-04-2013 00:21:23 | More by WVbeergeek

Stevie_Janowski

Illinois

3/5  rDev -23.3%

04-29-2013 02:53:59 | More by Stevie_Janowski

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -23.3%

04-29-2013 00:44:24 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

Haglev

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -16.9%

04-28-2013 23:30:29 | More by Haglev

johntandlich

New York

3.25/5  rDev -16.9%

04-26-2013 00:45:24 | More by johntandlich

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -16.9%

04-25-2013 17:48:53 | More by Jason1337

tdm168

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - dark caramel amber with a large, thick, dense, brownish head that has great retention

S - caramel, faintly nutty, citrusy

T - caramel, big citrusy hop character, mild piny bitterness, an underlying nuttiness

M - medium bodied, well carbonated

This is really a nice beer. It has the hallmarks of a traditional brown ale with big caramel notes and a faint nuttiness. This beer, however, brings a big hop punch with an intense citrus character and solid, balanced bitterness. This is definitely worth a try.

Serving type: can

04-23-2013 22:53:17 | More by tdm168

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

04-23-2013 04:43:10 | More by Kelp

BeerNotes

Ohio

4.34/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Dark brown in color, pretty clear. Pours with a 1/4-inch eggshell head that dissipates quickly, but leaves some lacing on the way down.

S: Full malt aroma. A slight hint of toffee and nuts with just the tiniest bit of hops.

T: The malt from the nose is big up front, like a traditional brown ale. Hints of chocolate. Halfway down, the hops kick in and finish out the flavor.

M: Creamy on the tongue, but finishes a bit prickly and dry.

O: A really interesting take on a brown ale. The hop flavoring — and where it kicks in — makes this a surprisingly refreshing darker brew. The transition between the malts up front and hops in the back is a bit weird, and really the only downside to the flavor combination. It was a really smart move by Sixpoint to release this when they did, as the beer is a great segue from lighter, refreshing summer beers to the Märzens/Oktoberfests and pumpkin ales of the fall.

Serving type: can

04-21-2013 18:29:55 | More by BeerNotes

cram

New York

4/5  rDev +2.3%

04-18-2013 00:59:19 | More by cram

dmorgan310

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%

04-10-2013 03:11:33 | More by dmorgan310

Keith_R

Georgia

4/5  rDev +2.3%

04-07-2013 23:36:51 | More by Keith_R

dllman25

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%

04-07-2013 19:34:20 | More by dllman25

visualmartyr

Indiana

4/5  rDev +2.3%

04-05-2013 21:44:33 | More by visualmartyr

Zuela

New York

3/5  rDev -23.3%

04-05-2013 17:42:47 | More by Zuela