Brownstone - Sixpoint Brewery

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Ever since the Cosby show, I've wanted to live in a brownstone somewhere. Call me weird. Anyway, this stuff pours a mostly clear sienna topped by a finger of glowing off-white foam. The nose comprises honey-laden biscuit, light maple syrup, mild grass, light walnut, and a hint of incredibly vague citrus rind way in the background. The taste brings in more of the same, with a stronger contingent of grass, a slightly stronger contingent of citrus, and a dried version of the honey and syrup. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid feel. Overall, a pretty nice little brown ale, nothing overtly special, but a decent option for the style.

Serving type: can

02-05-2013 21:51:40 | More by TMoney2591

greybeardloon

Rhode Island

3.35/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

best before March 22, 2013 (I think--the date is pretty smudged; I remember the date being in March of 2013 when it was legible)

A: Clear reddish brown with a thick head and good lacing.

S: Resinous, piney hops.

T: Citric, resinous hops that come across as sour. Bready malt is faint in the background. Well hidden toastiness on the finish, if I really concentrate.

M: Soft, yet a bit prickly. Too thin.

O: A far cry from the draft version I remember from the Redhook brewery.

Serving type: can

10-30-2012 01:22:10 | More by greybeardloon

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.38/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Growler from Bellport Beer & Soda. Pours dark brown with a small ring of white head. Aroma of roasted malt, caramel, light roasted nuts, and sweet malt. Flavor of sweet malt, crystal malt (iced tea) and light roasted malt. Definitely sweeter on the flavor side. An ok brown, definitely on the sweet side.

Serving type: growler

06-09-2009 18:27:52 | More by LilBeerDoctor

Amalak

New York

3.4/5  rDev -13%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Much better off tap.

I had this on cask at Stout, right next to MSG in NYC. Very brown with a slight nut scent to it. It was opaque and left a good lace.

To be honest, this was one of the least flavorful cask beers I've had. It had a nut and malt taste to it. Semi creamy but lacks any real kick to it. It left a sour aftertaste.

Serving type: on-tap

02-24-2009 02:22:45 | More by Amalak

nimrod979

Maryland

3.4/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Can into a standard pint glass. Best by 4/26/13

Appearance: Pours a lighter, well more of a deep amber when held into the light. Smallish one finger off white head. Okay retention but some nice sticky lacing

Aroma: Slight nutty, caramel, malty. Earthiness. Not much though. Aromas are rather weak.

Taste: Mild nutty and roasty flavor. some brown sugar molasses thing going on. Still laking on the malts. Interesting thing is the somewhat bitter finish on the backend. Citrus hops thing going on back there.

Mouthfeel: Actually goes down pretty easy. The hops bitterness is a little too forward than I've perhaps ever had for the style. It's medium bodied. with average carbonation. I think the lighter use of malts make it a bit

Decent, drinkable. Nothing remarkable though.

Serving type: can

10-01-2012 23:56:56 | More by nimrod979

seanwhite

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Very dark brown body. No lacing.

S: nutty, coffee, bread.

T: Very solid taste, with good coffee and chocolate undertones. Very little bitterness.

M: Not highly carbonated.

O: Very good brown ale, challenges the style, and Six Point continues to impress me.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2011 18:45:36 | More by seanwhite

Teleweizen2

New Jersey

3.43/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - a heavy handed pour yields a ruddy brown liquid with a billowing tower of off-white foam. Decent retention and leaves tons of lacing on the glass.

S - nose is a simple yet pleasant balance between malts and hops. Doughy dark bread and hints of milk chocolate collide with spicy and slightly citric American hops.

T - flavors are very similar to the nose. Lots of bready flavors. Mostly dough and multigrain bread. Citrus hop character presents a smooth bitterness and almost caraway like spice quality which lingers quite some time past the finish.

M - medium bodied with a slightly creamy texture. High carbonation almost fizzy.

O - not my favorite Sixpoint offering but still an enjoyable ale. Went quite nicely with cheeseburgers.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 16:59:46 | More by Teleweizen2

JMScowcroft

Vermont

3.44/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Brownstone - Pint Can

First off let me say that I will try just about any micro in a can, I don't know why but it is appealing to me. Also let me state that I am not particularly fond of Brown Ale's for the most part, so my review is somewhat biased in that regard.

Look - Pours a dark amber with a thick foamy head.

Smell - Malty and mahogany, tingles the nose a bit with bitterness.

Taste - Bitter and malty with mahogany overtones, made me think of a "Porter Jr."

Mouthfeel - Bitter mahogany. Not a trace of alcoholic content on the pallet. Fairly drinkable but would not have a second one.

Overall - Not overly impressed but it is above average. Decent, but not amazing. If I had to place this somewhere I would call it "New Castle's bigger brother" or a "Porter in training".

Serving type: can

01-28-2013 12:49:40 | More by JMScowcroft

dar482

New York

3.44/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The color is light brown with a decent amount of foamy head.

It has a good brown malt flavor, but it is a bit short on the flavor. It's soft and drinkable, but nothing very exciting. It's a decent brown ale, but nothing I'd go crazy over. I don't generally care for brown ales without the load of flavor that this lacks.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2013 05:41:29 | More by dar482

Gmann

New York

3.45/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours your standard chocolate brown color with a moderate bubbled khaki head that left some nice webby lacing on the glass.

The aroma is of a light grapefruit hop. Some metal notes from the malt and a subtle toasted malt.

Hops dominate the flavor of the American Brown Ale. Grapefruit in nature but of are a strength that won't confuse this with an IPA. Some leafy and grass notes from the hops as well. The malt is fairly weak for a brown ale. It provides some toasted flavor and perhaps a hint of brown sugar and chocolate. Some dry lemony notes in the finish.

Light to moderate feel with appropriate carbonation. Dry and almost astringent in the finish, not overly bitter.

A weak brown ale base with a good hop profile. Sixpoint definitely cut down on the yeast profile from the last time I had this beer. Would love to see more body to this beer.

Serving type: can

08-19-2012 20:21:43 | More by Gmann

david18

New York

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This was a recent review of the growler version:

Got this at the new whoe foods on the upper west side in Manhattan. The best thing about that place is the growlers. I wanted something light in alchohol. I'm not a huge brown fan but this was really good for the style. YOu could very distinctly discern between the maltiness of the dark malts while still finding light enough in alchohol to drink as a session. With my new found appreciation of this beer I will enjoy it as a session beer in Winter, like a Guiness.

---

The cask version was the same. Good but not overwhelming in any way. Worth trying.

Serving type: cask

03-15-2012 18:20:28 | More by david18

horshack7

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: With some amber hues and an off white head a good two figners thick is a solid brown colored beer.

Aroma: Citrus hops, roasted caramel malts, light toffee hints, and a little bit of dark bread.

Taste: Fairly sweet up front with a decent amount of citrus trailing. Light roasty notes and caramel malts. The mouthfeel is on the smooth side and finishes the same way.

Notes: A solid beer and nicely drinkable. Cheers.

Serving type: can

08-25-2012 03:30:23 | More by horshack7

smakawhat

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the can into a nonic pint glass.

Real good head formation off the pour on this. Light tan head. Creamy, somewhat together with lots of retention and staying power. Body is a deep dark redish brown color with not much ability to see through it.

Bouquet on this is neutral for a brown ale. Malt action not so much, sugar sweetness or nuts, no. But there is a distinct aromatic hop on here, something akin to a mellow pine which seems to make a woody character nicely to a brown ale.

Taste is very light bodied, with a simple feel. Much of the flavor is in the aftertaste as to the mid palate, and very subtle. Light chocolate, light malts and a lingering mild hop astringency. Body makes with the lightness also, almost wet but luckily not too bad.

Overall an easy drinking brown, with some light flavors. Something in my gut tells me this on tap or nitro would make it sing.

Serving type: can

09-05-2012 23:40:33 | More by smakawhat

PorterLambic

Florida

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Arrives a clear, dark brown with orange throughout. Creamy head eventually drops to a chunky film and leaves great lacing behind.
Smell is malt, hops, grass, herbal. Hop presence stronger than I prefer though as an American brown I guess that is to be expected.
Taste is malt and hops with a slight vinegar note and some grass. A nuttiness develops in the aftertaste with some evergreen.
Medium bodied with a medium effervescence leads to a clean, dry finish.
Overall a good beer but definitely more hop forward than an English brown (and my preference).

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2012 17:05:34 | More by PorterLambic

StJamesGate

New York

3.58/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear oxblood with lumpy creamy eggshell head that crusts.
Orange rind, carob, and roasted peanuts on the nose.
Cran-apple, brown toast, some hazelnut, a bit of caraway in there, then lots of citrus oil hops.
Butter shortbread ending and tingly linger.
Lt-med, crisp, some cling.

A bit thin, undermalted and overhopped. A maybe a bit stale? Either way, not easy for a brown or sweet enough to justify 6%.

Sixpoint continues to underwhelm.

Serving type: can

02-28-2013 01:33:39 | More by StJamesGate

emerge077

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured the 16 oz. can into a small snifter, a tight cap of creamy foam rose and feel quickly. A thin broken skim mottles the surface, while a threadlike ring circles the edges of the glass. A tiny bit of spindly lace is left around the edges.

Fruity ale yeast, apple and raisin, some light spice and specialty grains.

Tangy with a light bitterness, nutty malt character, a drying and mildly hoppy finish. Medium bodied with a little bit of astringency and bittering hops. Light carbonation. A fairly straightforward brown ale that's a bit hoppier than the usual.

Serving type: can

12-19-2012 00:34:29 | More by emerge077

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap 3/1/2010 at The Publick House in Brookline, MA, served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of maple, caramel, roasted malts and a little bit of hops.

T: The taste is malty but not overly sweet and not too heavy with flavors of maple, caramel and nuts. The hops presence is mild but complementary and brings some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, this a decent beer to drink for a while but there are better beers in the style that I would pick first.

Serving type: on-tap

03-03-2010 16:46:25 | More by TheManiacalOne

rfgetz

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a murky brown color with cap of off white head, mix of dense and fluffy big bubbles, decent lacing. Scent is as murky as its appearance, earthy, bready and musty with touches of chocolate, coffee and brown sugar. Taste is a bit more clean with a blend of carmel, chocolate, butterscotch, light molasses, brown sugar and damp earth, notes of dark roasted nuts and coffee. Medium bodied, smooth and lighter carbonation. Sort of a watered down version of DFH Indian Brown, some underlying bold notes that dont quite force themselves through the taste profile.

Serving type: on-tap

01-31-2011 14:23:53 | More by rfgetz

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.64/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

16 oz can into a pint glass.

A: Pours an attractive chestnut brown color. The head is a two finger offwhite shade that isn't particularly creamy-looking. The lacing, however, is fantastic.

S: On the first inhale, it seems like it's overly hoppy...but the hop profile seems to fade a touch as it warms up. This allows the notes of brown sugar, molasses, cola, and nuts to appear next to the citrusy/grapefruit hops. I'm actually intrigued - this smells like it will work!

T: And actually, it kind of does. Dry nuttiness opens the flavor profile up, before finishing with a combination of citrusy hops and sweet, vaguely chocolaty malts. Good cohesion between the hop/malt interplay helps make it surprisingly pleasant, but there is a lack of depth here.

M: A bit thin, and not particularly creamy. The feel is nicely balanced between sweet and bitter, though, and it drinks easily.

O: Very solid - one of the better Sixpoint offerings I've had. Hopped-up dark beers tend to be hit or miss, and I'd reckon this is an almost unqualified hit (and needless to say, it works FAR better than Diesel did). I say almost because it does lack a couple things, such as complexity, but I'd have no trouble revisiting this one again.

Serving type: can

03-22-2013 21:18:15 | More by ThisWangsChung

llpad

3.65/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served from can into tulip. Nice, full, off-white head with decent retention. Lacing is excellent.

Smell was straightforward: light malts.

Taste was similar to smell, but initially was a chalky malt taste with a full, beautiful mouthfeel. A small sour/tang remains as the aftertaste and lets the drinker ponder this brew.

Overall, it's straightforward and well done. A great session brew, no doubt.

Serving type: can

09-18-2012 00:26:52 | More by llpad

barknee

New York

3.65/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Brownstone pours a dark burnt caramel color with a wealthy mocha tan head and generous carbonation.
On the nose; toffee, breaded malts, burnt sugar and lively yeast are on parade.
As for the taste, this brew in wonderfully bitter with just enough sweetness to balance things out. But I mean - this is one bitter brew with heavy handed hopping!
Well constructed like all six point products I've enjoyed, this one seems like a prototype and foundation for many other varieties they brew.

Serving type: can

12-22-2012 16:06:40 | More by barknee

oldirtycaffrey

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Tried the Brownstone while at a very nice place in NYC called The Half Pint (76 West 3rd Street, near Bleecker). It pours a dark brown with a foamy tan head. Some lacing on the glass. Smell was strong in hops and just a *tad* amount of roasted chocolate. Chocolate did not come out in the taste so much, but it's roasty hoppiness was very nice. A robust brown ale.

Serving type: on-tap

11-04-2007 14:43:37 | More by oldirtycaffrey

superspak

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16 ounce can into imperial pint glass, best before 4/26/2013. Pours fairly cloudy reddish copper color with a nice 2 finger dense khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice foamy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of caramel, biscuit, grass, herbal, grapefruit, pine, chocolate, toast, orange zest, and slight nuttiness. Pretty nice and pleasant aromas with decent strength and balance. Taste of caramel, toast, grapefruit, biscuit, pine, grass, orange zest, chocolate, and light nuttiness. Decent amount of pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, citrus, pine, grass, biscuit, and light nuttiness on the finish for a bit. Pretty good flavor balance; but is very much hop forward with hardly any noticeable darker malts until after the finish. No cloying flavors or sweetness at all. Medium carbonation and body; with a farily creamy and sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with almost zero warming noticed on the finish. Overall this is a good brown ale. Could have use more prominent chocolate roasted flavors in my opinion; but was still nicely balanced and very drinkable. Quite enjoyable.

Serving type: can

10-11-2012 03:06:07 | More by superspak

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.7/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This brew was served from the cask at The Old Toad in Rochester, NY. It arrived in an unmarked nonic. The beer showed a dark brown color, with lightness around the edges. A one finger light brown head showed great retention, leaving light bubbly sheets of lacing around the glass. Carbonation appeared medium, and no sediment was noted. The aroma had notes of almond nuttiness and lightly toasted, but deeply complex, chocolate malts. A clean earthy hop and faint vanilla were there for balance. Our first impression was that this was quite a hoppy brown ale. As we sipped, the first thing noted was a robustly even and floral hop quality, giving a light fruity sweetness. Coffee malts crashed in for a metallic but smooth balance. The middle followed through with the malts, giving lactic sourness at the peak. The hops also continued, becoming a bit more grassy and metallic themselves. We ended on more bittering notes of coffee malts, and more of the same simple hops. Sweetness was of chocolate covered malt balls helped to cut. The aftertaste breathed of dark chocolate and coffee malts, raw cocoa, earthen hops, faint booziness, and red winey nuttiness. The body was thin, with a watery feel throughout, and carbonation was light. There was little cream or slurp, but with decent smack. The mouth is left cooled and wet, with slight puckering coming with the final bitterness of flavor. The abv is appropriate, and the beer drinks easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was how hoppy it was. These made for a really great balance with those bittering malts. The malts in themselves were complex and dry, but we wished they were a bit more potent in both the nose and the flavoring. This beer was a nice complement to our shepherd’s pie and vinegar fries.

Serving type: cask

04-26-2012 14:49:32 | More by TheBrewo

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.7/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

Pours out a brownish-amber with two fingers of soft fluffy head that lasts for a few minutes, and leaves behind curtains of lacing bubbles on the glass. Texture is on the lighter side of medium thickness but smooth and slightly creamy, carbonation levels are somewhat on the light side.

Smells like the hopping was a cross between pilsner-styled noble hopping and a pine resin / grapefruit pith bittering, all partially covering up a chocolate malt. The flavor is a sweet initial caramel / chocolate malt that tempers itself with minor amounts of pith, resin, and garnish levels of earthen hopping tones.

This brown ale is so hop-forward that it pushes the boundaries of pale ale levels of hopping. It certainly makes things interesting, however the cost of the high hopping seems to be the obscuring of the nutty and bready elements of a typical brown ale. YMMV.

Serving type: can

09-02-2012 18:43:01 | More by WastingFreetime