Friday 7 March 2014

Sixpoint Brewery - From There To Here In Seven Years


Here's a snap from my visit to Sixpoint Brewery in 2007. The mists of time and parenthood have managed to separate this image from its notes, so I've no idea who this enthusiastic gentleman is. I remember that he was mashing in when we arrived, stirring the mash with the paddle. He preferred doing it this way - it kept him in touch with the mash. And of course, he got to pour sweat into it too - hey, don't worry, it's going to be boiled for an hour. What I love about this photo is that it's already in the Sixpoint colour scheme.

Fast forward seven years, and what should arrive in the post but a brace and a half of cans from Sixpoint. I have to admit to a flash of jealousy; a couple of years ago, I got in touch with Sixpoint hoping to buy beer off them, and while the exchange of emails went well, the trail went cold after I was handed off to another member of the team. After a series of humiliating answerphone messages ("Hi, we exchanged a lot of emails and then you stopped replying. Hello? Helloooo?"), I gave it up as a bad job.

So JW Wetherspoons are now selling Sixpoint beers in cans - I know, WT and indeed F. They are part of their new craft range, and from what I can see, are going to be alarmingly reasonably priced. The Crisp is a pilsner-style lager, pale, hop-hazy and falls broadly into what me termed the "lawnmower deluxe" category. Clean, well-made, and the grassy bitterness kept me tantalisingly on the edge of a Proustian experience - what DID that beer remind me of? I will never know.

Sweet Action is described in Wetherspoon's press release as "part pale ale, part wheat, part cream ale", which of course reminds me (and you too, I'm sure) of Doctor Octagon's track "Half Shark-Alligator Half Man", and allows me to post this completely gratuitous shot of me with Kool Keith (aka Dr Octagon) when the Ultramagnetic MCs perfomed at Leeds' superb Brudenell Social Club last year. And like that gig, Sweet Action doesn't quite satisfy, coming across somehow as slightly ersatz - a bit sweet, a bit flabby, a bit "gimme fifty bucks and I'll take my headscarf off".

Bengali Tiger is a beer I've tried before - in fact, it features in my now out of print first book (if I keep saying "first", it implies a second can't be too far behind). Here's what I said about it then: "There is a crunchy hop aroma to this copper-gold IPA, but unlike a lot of 'me too' IPAs, there is also a good malt presence. The citrus zest and toffee carries through to the palate where, although the hops become more prominent, the malt still plays a supporting role". It's a good job I went to the trouble of digging that out, because my initial impression was that it had perhaps lost a bit of hop character in transit, but that tasting note chimes exactly with my recent experience of it.

So, well done Wetherspoons for doing this. In the nicest possible way, this is the tipping point where American craft beer has gone mainstream in the UK. I've read that these are retailing in 'Spoons for £2.89 each, or two for a fiver - that's a completely barking price that suggests 'Spoons are making very little per unit, but are shifting large volumes of it, and probably haven't gone for any carbon-offsetting on the deal. The beers are fundamentally decent, they look cool, and according to the press release, will be served in a world beer glass. If it was up to me, they'd be served as-is and crushed on the forehead when emptied.


11 comments:

  1. How big are the cans? It don't get the excitement I've seen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 35.5cl. They're perfectly decent, but I think people are fetishising American imports a bit. That said, in terms of value, they're a steal - Spoons must be making buttons on a premium product.

      Delete
  2. Still don't get it. I can get goose island and SNPA for less in plenty of supermarkets. Perhaps it's the thrill of getting to drink the beer in the plush surroundings of a Weatherspoons that's exciting people so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Come on Ed, you remember that not everyone is as logical as you. The thing about fetishists is it's not a logical response to anything. The two trends in beer currently are (1) new stuff and (2) cheaper stuff. I'm as surprised as you that these are bigger draws than (1) do I like it? and (2) is it worth it?

      Delete
    2. Just seen the blog where someone's complaining about US beer costing £6.50 a can. I understand why £2.50 seems a bargin now, though I won't be rushing to 'Spoons myself!

      Delete
  3. Hurrah for spoons! That should give a kick up the jacksey to lazy complacent expensive craft beer retailers!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Zak, Do you have any idea/thoughts on what either side is making from a profit/margin,point of view?
    Ben

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for your intersting blog. We found it very helpful. For additional beer and fitness information please visit: www.beerandbody.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. mark Lackwhite · University of Oxford
    My Name is Lackwhite from uk, I wish to share my testimonies with the general
    public about what this man called Dr.okuta has just done for me , this man
    has just brought back my lost Ex husband to me with his great spell, i was
    married to this man called Steven, we were together for a long time and we
    loved our self’s but when i was unable to give him a child for 2 years he
    left me and told me he can’t continue anymore, then i was now looking for
    ways to get him back until a friend of mine told me about this man and gave
    his contact email (drokutaspell@gmail.com) then you won't believe this
    when i contacted this man about my problems, he prepared this spell cast and
    bring my lost husband back, and after a month i miss my month and go for a
    test and the result stated am pregnant am happy today am a mother of a baby
    girl, thank you once again the great dr.okuta for what you have done for me,
    if you are out there passing through this same kind of problems you can
    contact him today on his email. drokutaspell@gmail.com and he will
    also help you as well

    ReplyDelete

Sorry about the word verification - the blog was getting spammed to bits.