Sixpoint Meltdown Review

Name: Sixpoint Meltdown
Style: Imperial IPA (NE/Hazy)
ABV: 8%
IBUs: 30

Ah Hazy IPAs, it seems that every brewery has their own interpretation of them. Enter Sixpoint Brewing with their Meltdown Hazy Imperial IPA. Why is it called “Meltdown” you ask? Well I did some digging and, if the Lab Notes from their website is to be believed, there is supposedly “enough hops to melt your face” in this. I’ll, of course, be the judge of that. Speaking of hops, the ones used in here are two of my favorites: Mandarina Bavaria & Mosaic. Let’s see how this is! I also got this for a very reasonable price, which is nice considering that a lot of the Hazy IPAs that I see are, in my opinion, fairly overpriced.

Appearance – Hazy yellow/orange color that has a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head itself is fairly foamy with some spotty lacing along the sides of the glass.

Aroma – Even before taking a whiff, I could already smell this beer even as I sat far away from the glass. Upon taking in the aroma, you’re treated to a bright citrus & orange peel profile and it smells magnificent! There’s some caramel malts in here too as well but it’s eclipsed by the sheer citrus aspect of the flavor. It goes without saying that the nose packs a real punch!

Taste – Much like the nose, the flavor has a strong citrus hop & orange peel profile the dominate most of the palate. The caramel malt backbone is present throughout, providing a balance from keeping it from getting too out of hand. On the back end, there is a mild bitter hoppiness that helps even things out even further. In the aftertaste, that citrus and orange peel flavor does make a brief return if but for a moment.

Remember when I said that I think a lot of Hazy IPAs are overpriced? Well, I find myself in an interesting position where if this beer were priced $2 higher than what I got it for, I would gladly pay the price of admission because the flavor is extremely robust. In fact, I’d even go as far as to say that this is a textbook example of how to do a Hazy IPA correctly. So yes, I do agree that the name “Meltdown” is appropriate for this beer.

Fans of Hazy/NE Style IPAs will no doubt fall in love with Meltdown but even those who aren’t necessarily fans of the style will find something to enjoy with this beer. As such, this is very easy for me to recommend!

Sixpoint Meltdown – 9/10