How About a Little Sweet Action?

One of my favorite neighborhoods in Brooklyn is Red Hook. It's beautiful in that Marlin Brando "On the Waterfront" kind of way, and evokes the Bywater of New Orleans in vibe and appearance (which is one reason why John Frizell decided to hunker down and open his lovely cafe Fort Defiance there). In spitting distance of a giant Ikea, the scrappy and far-sighted folks of Added Value have turned a dis-used parking lot into an urban farm, supplying local restaurants with tasty greens and teaching local kids that food doesn't originate in a foil package (they are also instrumental in building a small farm on Governor's Island).

Stumptown Coffee of Portland Oregon planted their East Coast roastery in Red Hook, and I'll be danged if there isn't a hum-dinger of a brewery there, too. Six Point Craft Ales is fast becoming one of my favorite American craft breweries, and we have got some of their delicious Sweet Action Ale on tap over here at CapoPenn.

Shane Welch of Six Point, in an interview with Beerbasics.com, describes Sweet Action thusly: "...a hard one to describe, simply because it doesn’t fit into any particular style. It’s made with Pilsner and Pale Malts, but is hopped with only noble hops. It’s fermented with a Belgian yeast that provides a dry spiciness. Look for a unique orange taste underneath it all.. 6.9% ABV, 33 IBU".

What's missing from the description: the layers of delicious, sweet, fresh maltiness and the supple body; how those noble hop aromas complement the fruity yeast characters, and the razor-sharp bittering hop backbone tidily zips up all these sensations into a complete package.

Ezra, Dave and Jason sat outside in the May sun today, drinking way too many of those. They just couldn't stop! Come on in here and get some yourself, before these greedy pigs guzzle it goodbye. But, really: I'll be stocking this beer for as long as I can. It's just too good to let go!