Sixpoint Autumnation (2012)
Brewed and Canned by Sixpoint Brewery, Brooklyn, NY. USA.
Autumn Seasonal.
16 fl. oz. / $2.95 USD / 6.7% ABV
About: "No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace, as I have seen in one autumnal face. One of the most special times of the year for craft brewers is the hop harvest. The Autumnation celebrates this season by harnessing pumpkin and fresh "wet hops" chosen by our fans. Our Autumnal brew is made with subtle pumpkin and spice, but its prominent feature is the fresh harvested "wet-hops" that are added. There is a new hop strain and selection every year. Autumnation 2012 features Citra Hops." 
Thoughts: What an absolutely beautiful looking beer. Autumnation poured an extremely cloudy bright orange hue with a huge fluffy white head on top. There were a few flakes floating around in there at first, but they quickly dissolved. The carbonation seems slight.
The scent is of incredibly fresh, strong, zesty and piney hops! Awesome. I'm reminded of Sierra Nevada's Estate Ale and a little bit of that Pliny The Elder. It's very resiny, and has got a nice and sweet malt backup to it.
Stinging hops burst and explode upon first impact, and after slowly settling down, an earthy semi-sour mash rolls in... and is then uprooted by a gentle and slightly sweet, toasty caramel malt. This one is really light on the spices. I would have liked to get a little bit more of a traditional pumpkin beer taste with this one, but I'm not really complaining. It's very raw, peppery and pretty fierce. I like it a lot.
Mouth feel on this one is very frothy, tingling and only slightly sticky.
I'm not really sure how I feel about this as a "pumpkin beer". It's one hell of an IPA, that's for sure. And for what it is, a definitely worthwhile beer to seek out, this one is going high up the list of Pumpkin Ale for me. It really does bring all the flavors of fall along with it. This is a strange beer, but it's some damn good fine drinking.
I tried this last year for the first time and drank the hell out of it last Fall. I haven't had any this year though, which is a shame. It's a nice change of pace from the pumpkin and Oktoberfest beers that are so popular this time of year. I may have to walk down to the local beer store and grab a box.
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