There are few people who would not agree that the beers from Sixpoint Brewery, located in Brooklyn, are some of the tastiest craft brews being made on the East Coast these days.

Originally founded in 2004, by two college room-mates, Sixpoint has only been distributing its brews outside the local area for a few years now, and canning product only since 2011.  But, the styles and quality they have developed in that short period of time has put them on the map with top line brewers in the US.

This month (August), Sixpoint Brewery is the featured brewery of the month at Max Burger West Hartford.  All month long you will find at least one if not multiple beers on tap from Sixpoint.  Plus, on the 17th, the guys from Sixpoint have promised us a special cask that will be tapped just at Max Burger and when its gone, its gone.

One of the things that makes Sixpoint so interesting is that they make a lot of beer; not just in volume but in selection.  It seems as though they love to experiment and keep things moving.  By building a loyal base of fans with an ever-changing collection of Ales, Sixpoint essentially always has something for everyone available. In fact, one of their series is called the Mad Scientist Series which has a rotating selection of smaller production brews.

Check out the Sixpoint website for the latest news and availability.  

This is one of the things that we love about this brewery, there is always something great coming from them, either seasonally or as part of one of their more limited series and is why we have picked them to feature this month.  Come in to Max Burger West Hartford all month long as see what the latest offering is from Sixpoint.  We are sure you will enjoy it! 

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by Brian Mitchell, Corporate Beverage Director Max Restaurant Group

Today is IPA Day!  And to celebrate one of the most iconic beer styles, Max Burger in West Hartford is pouring seven IPA styles from seven of our favorite breweries.  On draft until they are gone, we have gotten a selection of local and national products that are recognized for their top quality and individual style.  See the range below, but first a quick history of IPA…

I.P.A. (or India Pale Ale, to your and me) – The Historical Angle

Ales have been produced in England and other regions of Europe for over 600 years, and by the 17th and 18th centuries, several things began to happen to influence the traditional styles of beer being produced.  With more advances toward the industrial revolution machinery and technology began to modify the roasting process, making it larger (more commercially scaled) and the raw resources changes from primarily wood ovens to larger coal or coke fired).  This allowed for greater control of the roasting process and lighter, or paler, malts began to be produced and used for brewing.  This led to paler styles of beer than had previously been made, hence the names Pale Ale was used for these brews.

Also, the British Empire was expanding its boundaries and domains, which now included the far east and India.  Shipping beer to these outposts created a situation where preservation of the products was key.  By using hops in greater and greater quantities, British brewers discovered that they could maintain the stability of the beer over long sea voyages, plus it made the bees taste really good, as well.  The highly hopped pale ales were often designated for shipment to India and so the name India Pale Ales was soon coined and stuck.

Today we know the style to be relatively mild from a malt point, but highly hopped for both aromatics and bittering.  Just about any respectable brewery makes a version (or two or three) of IPA, including the now regularly found Imperial IPA, which usually have an even elevated level of hop.  Enjoyed by many, the IPA has become well known and in high demand, so that we even see single variety hopped beers being produced, almost similar to the single vineyard expression of wines.  Enjoy one of these seven brews on tap today at Max Burger West Hartford…

1 – Gandhi-Bot Double IPA – New England Brewing Company (Woodbridge, CT) – produced with three varieties of American hops, this is a CT State favorite and is usually found in limited release on draft.  We are big fans of beers from NEBCO, and are very pleased to have this in the line-up today.

2 – Hop Devil IPA – Victory Brewing Company (Downington, PA) – a big styled IPA utilizing American hop varieties for the robust but balanced style that Victory is known for.  Coming in at 6.7% abv, it is right in the middle of what you can expect from an IPA.

3 – Sculpin IPA – Ballast Point (San Diego, CA) – one of the harder to get beers from this 15+ year old brewery, the Sculpin just arrived and is a bit more Pale than most, but still packs a bit of a punch at 7% abv, just like the tasty fish it is named after.  This is a real treat.

4 – Imperial IPA – Back East Brewing (Bloomfield, CT) – local it is with this top of the line Imperial style from local brewers Tony, Ed and Mike.  The Back East style is out of the premium range and comes in at a hefty 9.5% abv, but maintains a balance and freshness throughout.  Great drinking beer, just need to watch the intake levels (a bit).

5 – Le Freak IPA – Green Flash Brewing (San Diego, CA) –  obviously a great place for brewing beer, San Diego’s other great brewery is Green Flash.  The Le Freak IPA is an award winning style that merges the Belgian Tripple style with an American Imperial IPA style.  Nearly at the top of the register at 9.2%, it is a beauty of a beer.

6 – Blindfold Black IPA – Sierra Nevada Brewing (Chico, CA) – the classic northern California Pale Ale brewer makes a statement with the Blindfold IPA, a brew that almost doesn’t exist.  Very limited availability on this keg, this is a beer that should be on everyone’s must-try list.

7 – Spice of Life Series: Galaxy IPA –  Six Point Brewing (Brooklyn, NY) – this series celebrates the HOP, by brewing and releasing with a single variety each month.  The 2013-2014 releases get kicked off this month with the Galaxy hop from New Zealand and Australia.  Big, fruity expression of hops in this brew.  Quite lush and tasty for the style.  Six point delivers with this one. 

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by Brian Mitchell, Corporate Beverage Director, Max Restaurant Group

Max’s Tavern is Springfield is turning a new leaf of sorts and will be featuring a very special and limited brew this weekend.  We have one log of the Tree House Brewing Torando IPA, a beer that was born during the June 2011 Springfield tornado (click here to read the brewery’s account of that fateful day).  Tree House Brewing Co. is located off-the-beaten-path in Brimfield, mass, and due to recent zoning issues, may or may not be continuing producing the highly regarded brews they have become known for over the past year.

Brewery description of the Tree House Tornado IPA

“Tornado” – An extremely liberally hopped APA.  Tornado was crafted during the unfortunate events surrounding the June 1st, 2011 Brimfield Tornado.  We created the beer in honor of the circumstances as we experienced them and luckily escaped the path by 1/2 mile.  Tornado is loaded with notes of pine, tropical fruit, and citrus.  At 5.6% alcohol, it’s super refreshing.

We are very fortunate to have secured one of the handful of remaining kegs and will be tapping it at 5 pm on Saturday, July 20.  Typically there are only about 45 pours from a log, so when the beer is gone, its gone, maybe forever, but not forgotten…much like the tornado it is named for.

Join us at Max’s Tavern in Springfield at the Basketball Hall of Fame to get a taste of this special brew.  Call 413-746-6299 for additional details. 

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