Sixpoint Autumnation 2012 Arrives
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MyBeer Buzz
Good news from Sixpoint:
As with all things in this world, the only constant is change. Every September, as days grow shorter and leaves start to turn, it can mean only one thing – Autumn has arrived. Here at Sixpoint, we embrace the spirit of this time of year with our limited release Autumnation can.
Created with this special season in mind, Autumnation is brewed with Fall-favorite pumpkin, as well as ginger and freshly harvested “wet hops.” As proud as we are of our autumnal creation, in 2012 we decided to spice things up (pun intended) with the addition of a surprise twist to the recipe. Read on!
Fall isn’t just embraced as a transitional time between the hot days of summer and the frigid nights of winter. For a certain breed of North American farmers, Fall ushers in their busiest time of year – the annual hop harvest. It is during this time that the hops are at their very peak of freshness and rife with flavor. For Autumnation, we work to sustain this fleeting moment by capturing the essence and vibrancy of the plant immediately after harvesting, and just as quickly incorporate them into our beer.
Only one question remained: which strain would be selected for “wet-hopping” by our Mad Scientists? Let us explain. Earlier this year, we launched an online poll of beer-lovers as to which hop strain they’d most like to see in Autumnation 2012. After a tight race with Centennial, Chinook, Amarillo and Simcoe, the Citra hop claimed its place as the fan choice for 2012. BT Loftus Ranches in Washington’s Yakima Valley will once again be providing us with the fan-chosen fresh hops this year. Patrick Smith, a 4th-generation hop grower at BT Loftus, shared his thoughts on the fan-driven interactive ingredient selection: “Working with a brewery as creative as Sixpoint is always awesome. Allowing fans to participate in the process like this draws hop-growers like us even closer to the hop-lovers out there.”
Our own brewmaster Jan Matysiak and Sixpoint brewer Heather McReynolds traveled to Yakima to observe the festivities of the hop harvest this September. “During the time of harvest and processing, one can actually smell the hops when walking through the city of Yakima,” said Matysiak. “It’s truly astounding.” McReynolds was equally impressed. “Being in Yakima was a truly great experience,” she remarked. “One that every brewer and homebrewer should have at least once.” As with our other seasonal releases, these copper-hued cans will be of limited release. The Autumnation is available now, but don’t be surprised if they’re gone before the leaves are…
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