So today, it’s “Diesel” by the gentlemen of Sixpoint. The word “Diesel” has always made me laugh because it triggers memories of me renting a Dodge Ram from Enterprise to drive home from school for a weekend. I’m a 6’0″ tall, scrawny, bony thing. Driving a Dodge Ram through the heart of Pennsylvania. I don’t know, always made me giggle. Anyway, onto the beer, then. Diesel is a stout brewed to 6.3% ABV and 69 IBUs. So, this one ought to be hoppy.

And you can smell those hops right away, in considerable concentration. It’s not quite about to knock you out with a nasty left hook, but it’s delivering some soft, pacing jabs I’d say. They certainly cut right through almost everything else with that American bouquet we know so well; pine and citrus. But in conjunction with the dark malt, it’s interesting what you get on the nose, because there’s certainly some roastiness and chocolate buried underneath there. Oh and as for the body, looks like a black satin sheet, and pretty much no light is going through that sucker.

I’ll say this much: I did have a lot of fun drinking this beer. After each sip I was thinking “Wait, really?” and I dove right back in for more to confirm whatever suspicions I had. But I had to keep on confirming. I couldn’t stop, that is, until I had nothing left to confirm because the beer was gone. Drinking this was like a playful game of tug of war. Those 69 IBUs show up in full force, prickling the tongue and adding a considerable dose of citrus, piney, and almost woody/earthy flavors. Hops seem to be running the production, but then the malt in the back would speak up a bit and say “I deserve some attention, too.” There’s a roastiness, a burnt flavor, a chocolatey component and a touch of coffee there, but I would say the roast is what I notice most. It gives the hop flavors this… scorched impression, that’s the best way I can describe it. But then they go right on back to where they were when all of that bitterness comes through on the finish, like a tidal wave. The beer, surprisingly, is so very smooth it’s hard to put down.

The Verdict: Maybe you will think this is a Black IPA. Maybe you will think it’s a hoppy stout. Maybe you should stop thinking and start acknowledging how good this beer is.

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