Election Day - Sixpoint Hop Obama

After MB and I left the polls at around 4:45 on Tuesday, we headed over to Miracle Grill for a celebratory drink. As we walked in, we were greeted by Chris Jansing - formerly Chris Kapotosky of WNYT 13 in the Capital Region - who was filling time on MSNBC while the country waited anxiously for the first polls to close at 7. We ponied up to the bar and MB browsed the drink list while I asked the bartender what was on tap. After rattling through the regulars (Brooklyn Brown Ale, Stella, etc.), he paused and looked up at the chalkboard above the bar and said, "Oh, and we have this Sixpoint brew called Hop Obama." Within moments, we had two frothy glasses sitting in front of us.


The Brooklyn brewer came out with its Obama brew back in March and initially intended to produce it for a limited time during the hiatus between the Democratic primaries and the election. According to an interview with brewmaster Shane Welch, the brewery did "not intend [the] beer to be a direct Sixpoint endorsement of Obama," but instead found inspiration in the now president-elect's grassroots campaign. Clearly, the brewery decided to extend production...either that or the management at Miracle decided to hold onto a few kegs for election day. Wise decision.

At 5.2% ABV, the ale was sharp but decidedly drinkable - milder than an IPA with a deeper hue but still packing a similar bite. MB and I liked it enough that we decided to call Bierkraft right from our seats at the bar to see if we could fill up our growlers for the election party we were headed to later that night. Sure enough, Hop Obama was the one Sixpoint they had on tap so off we went. Fast forward about 5 hours and the next thing I know, we're dancing in the street.