Is Six States New England White IPA A Nice Beer?

Six States New England White IPA is a bit of a mouthful, and I’m hoping it will be. It comes from the Williams Brothers Brewery in Scotland and is brewed exclusively for the budget store Aldi. Although I could swear I picked this can up in another store. Anyway, is Six States a nice beer?

Actually it is a nice beer, better than I expected being tied to a budget store. It pours a light hazy copper with a decent tight foamy white top. On the nose it’s big on citrus with orange, pineapple and mango notes. The taste delivers from the nose with big up front citrus flavours of orange, pineapple, mango and a nice grapefruit bitterness to finish. It’s nice and gets a rate my beer score of 4.5 out of 5.0.

It’s a lively little beer with a zesty body and a pleasant grapefruit bitterness on the finish.

Table Of Contents

Six States New England White IPA Review

This white IPA sits in a 440ml tall gold can with black and white writing. A simple but effective design and quite appealing to the eye.

The name six states could possibly represent the six states that make up New England in America. Those six states being Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. And perhaps hops used in this IPA are produced in one or more of those states.

So the hops used could be the likes of Cascade, Centennial or Chinook, although I could be completely wrong.

Don’t expect this beer to be white in colour, the white I imagine refers to the fact that it is brewed with wheat. This means it is on the lines of Wit or Weisse beer, meaning white beer.

Although I don’t know that for sure, it’s just my brain doing overtime.

You can find out a little more about White IPA at The Alcohol Professor.

Anyway on to the beer, what is Six States New England White IPA like to drink.

Drinking Six States New England White IPA

Poured by M’Lady in the Welsh Cockney pub shed it is a hazy looking Copper brown with a generous tight white foamy head.

This does fade a little, but sticks at about half a finger for the duration leaving a nice decorative lacing around the glass.

As Lou poured the beer she said she could smell the citrus and thought the beer would be a fruity little number.

Taking a sniff myself Lou isn’t wrong. A big hit of citrus aromas like orange, pineapple and mango fly out from the rim of the glass.

These citrus aroma’s dominate the smell of this beer.

The taste follows suit with an array of fruity citrus hitting the palate. And they all come through from the nose with orange, pineapple and mango dancing around the mouth. There is an addition of grapefruit providing a nice bitter finale.

Six States Score

This beer is decent in body and rather smooth in the mouth. It is fruity, fresh, zesty with a nice bitterness to finish. You know what I like it, and it gets a decent rate my beer score of 4.5 out of 5.0.

Lou rather likes it too saying “I could smell the citrus while pouring it and that’s not lost in the taste. It packs a fruity punch with a pleasant mild aftertaste.” Lou scores it 4.3 out of 5.0.

Reading the can after it says it is infused with citrus peel and coriander seed. I get the citrus, you can’t avoid it, but I don’t get the coriander. And nor does Lou, which is just as well because she hates coriander.

Maybe it is just overpowered by the hefty citrus aroma and flavour.

That said, it is a pleasant zippy IPA that I would enjoy again and again.

It is not light on strength, weighing in at 5.7% ABV, so not a session beer.

Williams Bros Brewing Co

Williams Bros Brewing Co started from the family run homebrew shop in Glasgow, Scotland. The brothers Bruce and Scot worked out of the shop Glenbrew, both loved brewing beer on a homebrew scale.

1988 saw them replicate a heather beer from an old recipe brought to them by a Scottish Lady. The popularity of that beer led to the brewery they now run today.

And they still brew that heather be too called Fraoch, along with some other historical beer recipes.

In fact the brewery started life as Heather Ale LTD, and still is today with the name Williams Bros Brewing Co being a rebrand.

In 2004 the brothers expanded and decided to add some more contemporary beers to their range. And they have plenty to choose from today.

A range of historical beers as well as more modern craft beers, including lagers, pale ales, IPA’s and stouts.

From humble beginnings in a homebrew shop to a big brewery making an array of beers, good job.

William Bros Beer Range

As I have already mentioned William Bros brewery make a lot of beers, including alcohol free beers and alcoholic ginger beer too.

Their range is big and exciting, and there a quite a few that I have got my eye on. So here are a few that represent their vast range of beers.

Bolo

Bolo is a 5.2% ABV blood orange IPA and one that has turned on my beer senses. Described as sharp, bold and fruity, this is a beer that is definitely on my wish list.

It promises to be hoppy with a good balance of sweet and bitter. A combination of caramel malt and juicy orange citrus, it could be a riot on the palate.

I’m in, I need to get me one of these beers.

Midnight Sun

Midnight Sun is another beer that has caught my eye, it is a rich dark and spicy porter. I love a porter and this one sounds great.

Aromas of caramel malty biscuit and coffee with a subtle note of spice. And similar flavours with roasted malts and coffee with chocolate and a little ginger thrown in too.

At 5.5% ABV it is not a session beer, which might be just as well if it is as rich as it sounds. However I’m still left wanting a taste of this porter.

Pavlov’s Dog

Pavlov’s Dog is a premium bitter, think toffee malt with a nutty edge and a little citrus fruit thrown in. Perhaps a mild hop and bitterness with a rich malt body.

It could be a bit morish, which is fine weighing in at 4.3% Abv more than one is okay.

I do like a bitter, so this one has to be on my beer radar.

Final Thoughts

William Bros then has a vast selection of modern style craft ales, while also having their historical range of beers too.

Some might expect that a beer brewed for a budget store may not be of the same quality and maybe some corners have been cut.

However, I don’t get that, well not from drinking Six States New England White IPA anyway. For me it seems a quality beer, a decent fruity IPA that I would drink again.

Having said that, there are plenty of other William Bros beer that will take priority first. If you have tried Six State beer, or any other beers from this brewery. Then do share your thoughts and comment below, let me know your experience.