Stone 13th Anniversary Ale

Formerly brewed at Stone Brewing Co.
Style: American Strong Ale
Escondido, California USA

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

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Spectacular! Hops made me cough and pleased me! I knew this would be fab when I poured this beautiful deep red ale. Can’t wait for my next.

Aromas consist of intense black liquorice, dates, oats and deep malts. Pours a very deep purple/black with a medium sized brown foam top. Taste is more malty than anticipated with flavors of chocolate, coffee, liquorice, nuts, barley, oats, subtle bittering hops and plenty of alcohol. Carbonation is well masked by all the intense flavors. Overall, this is a flavorful brew, primarily malt based with strong presence of bread, liquorice, caramel, and yeast. Very subtle hop presence, mostly on the finish. Expect a very dark brew with plenty of malts and alcohol. I’d give this a B rating.

12th September 2009
Slight haze on this dark brown beer. Some hop on the nose. Soft palate - smooth. Deep rich hops bit not too bitter harsh. Subtle caramel malt underneath and then a little sweet pineapple. Finishes soft and a little dry with the marmalade rich hops taking over again. Some bitterness in the aftertaste. Fine beer!

Originally reviewed: 12/7/09. 22oz. bottle poured into my goblet. Pours a very dark amber-tinted maroon with an inch thick tan head on top. Great retention; leaves little lace. Scents of maple syrup, pine needles, floral hops, and honey-kissed breads make this one up. Very full bodied, but it retains a creamy quality that aids in sipping for sure. Carbonation level is spot on. Flavors of dark figs, molasses, licorice, sweet malts, and a good representation of bittering hops. This is a very well-made strong ale. This isn’t for the faint in heart, nor is it an everyday drink. Highly recommend.

From notes: bottle pour into snifter. This beer is not pretty. Looks like a cross between a quad and an oud bruin. Dirty brown-red hue. Smells like a bag of malted barley that has soaked in ethyl alcohol. The flavor is just what I want. Strong, sweet caramel malt body with still present, yet somewhat thinning hops. Butterscotch and navel orange begin coming through as it warms. Tastes beautiful and has held up well.

Bottle, 9.5%. Hazy very dark amber with medium beige head. Aroma is malt, fruit, caramel and hops. Flavour is malt, caramel, fruit, hops, pine, little citrus, medium sweet and bitter.

2009 vintage. Hazy brown with a beige head. Aroma is sweet, malty, caramel and rather hoppy - old hops. Flavor is quite sweet and very bitter. Dry and very bitter finish. 100412

Bottle. Nice head with good duration. Color is brown. Aroma and taste are bitter hops, burnt caramel, fruits and malt.

Sweet hop-aromatic scent with a floral tone, a bit stale (the hops?). Taste is big with plenty of hops, very flowery with a distinct bitterness. Very nice beer... But! Unfortunately, the alcohol is too prominent, and the flavor also has a sweet, vaguely stale and slightly buttery flavor that I do not really like!

vintage 2009 bottle opened in march, 2012. Pours a very dark mahogany, with a one finger foamy head. Sourish aroma, likely from the Cellaring that the bottle says not to do. Taste is extremely malty. To the point where every malty beer I’ve had before is blown out of the water. Slight sour finish, but very slight.

Notes from 8/2009 on tap at la Cave du Vin, poured into a tulip glass a: deep amber color, 1/2" off white head with good retention, lacing rings the glass on the way down s: clean piney aroma, hint of carmalized malt t: caramel malt quickly overtaken by sharp bitterness and piney hop flavor. slight alchohol as it warms. Very nice. m&d: medium to full bodied with light carbonation. slightly slick mouth feel, finishs slightly dry. Very drinkable beer for such a monster. Awesome!!!