Hoppy Stony Face Red Ale

Brewed by Hoppy Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
Sacramento, California USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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UPDATED: JUL 18, 2009
Date: May 19, 2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Appearance: clear dark red, huge creamy beige head, thick lace
Aroma: sweet caramel malt aroma with light floral hops
Flavor: sweet caramel malt flavor, light citrus character, lasting bitter finish

Date: July 06, 2009
Mode: draft
Source: brewpub
Appearance: clear dark amber, fine off white head, lots of lace
Aroma: dry caramel malt aroma with earthy hops
Flavor: caramel malt flavor, just a touch oof sweetness is balanced by a huge earthyness

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: *4

Nothing special. I was expecting more. I heard good things but the 2 I tried from them werent great. Both had off flavors and funky tastes going on. It was weird. The middle palate and taste was too funky and some dank nuttiness. Hmmm. Hard to say but def. funky

22oz bottle 11/20/11 (Courtesy of TerryR)-42° in English Pint-Pours a hazy dark amberish brown with a huge tan foamy tan head. Aroma of hops, chocolate, caramel, toffee, and malt. Taste of the same with a bit more caramel and hops. This medium bodied brew is well balanced and it goes down easy.

22oz. Bottle: Aroma of malt, slight chocolate, light roasting, nuts, and a hint of hops. Poured amber in color with a large, loose, tan head that diminished but lasted throughout. Clear. Very sparkling. Flavor is lightly sweet and slightly to lightly bitter. Tastes of malt, slight chocolate, light roasting, nuts, and some caramel. Medium body. Tingly, then dry texture. Average to lively carbonation. Malt, slight caramel, nuts finish is dry.

This beer was a pleasant surprise. Pours a really dark amber color with a brownish tint and a decent sized off-white head. Aromas of caramel and toffee. Flavors of caramel, roasted malt and slightly bitter citrusy hops. Medium-bodied with a malty finish. Nothing spectacular but a solid offering.

I used to think all these red/amber ales were stupid but lately I’ve been taking a shine to them. The good ones are slightly milder on hops than an APA and a bit more malt depth. And this is a good one. It’s a red brown beer w/ a foamy head and big straps of lace. The nose has a hint of herbal hops but roast takes the center stage. It is practically in the porter range as far as roastiness. I have certainly had some brown ales w/ less roasted malt character. Palate is light slightly oily but still light feeling w/ gentle carbonation. Lemon citrus zest rounds out nutty malts, bread and toasted cereal notes in the flavor. I could see myself writing this off as bland back in the day but now that I’m older and dumber, I can tell you I quite like it. It has a depth of flavor w/o being heavy or over-the-top.

Pours a deep ruby red with thin off white head with a few bubbles. Aroma of lightly spicy caramel malt and some nondescript hops. Flavor of cardboard, astringent hops, cereal. Thin bodied. Ironic, I thought their IPA was an amber. This is bland, gross, blah. It was cheap, though, so I can’t complain too much.

Appearance: amber and garnet hues with a touch of haze. Coppery head, filmy and bubbly. Swirls average.
Nose: hoppy. Red apple skins, peach skins, apricot skins – all including skins. Grapefruit pith, lemon pith, dry outer skins galore. Crisp. Dried hop cones. Clean and crisp.
Palate: clean, crisp, and dry. Apples, peaches, and apricot with skins included followed by sweetness of meats and juices. Mouth dries immediately – grapefruit and lemon. Skins and sweetness up front. Hop cones on top of tongue. Clean and unassuming but to the hoppy point.
Final Thoughts: the one thing about not expecting a lot out of a beer is when one gets happily surprised by a very pleasant tasting and quaffing experience. That was me and this beer.

Thanks to the Tampa Crew for sharing this one. Pours clear red-copper with a white head. Nose is caramel, earth, dry coffee, and booze. Flavor is similar with caramel, hint of coffee, spice, and booze. Medium-bodied red that has redeeming qualities.

Tallahassee, Fl. - Liquor Loft - 22 oz bomber. Pours a nice dark amber/copper with a sticky foamy off-white head that leaves a fair amount of lacing. Aroma has some fish bowl funkiness with a bit of chocolate to redeem it. Flavor is somewhat rich with some chocolate notes, a bit of black dirt earthiness and a little bit of homebrew funk. Mouthfeel is thick enough. Decent, but needs a little bit of work.

Bomber from Liquor Loft. Cloudy dark orange pour with a finger white head and sheet of lacing. Earthy caramel malt aroma. Tastes are lightly sweet malt with spice, wood and a bit of citrus. Thin texture with light prickly carbonation. Finishes slightly dry and quick - hops come through at the very end.