Stone 10th Anniversary IPA

Bottle from my cellar. Pours a murky amber. Big pineapple citrus hops and caramel malt. Flavor is still dominated by citrusy hops pineapple, grapefruit and some nice sweetness. Several more years nd this might be a nice BW.

Bottle from Hi-Time. Never got the chance to try this one fresh but one that I wished I did so an aged bottle was my last opportunity. Pours a reddish-copper color with a relatively thick off-white head that fades. Lots of caramel in the aroma with some toffee and some hops showing in the way of pine and resin. Lots of caramel malty and citrusy flavors, orange peel, maybe even some mango with some hops that are very resiny, a little oily, some grapefruit as well. Obviously the hops have faded but they were still sharper than I expected from a 2 1/2 year old bottle. This is no doubt totally different than it was fresh, drinking more like an American Barleywine now, but still very good and aged pretty well. I wish I could comment on how it was fresh.

Thanks Craig. Seriously. Can’t believe I’m drinking another one of these. This beer single handedly changed my perspective on beer. Clear amber, sticky head, lots of lacing. Malt is more caramel forward, hops are earthy. Yup. Maybe it’s the romantic nostalgia, but THIS BEER has a special place in my liver. It showed me that hoppy and bitter can be tasty and complex. It opened up IPAs to me, and for that matter, every other style that was previously intimidating or offensive.

Appearance- Nice light orange-red color; frothy white head that was mostly lasting, beautiful, intricate lacing that lingers throughout Smell- Very pleasant hoppy and sweet aroma, strong citrus tones Taste- First taste characterized by citrus consistent with aroma, heavy grapefruit emphasis, well balanced hoppiness nicely balanced by light malts Mouthfeel- Medium body, syrupy/oily texture, soft carbonation Drinkability- Very drinkable double-hopped IPA. The smooth citrus profile plays well with the extra hoppiness.

22 oz. Bottle. I’m a big fan of this one. First off, this is much more like a barley wine at this point than an IPA. I think it’s better now than it was fresh. Pours a sparkling reddish copper with a tan head. Great lacing and retention. Aroma is fantastically caramely and a bit buttery with a slight hop twang. The flavor has tons of caramel that’s perfectly balanced by citrus and pine hoppiness. Not particularly complex, but incredibly smooth and balanced. Finishes with a nice bitter bite. Chewy with low carbonation. One of my favorites and I’ll be sad to see it go.

Bottle many thanks to ang at chris o’s teabag for 2009 tasting. Alround rating: The aroma is really malty caramalt, but becomes fresher and hoppier as it wakes up. Taste is similar, but you can still taste the citrusy lychee goodness. Tasty stuff, would have been mindblowing when it was fresh i dont doubt.

A Mes rate. Bottle at Chris O’s pre NYE tasting. Hazy amber with a faint off white topping. Just about hanging onto the hops but age is certainly catching up. Aromatic and sharp notes make me wonder how this would have been fresh. Loads of caramel and some good bitterness in the finish with some late floral hits. Old, but still very good.

Growler (Sampled 01/19/08) . Pours a slightly murky two tone amber orange with some lively bubbles. Aromas of pineapple, floral hops that tickle the nose, and a faint hint of some sweet caramel. Wonderful nose! Nice sweet tropical fruit flavors with a hoppy overtone. Very light pine tones. Alcohol is well hidden in the taste but you can feel it. Mouth is super smooth with a light but full dry and bitter finish. Excellent DIPA! I think this would of been better fresh but it is still wonderful!