Stone 13th Anniversary Ale

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: American Strong Ale
Escondido, California USA

This beer advertises it’s brutality, and when I saw anniversary 13. I immediately was in fear of the contents. The aroma is as packed as you can get. Very dark caramel, nut, toast, and roasted malts, subdued by extremely resinous pine malts (Pacific Northwest Variety). Their is also the classic grapefruit citrus, and off course lots of alcohol. The appearance is a very dark deep orange-gold color with a great rocky head that rides all the way down and laces the glass like a strippers stocking. The taste is bitter lets not kid ourselves. It’s chock full of nutty, toasty, roasty, and caramel malts. The hops however are the focus and the Pacific Northwest really asserts itself via a full bodied palate. The texture is oily, with an average carbonation, and an astringent, bitter finish. The long finish coupled with the brutality is a bit much. This is a true adventurous beer. Not for beginners.

Another good one by Stone. Hoppy and warm. Somewhat thick mouth-feel, it has been awhile since I’ve had it so it’s hard to give it a legitimate rating. But I do remember it’s highlights and I would say it’s one of the better beers I’ve had.

Pours that gorgeous "Stone" dark brown that I’ve come to expect from these guys with ample head. Perfect balance on the nose with plenty of noble hops in the mix with the typical malty-smoky notes. Palate brings the same balance with accents of oak and pleasant bitterness. Bastard in a suit and tie?

One of the best 10 beers I’ve tasted. Silky smooth with with the sweetness of light fruit and butter with the hints of citrus from of good hopping. Pours orange-brown with a big thick and frothy head.

650 ml bottle. From Malmö, Sweden.
Dark red colour with small off-white head. Dark hoppy aroma, very Stone like. Dark dry hoppy very bitter flavour with dark chocolate, resin and grapefruit.

My 3300th rating! Bottle [660ml] shared with HogTownHarry & garthicus -- c/o HogTownHarry. Pours a cloudy amber-red with an average size frothy tan head. Nice aroma of resiny, piney hops along with caramel malt and tropical fruit. Flavour of caramel malt and lots of earthy, resiny hops along with fruit and a very bitter finish. Some alcohol but it’s reasonably well hidden. Medium bodied. Fantastic stuff!

Bottle. Very Stone, but doing what they do well-- big hoppy high alcohol beer. Not very remarkable, but enjoyable. Pours a deep tobacco red brown, nose is spruce and malt, with alcohol evident. Lingering tan foam, taste is warm grapefuit and pine followed by toffee malt, lingering bitter.

Nice hazy brown coloured body with a chewy look and a thin fast-dying tan head - decent. Aroma of fresh grapefruit hops, caramel, alcohol, malt and a bunch of fruits - once again, decent. Full-bodied; Strong alcohol and hops up front then fading fast to grapefruit, malt, toffee and fruits. Aftertaste shows a flat hop flavour, alcohol and a strong good bitterness. Overall, a decent beer, but nothing special, and frankly - what is expected from Stone. A production of a not-special beer, that matches with 99% of all of their other beers - a large hopped beer with a ton of alcohol...nothing new here. I sampled this 65 cL bottle purchased from Half-Time in Poughkeepsie, New York on 27-November-2009, sampled at home in Washington on 26-January-2010.