4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20Pours a ruby-brown color with a slightly tan head. The aroma bursts out with tons of orange, lemon, and plum. The flavor is sharp citrus, sweet caramel, and piney with a massive bitter kick at the end. The fell is crisp and refreshing with a super-dry finish. This is a monstrous beer...easily one of Stone’s finest creations. Seriously, Stone needs to make this part of their regular line up.
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
Bottle in ’10, laid a bottle down for a few months. Poured amber brown with medium head and alright lacing. Aromas and taste of prune, oak, bitter hops, crystal malts, and cereal. A little smokey also, kind of porter-ish instead of American strong. Medium to fuller bodied. Alcohol was not hidden well, more tolerable as she warmed up tho.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
From a bottle shared at home. Pours a cloudy dark amber with an off white head. Caramel notes in the aroma. Sweet toffee flavors. Quite tasty despite the fact that the hops are pretty much aged out after 3 1/2 years of bottle age.
4.5 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 19/20
Bottle from notes. I get bitter pine hops, burnt malt, caramel and loads of dark fermented fruits. I want more.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottle at home with my dad. Pour is deep, murky, copper with a small khaki head and great lacing. Earthy hops, figs, caramel, brown sugar, prune, light grapefruit, and cardboard in the aroma. A lot more citrus is present as it begins to warm. Taste is earth, dirt, caramel, roasted brown sugar, prunes, and grapefruit peel on the backend. Somewhat oxidized, but has really morphed into a semi-decent American barley wine. Creamy body with high carbonation. Pretty good for 3-years-old, slight cardboard flavors, but still pretty good. Not bad!
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
UPDATED: OCT 18, 2012 Oct. 25th, 2009 - I’m writing this review today as I sip Stone’s 16th Anniversary beer. I’ve been sitting on these notes for 3 years, and the waves of nostalgia are turning into nostalgia riptides. The Stone 13th anniversary beer (ahh, to be young again!) pours a dark, deep brown, and floats a thick and creamy light brown foam, like a life raft inflated and rushing to the surface. The lacing is thick and elaborate, and would make a Victorian lady blush. The aroma is predictably hoppy, dry and dusty and quite strong. I portend a bitter beer, and I brace myself for an army of IBU’s to apply a whip to my tongue. I flinch, but the strike never comes. It begins chocolatey and malty like a porter, and then goes full tilt with its hoppy dimension, but keeping that malted coffee flavor all the way through. So, basically a hoppy porter. It’s strange, and weird, and new, and exciting, but I don’t like it. It’s unique, but it also doesn’t agree with my palate. An adventurous brew, but an adventure I’m not suited to.
July 29th, 2010 - Updated tasting notes. Hoppy and malty nose. Deep honey sweetness, caramel, and thick too. Flavor is intense (a la Stone) and alcoholic, resembles smell, but deeper with more burnt toast and bread crust flavors. Again, strong, rakish with hops, and resembles an Imperial IPA. Enjoyed!
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottle, 3 years after recommended drink by date. Dark brown with mocha foam. Earthy, nutty aroma. Medium bitter hops, caramel malts, yeast, dark fruits of some sort, licorice. Full bodied, decent carbonation, lasting wet finish.
3.5 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
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.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
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!
4.2 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
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.
3.9 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
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.
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