Stone Bombastic Lager

Note that I have copied a quote from the Stone blog below which gives a full description of what/why this beer is. MY RATING: Growler fill from brewery on September 1. I had seen this around but never had an opportunity to try it. Pours a very murky brown-red color reminiscent of dark brewed tea. The one finger of off-white head slowly subsides. Aroma is mostly hoppy (citrus and pine but not terribly strong) along with some more subtle notes of wood and light spice. Flavor starts strong and hoppy like other Stone brews (e.g. Arrogant Bastard). But then it tones down a bit and the more subtle flavors (vanilla and oak) emerge. Finishes surprisingly smooth with a relatively small amount of hop bitterness. Definitely a unique one. The RateBeer entry lists this at 8%, but the quote from Stone (below) as well as the tag on my growler fill indicate that the ABV is actually a bit lower. QUOTE FROM STONE BLOG: What the Hell is Stone Bombastic Lager? That’s the exact same question I asked our Lead Brewer (and infamous biofueler) John Egan after seeing the pompously named beer rear its head in various places, such as on the tap list for Southern California Storm and on the Stone Company Store’s growler fill schedule. So what’s the official word? To sum it up, Stone Bombastic Lager is the beer left over from propagating the pilsner yeast we used in the BrewDog / Cambridge / Stone Juxtaposition Black Pilsner. What does that mean? Let me explain. When we acquire new yeast to propogate (pilsner yeast in this case), we throw it in our yeast propagating tank, and over the course of a few days we continually add wort to “feed” it and facilitate yeast growth. To feed the pilsner yeast, we added Stone Pale Ale, Stone IPA, and Stone Imperial Russian Stout wort straight from the brewhouse into the yeast propogating tank over several days. Once we were confident that there was enough growth, we pumped the yeast off the bottom (lager yeast is bottom-fermenting) and sent it over to the fermenting tank to ferment the Collaboration brew. John then transferred the leftover beer into another tank, but before transferring it he had a spark of creativity and decided to add some crushed coriander, french oak chips, and “literally a handful” of chopped vanilla beans. It sat for about a week or so, and then we gassed it up and put it in kegs. There were no additional hops or malt added; it was just a blend of a few worts. “As far as style goes, I have no idea,” said John. “It’s kind of a ‘suicide’ like we did as kids with our sodas; just a mix of whatever is available. It tastes like an ale to me, but it’s a lager—and a weird lager at that!” John added that the brew weighs in at 6.8% abv. http://blog.stonebrew.com/?p=989

Growler fill compliments of DuffmanSW. Pours a chestnut brown color with a small white head. Aroma and taste of citrus with a hint of oak and fresh piny hops. Very smooth taste with a nice bitter finish. A little bit of spice at the end as well. Very interesting lager, best one I have had yet. Thanks for the growler fill Sean!

Growler from Stone. This is good, especially for a lager. Hazy reddish orange pour, sticky caramel colored head. Sweet caramel, fruit, citrus, vanilla, biscuits, and a nice amount of hops. This is quite strong and flavorful for a lager. It is similar in taste to arrogant bastard. They said it was 9.5% abv, this goes down real easy for that number, quite refreshing actually.

Growler fill from brewery. Nice chestnut brown with a fizzy off white head. Citrus, vanilla, and slight oak aroma and taste with the addition of chocolate and mild spice. Fairly crisp and refreshing for a beer on the heavy side.

Tap at Stone Bistro. Pours amber hazy, thick white head. Aroma of coriander, spices some faint touch of vanilla. Taste was boozy for what I usually expect from a lager, vanilla is there but not too present, some wood/oak notes as well with malts. Some dark fruits can also be noted with the spices and coriander adding for a nice palate. Hops do come through though not overly present, the vanilla remained well hidden.

Growler from brewery. Pours cloudy dark amber in color with full foamy brwon head. Aroma roasted malt and citrus hops. Taste roasted malt and bitter hops with bitter finish.

On tap at the Bistro with Mspindler minus Hophead22...Pours a brownish orange with a dissipating white head..Slight hoppyness in the nose with some oak...Hops upfront with some nice bitterness..Kinda reminds me of a lighter Arrogant Bastard. Tasty.. Sux that this might be a one off!!!

On tap at Stone World Bistro. Pours a dark cloudy orange with an off white head. Aroma is mostly citrus and pine hops with some bready lager characteristics and a touch of caramel and vanilla. Flavor is initially all hops with a nice smooth bitterness. Not much oak at first but it really comes out in the finish. a touch of spice and vanilla and some more crystal malt. Medium - full bodied and creamy with nice smooth carbonation. Impressive and not very lager-like. Would like to see more of this in the future but I don’t have high hopes!