Fin (3411), Merton, Oxfordshire, England
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 14/20 | Feb 1, 2009 Bottle from a box ordered from Beers of Europe, consumed 31-01-09 Pours light gold with white head. This beer has a fruity and yeasty nose with some spice. Taste is a touch of sweet lemon, even a little of sherbert at times, some tropical fruit, little bit creamy. Its quite soft in the mouth and the hops are forever present. Its a likeable beer and very nice but not a patch on the Vertical Epic 08-08-08 that I’ve just had. A6 A4 F7 P4 OV14 leitrim65 (398), Seattle, Washington, USA
| 3.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 3/5 | 8/10 | 3/5 | 15/20 | Feb 1, 2009 Good clear amber color with a sizable foamy white head. Notes of yeast, spice, doughy malt, and a gentle touch of hops in the nose. Light bodied with a creamy texture. A balancing act of spice, yeast, and citrus hop flavors dominate throughout, with a touch of alcohol and malt. The finish is a soft touch of hops and alcohol, and falls far short of what I’m used to from a Stone IPA. rajendra82 (700), Alpharetta, Georgia, USA
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 3/5 | 16/20 | Feb 1, 2009 Pretty standard IPA appearance, with a clear, orange-golden body, a two finger thick head, and lively carbonation streamers. The smell was floral hoppy with some spiciness imparted by the Belgian yeast. The taste was nicely balanced between the Belgian fruity version of the Pale Ale style and the drier American IPA variant. The hops were present but subdued, and some Brett type funk was evident as well. The finish started dry and bitter at first but ended on a sweeter candi sugar and some spice. This was a marriage of the lighter versions of the two styles, so the body was not too thick. I ended up wishing they had matched up the ingredients of a DIPA and BSPA instead. aplusbreaks (330), , Colorado, USA
| 3.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 14/20 | Jan 31, 2009 22oz bottle. I’ll keep this one short and sweet. To me this tasted just like sawyers triple (that I had on the same night) with the addition of hops. Nothing to get overly excited about IMO. atomcow1 (13), Glen Allen, Virginia, USA
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 | Jan 31, 2009 According to the requisite stream-of-consciousness weirdness on the bottle, this is Stone’s standard IPA fermented with Belgian yeast. Straw, honey, spice, and a little bit of medicine taste. The finish has that candy character that you get from most Belgians but it’s not overpowering. It’s not a mind-bending assault on the senses like the similarly made Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA, but it’s very drinkable. It went well with the Buffalo buffalo burger I grilled for dinner. I would like it a lot more if it were $8.99 or $9.99 for a six-pack instead of $6.99 for a bomber. raphael (412), Portland, Oregon, USA
| 3.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 16/20 | Jan 31, 2009 A delicate aroma balance here with a higher, clean grapefruit and that malt-liquor-ish sweet chemical strain you’d expect from belgian yeast. Balance is key with the flavor, tho it almost seems like the beligan influence softens the hop bite. Citrus, white sugar & alcohol, But its hard to say if this is a hoppy belgian golden or a yeasty, two steps from the edge IPA. Doesn’t matter. As a home brewer who tries to mix belgian and west coast styles, I applaud the achievement hear. Texture just a little off , not as crisp as I’d expect from either style. Yellow with the slightest blush & a frothy white head. scraff (1942), Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 | Jan 31, 2009 22oz - Amber, white creamy head. Soft sweet spiced banana nose rides softer currents of honeyed citrus. Candied pear and citrus spice flavors round with a nice peppery hop tone. Medium bodied, soft carbonation, bittersweet finish. Love the creative hybrid styles these days, and this one is no exception. Very well done... alaskanwarren (286), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| 2.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 3/5 | 5/10 | 2/5 | 10/20 | Jan 30, 2009 I really wanted to like this one, but in the end, it felt thin and not all that hoppy. I like the idea, in fact I’ve even brewed one of these myself, but I just couldn’t get into it.
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