Stone Cali-Belgique IPA (Cali-België)

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Escondido, California USA

Bottle pours clear orange with off white head. Aroma is citrus and pine with mostly pine smells coming from the glass. Has a medium light body with a fair amount of carbonation. Flavor is pine, hops, grapefruit, and finishes with a honey sweetness. Overall a nice IPA and one I would buy on a regular basis if available.

Bomber for rating 950. Pours a very clear gold with a small soap-bubble head. Thick citrus aromas with a bit of a grassy edge. First sip is pretty much a punch in the face of pine and resin... after my tastebuds have been beaten into submission, things cool off and I am able to pick up on some of the subtleties: grapefruit, a honey-like sweetness and an understated light malt presence. Maybe I am in a good mood after the plumbing project went smoothly, but I am really enjoying this. It comes off as a little thin, but this makes it a little more refreshing than most IPAs. Could this be the lawn mowing IPA of choice?

Mostly clear, bright golden with a slight haze. Lots of bubbles and a tall, soapy cream-white head that sticks to the glass nicely. The aroma is the highlight of this beer, distinctly Belgian yeast with floral hops and fruit, namely grapefruit and pear. Taste starts with yeast and an almost sweet tart flavor and a smooth mouthfeel. The finish hits you with a bold hop bitterness that lingers for a while then slowly dies off, leaving you with a hint of sweet fruit. A great variation of one of the classic IPAs. The original is still better.

Bottle from utobeer at home at far too late in the night. Alround rating: See like i dont mind drinkign this and theres things about it i like, ie the citrus hop character and drinkablity, however the idea of mixing a clean dry style such as ipa with a very much unclean mouth coating style like belgian ale, is never going to really work. Its interesting to try somethign different but iv got the ipa in the fridge and id rather just have that.

Pours a crystal clear golden amber with a small soapy head that remains active throughout with sporadic bubbles rising to the top. No lacing to speak of. The aroma has the earthy sweetness of the Belgian yeast with some citrus hops in the form of apricot and lemon. There is also a bit of the bubblegum sweetness as well. The hops are much more prominent in the taste with a huge bitter hop kick up front that lingers throughout the sip. There is Belgian yeast and bits of bready malt in the background, but the hops really star in the taste. The mouthfeel is dry and crisp with a pleasant bitterness in the finish. The carbonation is decent and complements the bitterness well on the palate. This is an interesting take on a Belgian IPA and one where the aroma belied the amount of hop bitterness in the taste. An original and tasty beer from Stone.

22oz bottle. Pours a bright, clear copper-orange color; thin off-white head with fine-bubbled lacing; nice-looking, very bright pour. Dense hop character in the aroma of passion fruit, citrus, lime, and minerals, with an estery, honeyed Belgian core; pleasantly integrated and nicely hopped. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: mineral and citrus fruit and passion fruit hoppiness upfront, with a very solid malt core of honey, Belgian sugars, and white pepper; a bit sharply carbonated, but otherwise quite good and seamless. A very solidly done hoppy Belgian hybrid. Lengthy finish: lasting mineral bitterness, light honey, and dry white pepper end.

Growler from Stone courtesy of Homerwantsbeer. Pours a clear gold with not much head. Aroma is mostly yeast with a bit of hop thrown in. Flavor is also very yeasty, but has a hint of pepper and finishes with hops. Didn’t care much for this one. A rare miss for the Gargoyle Gang.

Draft @ Falling Rock, Danver. Pours clear yellow color with slight short lived white head. Nose is full of citrus hops, spinces and yeast. Flavors are restrained with hops, fresh bread and spices. A decent beer but it didn’t live up to my hopes.