Stone Cali-Belgique IPA (Cali-België)

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

Draft at Kern River Brewing. Clear orange with a small off white head. Nose of citrus and piney hops with some cloves and corriander notes. Flavor was hoppy bitterness with some light spiciness. Finish light bitterness.

Pours a highly filtered gold, with a soapy film and lace - aroma is mostly of light, juicy tropical fruits and earthy/pine-like hops, with some light belgian yeast phenols hiding underneath, adding a bit of depth - quite a light-bodied ale, but it has full carbonation in the mouth - very crisp malts and spicy bitterness - peppery hops throughout make it hard to distinguish the other characteristics of the beer - some citrus/tropical fruit flavors - the belgian influence is definitely there, but it is hard to make out, manifesting mostly in the form of light phenolic character that the hops never give way to - very dry, bitter, almost chalky in the finish - I like hoppy belgians, but when the hops don’t leave enough room for the complexities that belgian yeast can provide, it’s a little bit disappointing - meh, it’s still relatively tasty.

The aroma is very hoppy with pine, malt, and grapefruit. The appearance is golden with an average head for the style. The flavor is like the aroma with a bit of tea. The palate is this but OK for the style.. Overall this is a great beer.

Bottle: (Thanks Mike!) Orange pour with good clarity and a thin off white head. Aroma is a nice blend of American resiny hops and Belgian yeast esters.Mix of oranges, pine and bubblegummy yeast notes. Creamy on the palate. The flavor is bright with a nice resiny and fruity hop character of orange, subtle peach, brief Belgian yeast phenols and a bitter clean finish. Solid and very drinkable.

1L growler provided by JoeMcPhee. Pale pour, highly filtered. Nice, tropical fruity aroma, lychee and mango and banana and such, but there is a brutal rubbing alcohol bit on the late aroma. Bleh. Only lightly Belgian in the flavor, a touch of noticable yeast, but mostly just a light, fruity hoppy sweetness. Not very distinct.

[2381-20090801] Sample. Ivy greenery aroma has some floral and spice notes. Hazy, light brown body with a long-lasting foamy white head and nice lacing. Nice spicy yeast flavour with a mild burnt straw notes. Medium body. Good.
(BCTC @ Ommegang; Cooperstown, NY)

Appearance: Pours a light orange-hued body with a large, frothy, white head. Splotchy, sporadic lacing on the way down. Smell: Delightfully aromatic nose smelling sweetly of bright, fresh tropical fruits and citrus oils with a minor backing of lightly bready malts and spice. Taste: Sweet, lightly bready maltiness gently yields to a tropical mixture of juicy oranges and grapefruit with a late addition of pine. As the punchy bitterness dies down tastes of artificially-sweetened chewing gum and faint, peppery spice begin to appear. Finishes expectantly dry with lingering aftertastes of bitter, pithy citrus fruit peels. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Lightly oily mouthfeel. Drinkability: As tasty and supremely drinkable as the original, though I dare say it’s just a skosh bit better than the standard Stone IPA.

Bomber. Decent citrus aroma. Golden body color with small off white head. Decent citrus grapefruit flavor with the malts hold back that cooll and crispness on the palate. Good just didn’t have tha ahh this is good factor.