Stone India Pale Ale (IPA)

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

Excellent. Best brew I’ve tasted since Harpoon IPA, maybe better. Very hoppy. No bitter aftertaste. Highly recommended.

- cloudy, orangey/amber color, light white head, brussels lace, well-hopped with a malty mix in the aroma, just a touch of sweetness typical in English ales; excellent flavor, well-hopped, but well mixed with the malt flavors, just a touch of sweetness in the aftertaste, bitter at the beginning, a great IPA, one of the best I’ve ever had

This is a great IPA but it’s definitely for the experienced American IPA drinker. Brits wouldn’t enjoy this beer because it is too far over the top for a Brit’s idea of an IPA. Here in the U.S. we love IPAs as hoppy as we can get them and among American IPAs, this one is damn good.

The best IPA i’ve ever had. One of my favorites

Would it be excessive hubris to say that this embodies perfection in brewing? Technically speaking, there is "nothing wrong" with, say, a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It’s got all the nice qualities that make for a good beer, and it’s not weak or bad in any way. But it just doesn’t make for hop-nirvana, now does it. Quite literally, by contrast, there isn’t anything wrong with this beer. Remember, after all, that SNPA is a normal pale ale, something any beer lover could settle for absent something better. This, on the other hand, is an IPA, so the bar gets raised, and this hits the spot for what an IPA could be and ought to be. And when one’s favorite style appears to be IPA, and this one just doesn’t cut any corners, well, you’re left with a beer that has nothing wrong with it. It is Excellence in liquid form. As IPA’y an aroma as can be had. Beautiful appearance, small bubbles and spectacular lacing. No weakness in the taste; the palate is flawless. It simply doesn’t fall short anywhere. I tried to find where I might possibly downgrade it, but I couldn’t, because it satisfied completely in every respect. For brewing "perfection" of a related sort, you can refer to this brewer’s Ruination IPA. I think that the tastes of Stone’s brewers happened to coincide with mine; I don’t know how else to explain this glorious synchronicity between taste and fulfillment. If IPA is your thing, you’ve come to the right place.

Close to my ideal beer. Sampled on draught at Tria in Philadelphia, PA, which incidentally is a GREAT beer bar and well worth a trip. Big rocky white head tops a pale, clear, slightly orange body. Huge hop nose, very flowery. Initial sip knocks you back with bitterness but subsequently sips reveal a subtle complexity. Stone managed to get the right balance between maltiness and hoppiness. The resut is a full bodied beer that just seems right. Very refreshing and thirst quenching, although a bit too high in alcohol to be my session beer.....

This is my favorite IPA so far. Great hoppy flavor and aroma without the bitter aftertaste. A must try if you are an IPA fan.

wonderfully hoppy, great aroma. Not too bitter either. Long and smooth aftertaste. Wish I could try it on draft.