Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: American Strong Ale
Escondido, California USA

I loved this beer as the 11th anniversary, and i am so happy to see it again. Pitch black with a large tan head. The aroma is thick with hops. Citrus, pine and bitter coffee invite me to smell and smell. Much lighter body than expected but still very good. Awesome flavor...Sharp bitterness, hop flavor, dry dark malt bitterness and a little bit of fruit. It finished bone dry. Sharp lingering bitterness, slight roast (robust porter/dry stout), and a wisper of wood. Excellent brew!!!!!

22oz bomber. Pours black with subtle dark brown highlights and an immense, soft, pocked tan head that leaves a few thin but wide sheets of lace on the glass. The aroma starts with a pungent blast of hops. It smells like Chinook (and I should know because I still have Chinook resin on my fingers from harvesting them from my own plant this afternoon). There are other notes in there, too - perhaps grapefruit (centennial or amarillo?). And there is some alcohol and a touch of dry, dark roasted grain (like a background note of espresso). The flavor starts hoppy and bitter (since bitterness is usually registered at the back of the tongue, this must be some tannic/astringent mouthfeel influencing the flavor). This is some serious stuff. It is very hoppy - tingly pine needles and resin all over the tongue. After a few sips, fruity notes (prunes with chocolate?) appear up front. Instead of being balanced by malt sweetness (or at least a wave of bready, even if dry, malts), it is instead backed by a wave of drying roasty coffee-ish blackness. Intense. Its assault on the palate does not let up. At mid-palate, there are subtle smoky, almost woody, notes along with a very slight chocolatey/caramel malt sweetness. But the sweetness is brief. There is some fruity ester quality deftly tucked in there, but it is subtle. The finish is oh-so-dry with a big wave of roasty intense stoutiness following by surges of insane hop bitterness. This beer is very bitter. The mouthfeel is unbelievably good - velvety, full-body with a luscious loftiness from just the right level of carbonation. There is also a peculiar dryness and light astringency all over - but not enough to detract from the otherwise brilliant texture. Overall, slightly disappointing. Don’t get me wrong - it seems like a wonderful beer in most aspects, but overall it is just not balanced enough. Ruination was intensely bitter but provided better balance. With a touch of sweetness somewhere in there, this could have been so much better. It is still a very nice beer, but the more I drink the more I find myself wishing it were a little less astringent - a little less brutal. Perhaps I only feel this way because I’m drinking the whole bomber by myself. Had I been just drinking 11ounces, my palate might not be feeling so abused right now...

Pours dark with a nice dark head. Aroma is of dry hops. Taste is nice and clean, but not super interesting. Finish tastes largely of bitter hops. Pretty good, but not stellar.

Bottle XI pours a dark almost black/brown. Aroma is grapefruity with a hint of raisins. Flavor is nice and malty with a very hard bitter that just continues to grow on you. Carbonation and mouthfeel are smooth and full. Very nice.

Almost black in color, great scent with pine dominating, great bitter taste.....more please...

Had it on tap a couple weeks ago in Boulder at West End Tavern. At the time, it was described as a stone IPA with roasted dark malts. It was so much more. I love ABA and this was somewhere between ABA and their IPA. Outstanding. Sorry I can’t be more descriptive of all the flavors.

A black beer with little head. When looking at this beer you do not expect it to smell like it does. The nose is wonderful, it is so fruity with pine, which I did not expect for being black. The taste was fruit, citrus, pine, & very bitter with chocolate undertones that comes at the end. This is such a different amazing beer that I hope becomes available where I live.

my 1000th rating!!! pours a jet black with a large khaki head, and great lacing. smell is faint at first, dark fruits, hops, and some sour malt in the back. taste is strong, dry, dark fruits, touch of chocolate, a little caramel, sour malt, lots of hops, a little licorice, a tad bit of citrus, and a woodiness, end is dry and very bitter.