Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Black IPA
Escondido, California USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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...

Tap. Pours deep, dark brown with thin, light beige head; decent retention and spare lacing. Aroma is roasted malt, dark fruit, earthy hops, and light molasses. Flavor is heavy malt, average hops, and average esters. Full body with medium carbonation and warmth.

jet black with tan head, aroma is pine hops up front with caramel roasted malt, taste is pine citrus hops, rich roasted malt, not extremely drinkable one bomber in plenty but one of the best CDAs ive had

Pours dark brown black. Aromas of roasted caramel & malt. Very mouthfilling, rich roasted malt and smoke. Good, but very, very thick and rich. Difficult to drink a pint of.

Pours a dark browm almost black with a light brown medium head. Aroma is mostly hops with a little dark roasted malt, almost slightly burnt. Initial flavors are that of a smoothed out ruination. Very smooth and easy to drink for the style. Your mind tricks you into thinking it will be malty and roasty, but the reality of it is just a balance to the ridiculous amounts of hops that stone likes to use. The finish is dry and creamy at the same time. What makes this beer so good is the drinkablity. I could pound a bomber and look for more. The fresher the better with this beer. A dark beer that is right at home on the john deer in the middle of summer or as a warmer on a winter ski trip.

Picked this up at State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD. Paid just under $7 for it. No bottle date. Poured into a Tulip at 40 Degrees F and let sit for a few minutes to breathe. A - Poured a gorgeous nut-brown to black colo with some amber tones. Very roasty looking with a 1 finger head with tiny bubbles with color that matches the beer. S - TONS of hops and citrus in the smell of this beer. I’m getting Orange and grapefruit and lots of dry hops that lead to a piney smell. There’s a tad bit of raisin coming through! T - Citrus and hops is all I’m getting. There’s a ton of fruit in here with some incredible hoppiness of a Double IPA. t’s an extremely soft beer and so easy to drink! M - This beer tingles the taste buds and is extremely smooth! The hop character isn’t overwhelming but still best for sipping. O - I’d love to have this beer again. Completely perfect and I’m betting it would be magnificent fresh.

Pours dark, dark brown - almost black with a thick tan head. This beer looks fantastic. Aroma is of roasted malts, chocolate, and citrus hops. Taste to match the aroma. Full bodied with a smooth finish. Overall, excellent.

Probably one of my favorite beers from stone, i had the double bastard this year, and i would say similar, but this one just seems to have a better mouthfeel, poured out of a bottle, into a snifter, very dark in color, but the aroma is what gets you, mouthfeel is very smooth and very nice.

Pours a dark dark brown with a 1/2 finger. Aroma is a dark hop kind if aroma, if that is a thing. Taste is very balanced. Just a great black IPA. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone