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Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA - Red Wine Barrel

Stone Brewing (Sapporo)
Escondido, California
Beer style: IIPA DIPA - Imperial / Double IPA
Ref: ratebeer.com Apr2024

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When we first set out to brew the Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA, our intention was to flatter our British predecessors with an IPA honoring the style’s storied origins. Were we trying to refine our usual brash and unapologetic approach to beer making? Nah. We simply thought it would be fun to brew an IPA using nothing but imported English ingredients (admittedly, we had a tough time trying to import several thousand gallons of English river water, so we improvised with the local supply instead). What you’ve got in this bottle is a supernova of flavor with an extra layer of complexity from the beer’s soujorn in red wine barrels. You’ll be dazzled by the heady fruit and spice notes of the East Kent Goldings and Target hops, the bold flash of hop sweetness, and the alarmingly persistent bitterness. The beer’s brilliantly clean, dry finish may make you feel like you should drinking it with your pinky sticking out, but please don’t. Your British forebears didn’t do that, either.