Stone 13th Anniversary Ale

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

In short: A heavily caramelized and mega-hoppy big American beer. Bold, filling, aggressively bitter, yet very drinkable. Superb.
How: Bottle 22oz. A few times. Very fresh a few weeks after the beer release + 4 months old bottle. No real changes.
The look: Partly cloudy ruby body topped by a long-lasting large beige head
In long: Mega-hoppy nose that is resinous and orangy. Taste is intense on all fronts, this is not a session beer. A whole lot of heavily caramelized malts with a slightly viscous sensation so it ends-up feeling like a crème caramel. Very rich. Harsh aggressive bitterness that is resinous, coniferous and with condensed fruit notes (citrus, oranges). A little chalky. Alcohol relatively well hidden. Medium carbonation. What I found remarkable about this beer is how drinkable it is despite being so aggressive. This tastes a bit like a cranked up Arrogant Bastard, more so than the Double Bastard. I appreciate an aggressive beer as much as the next guy but I usually get tired of it when I drink a full bomber. I’ve had a few bombers of the Stone 13th so far and always thought it was surprisingly easy to drink despite being brutal. Excellent brutal beer, as aggressive as an underfed Bengal Tiger with a live duck stuck up its ass. Which I assume is very aggressive.

660 ml bottle, bought at Charles Street Liquors in Boston, July 9, 2009. Aroma of bitter hops with a hint of sweet nuts. Nutty taste of hops, very alcoholic, good bitterness but still this presence of alcohol. It is good, but it would be better if it was not so alcoholic!

Pours reddish brown with a tan head. Smells of resiny hops, earthy, some toasty hints. Tastes of pepper, bitter, boozy, some sweet caramel, resiny, some grassy hints on the finish.

Bottled sample via and shared with oakbluff. Deep red colour with moderate carbonation. Quite malty on the nose with notes of cereal grains, lightly toasted malts, and some unspecific citrus. Bitter, boozy,a nd malty in the mouth, with notes of green grassy hops, pine, crystal malts, and chocolate orange candy. Nothing subtle about this beer. Fairly enjoyable overall, but a bit of a blunt instrument.

Bomber- dark red copper, off white head and soapy lacing. Nose- caramel, pine. Taste- thick malt sweetness quickly overcome by huge bittering hops that cuts through the malt with a resiny scythe. Still pretty hot, this finishes with a hop/booze heat and dryness but still has a thick mouthfeel of caramel.

pours dark brown with a little tan head. smells of forests, roasted nuts, grapefruits and toffee. tastes like a burning bitter forest of pine trees (but in a good way). its very bitter and really does remind me of a cooked grapefruit. satisfying and refreshing though, overall another good one from the guys at stone.

pours a dark ruby red with small off white thick head. aroma is dominated with pine with some citrus and dried fruit. mouthful is very hoppy with a seriously chewy sticky backbone of unfermented sugars. a little heavy on the palate...

Bottle. Pours a deep, dark crimson with a grumpy pile of foam for a head. The aroma is thick and woodsy, like an oily campfire. The certainly has a robust claim in the flavor as well, with a thick, syrupy citrus thing that makes me think about what cooked grapefruit might taste like, compiled with a rich sugary base. But the beer lacks a bit in body for such a presumably big brew, leaving me somewhat unsatisfied. (#3690, 10/2/2009)