Stone 13th Anniversary Ale

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

Stone’s 13th Anniversary Ale is a very robust and intense beverage. Be prepared for extreme hoppiness and a load of unhidden alcohol! It pours a deep dark red with a tan head. Aroma is of the traditional Stone floral hop variety - quite lovely. Roasted nuts and some smokiness provide some character in the flavor.The yeast left just enough sweetness to make this ale go down smoothly. A very strong, celebratory beer.

Pours a sligthly cloudy brown ruby colored body with a smalltan head that leaves some mild lacing. The aroma is mild pineapple, pomegranate, prunes, with some underlying pine scents. The flavors starts off with a big malty sweetnees followed with some brown sugar and molasses notes ending with a bouquet of random citrus and dark tropical fruits.

Starts out hoppy and goes really really bitter and then goes back to a nice hoppy finish. Incredible, hops on top of hops profile.

(Draught) Pours a clear mahogany body with a medium beige head. Aroma of pine, roasted malt, caramel, bread, and citrus. Flavor of roasted malt, hops (pine, grapefruit), and caramel with a bitter finish.

22 oz. bottle. Pours the same color as prune juice with a moderate-large light brown head that lasted until mid-glass and left partial lace. Very aromatic with lots of pine along with some molasses and grapefruit. The flavor is resinous pine with just a touch of caramel sweetness. Bitter at the finish, but I don’t find it excessive, and I am typically not crazy about overly-hopped ales. Just a hint of mild alcohol warmth at the finish as well. Overall, very enjoyable.

Bottle. Label says not to cellar, yet enjoy in 2009. Pours a clear dark copper color with minimal off-white head. Aroma is resinous hops, although not overdone, with tones of caramel malt and spice. Flavor profile follows suit with loads of caramel, a bit of freshly cut cedar wood, and medium-strength hops in the finish. Overall, this really seems like a Double Bastard thats been toned down on the hops side, and a bit more mellowed like a barleywine. If it ages anything like DB, then it could be great...

Stone never lets me down. This one is what american hops are all about. Color is dark and taste is almost all hops? Finish is dry as hell. Over the top hops like Stone does it. Must try! Cellar for a year or two and it will probably do a 180 and turn into a bitter malt bomb. Thank you STONE!

Dark copper to rudy in color. Tallish dark beige head. BIG hoppy aromas. Lots of citrus and some burnt caramel scents. So you like hops, you should like the scent of this one. The more I sniff, I actually seem to smell some chlorine. A bit too industrial, or is it mechanical smelling. Darker toasted and caramelized malt in the front that is quickly swept away with resins and citric zest. Perhaps I’m getting tired of rating, I seem to have enjoy this much more (past two bottles) when just relaxing and sharing with others. By myself I am sitting here thinking this is way to sharp and biting. There are some darker fruit flavors that wander about. This does not seem to me that it should be analyzed. It should be swilled, guzzled, or quaffed over conversation. One that can be over-analyzed into something it is not. I have no idea what I am saying anymore. It is what it is. Malty out!