 awaisanen (1279), Irvine, California, USA
| 2.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 4/5 | 5/10 | 2/5 | 10/20 |
Jul 25, 2009
From a 22oz Bottle. Mostly transparent, deep ruby cherrywood colored body with a thin layer of small bubbled tan foam. Aromas of thick caramel and a subtle toasted malt quality, supplemented by a vigorously resinous hop aroma with a strong alcohol presence. Very piney and pithy. Medium full bodied, softly carbonated mouthfeel with a thick, chewy texture. Lots of caramel malt flavors up front on the palate, making it sweet and thick, but also deep in terms of a slight toasty quality. The hop bitterness quickly starts to merge in to "balance" the malt sweetness, but the hop flavors are so strong and bitter I feel like I should be picking hop matter from my teeth. While this could be interpreted as a good thing in some cases, it’s not here, as the only real descriptor I can find is harsh. Or perhaps brash would work too. Grapefruit skins (not zest) and pine needles. This hop assault gives way to a scorching alcohol presence that further enhances the perception of bitterness. Way too thick and crystally for my tastes, and the hop and alcohol characters render this bottle undrinkable to my palate after the first two ounces. I will give this credit for being a clean, well executed beer in terms of what it’s trying to be, but this recipe doesn’t work for me.
gyllenbock (309), Stockholm, Sweden
| 4.1 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Dec 17, 2009 Bottle.
Deep reddish brown with a rather large tan head that stays around for quite long time.
Refreshing aroma of pineapple, floral, earth and some perfume.
First sip was heavily bitter, grape, raisins, hops, grass. Aftertaste was bitter with some licorice and caramel. Body was medium, not so much carbon dioxide. Nicely balansed. A very nice beer.
BobbyAnalog (27), California, USA
| 3.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 5/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 11/20 |
Dec 15, 2009 Smells like the skin of a freshly shaved orange. The complexion is a rich brown, with the color of coffee grinds. The taste is of caramelized sugar peppered with flakes of cinnamon - maybe even some toast qualities. A surefire winter beer with a spicy and nuanced aftertaste. Not Stone’s best beer, but pretty damn good.
jcr (1177), Jasper, Indiana, USA
| 3 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 5/10 | 3/5 | 11/20 |
Dec 14, 2009 Bomber. Deep amber body. Tall, light brown, frothy head, long lasting. Hoppy aroma of grapefruit and resin which forces other scents to the background. Hints of caramel, toasted grain and unsweetened strong black tea. The flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic and moderately bitter. It finishes lightly to moderately sweet, moderately to heavily bitter and moderately acidic. Medium to full body, velvety texture that turns sticky in the finish, lively carbonation. A heavily hopped version of so many beers in this non-style — bitter grapefruit on top of thick, unrefined malts. Lots of alcohol in the finish along with some astringency.
taphandle (24), Texas, USA
| 3.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 14/20 |
Dec 14, 2009 A red beer with a white head. Plenty of hops flavor and bitterness with the malt flavors allowed to come through.
rocbyter (921), Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 5/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 14/20 |
Dec 13, 2009 Toasty and nutty aroma. Dark light brown color with a medium off white head. Bitter beginning that fades slowly in the finish and gets mildly sweet.
jonno (586), Brisbane, Australia
| 3.9 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 3/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 |
Dec 12, 2009 Big beer. A showcase of hops, with a good solid alcoholic malt backbone. Nose is slightly muted, but still piney and citric. Darker than expected. In the mouth it was initially disappointing, but grew on me. Obviously quite alcoholic, but big bitterness particularly on the tail. Quite Resinous. An enjoyable DIPA /ASA - a real vehicle for AA hops. Got one more which I’m looking forward to sharing with friends.Thanks to my Japanese connections for this!
Marsiblursi (1649), Göteborg, Sweden
| 3.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 2/5 | 16/20 |
Dec 11, 2009 (Bottle) Pours deep reddish brown with a nougat coloured head. The aroma is medium to heavily hoppy with tones of pine, earth and resin up front. There is also some room for sweet grapefruit, apricot, tart mango, black currant, perfume and that typical “metallic” tone you get from boiled hops. Fat caramelly and toffee-like malt backbone. The nose is dry hopped, no question about it and I like the balance between the “bright“ and “heavy“ hop notes. The sweet citrus/tangerine reminds me of Centennial. Maybe some Cascade and Simcoe as well? A whisper of roast and sweet anise also present. Strange notes of cinnamon rolls. The aggressive hop tones cover the alcohol well. The flavour is light to medium sweet, medium to heavily bitter and light to medium acidic. Tones resin, pine, citrus, earth, caramel, burned bread and mild roast. The mouthfeel is quite round and light creamy but still astringent from the hops. The carbonation is soft yet lively for the style. Lingering resinous afterbitterness. The alcohol is notable. Medium to full bodied. Typical Stone - clean and refreshing, but too much of everything = Nice but not spot on.
yfront (12), Sweden
| 3.9 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Dec 8, 2009 Light head with little foam.
Malty, bitter yeast but yet a sweet taste. Loooooong aftertaste that leaves your mouth feeling like blotting-paper.
Very nice!
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