Stone 13th Anniversary Ale

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

Bottle:   Rusty amber, deep, dark, coppery hues, moderate to large frothy light beige head, moderate lacing.   Big piney nose, musty citrus peel, hot hops.   Burns the nose a bit.   Fiery, warming, certainly hoppy but not over the top.   A little unbalanced in that the malts aren’t anywhere close to carry the hoppiness.   Thankfully its not overly bitter, but its a little biting.   Yeah, this is not quite the IIPA I was thinking it would be.   I don’t know if Stone knows how to do a hefty IIPA that isn’t lopsided in favor of hops.   I will say its not absolutely biting, so that I am thankful, but beefing up the malts on this would make it such a better beer.   Body and mouthfeel are, you guessed it, average.   Mild for an IIPA.   Damnit, I wanted more body out of this, more malt sweetness to back the citrusy hops.   It does have a bit of sweetness, but its a little acidic.   Bottleworks has Dicks IIPA on tap... I think I need one by the end of the week to cheer me up.   Over-rated.

Bottle: Dark red clear colour, with a nice creamy head. Aroma of lots of malts, caramelly, fruits and flowers. flavor a huge body of caramel, dry fruits,coffe, dark choclate, and a long fruity/alcy finish. Werry nice!

Flaske: Flot brun øl med et fint skumhoved. Desværre er duften ren kattepis. Gennemtrængende i en sådan grad at min kone knap kunne komme over den. Smagen er også til at begynde med kattepis dog ikke så gennemtrængende, og de andre humlenoter træder stille frem. Det kan dog ikke opveje for det faktum at kattepis ikke er så fantastisk at drikke.

Solid black pour with a frothy tan head. Aroma- pineapple, plum, roast malt, chocolate. Taste is a very resinous bitter but still has floral notes and a rich roast almost burnt malt flavor. Medium body, creamy texture. Very hoppy bitter finish, good stuff.

Bottled. Dark brown, rich but brief head. Powerful perfumy pink grapefruit aroma, Sweet, but slick and slimmer than anticipated from a 9.5% brew. Grapefruity hops dominate together with licorice. Very bitter finish. The sweetness and enormous hop content hide the alcohol well.

opaque dark brown with a lasting beige head and solid lacing. smells of hops and malts. brings a herbal flavor to the table, average carbonation. solid execution, great beer.

Deep ruby with a beige head. Bitter aroma of pine, herbs, and citrus. Also plenty of sweet malts and candy like aromas. Flavor is full of the bitter hops but has a distinct roasted malt flavor as well. Not like a Black IPA that is all the rage now, but a more relaxed roast and hop flavor making this a bit more drinkable. The pine and citrus hops come on first until they overtaken by the roasted malts. An interestingly complex flavor on this one. Full bodied. Might fine.

Bottle: Poured a deep dark amber color ale with a medium foamy head with good retention and good lacing. Aroma of citrus hops with a grassy feel and deep caramel malt also noticeable. Taste is also a mix between some grassy earthy hops with some deep caramel malt and a light toffee aftertaste. Body is a bit thin for the style with good carbonation and no signs of alcohol. Well done though maybe a tad too one-dimensional.