Stone 5th Anniversary IPA

Formerly brewed at Stone Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Escondido, California USA

[Sampled twice 3 and 3½ years old] An unclear orange beer with a small white head. The aroma is rather hoppy with some alfa acid and oranges as well as a slight sourness. The flavor is somewhat sour - probably the age - but also malty and quite hoppy - the hops still bites the tongue though. The body is quite thick with some impression from the alcohol. Just as the 3rd and 4th anniversarys, this is clearly over its prime, but still a good brew - I’d have loved to taste it fresh.

Date: 02/02/2002
Mode: Bottle
Source: Belmont Station, Portland

Clear amber, fine white head, drippy lace, sweet carael malt aroma with lots of fresh citrus hops, big bold and bitter, slightly alcoholic at first, big malt body, slight sweetness, bitter finish that lasts until the following week, awesome
-------- /> Date: 01/27/2006

well hopped sweet carmel malt aroma, big sweet piney malt flavor, nice bitter finish

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 18/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ***4

Chewy, hoppy, very oily and resiny but turning slightly unbalanced with too much caramel flavour to really let the hops do their thing (in the back half and finish, I mean, thus reducing refreshment and drinkability, like Shadallion said).

Baby’s got bite!! Excellent (and extreme) grapefruit-pine hoppiness permeates the aroma and the flavor, placing this hophead well on the road to Nirvana. There is some maltiness to keep this beer from becoming unbalanced. Cloudy orange with minimal head.

Tasted as part of a vertical including the 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th Anniversary beer (big thanks to egadzis!). Poured a medium amber color with a small off white head. Kind of a musty/earthy aroma with some citrus. A little buttery as well. Tastes of citrus, caramel, sugar and a touch of honey. Still some hop presence after the years. I enjoyed the tastes more than the aroma. Past its prime, but I enjoyed the tastes and was glad I had a chance to try this beer.

Bottle-conditioned, cloudy amber. More head than basically any Stone I’ve encountered. A living proof of the sillyness of some top microbreweries to stop bottle-conditioning their double IPAs... Huge fruity aroma explodes with orange and citrusy flavors, dried apricots. Big malt bill here, almost vinous and slightly earthy. Taste displays a more pleasant than usual for the type citric acidity. It indeed IS vinous, and quite tart at that. Pineapple, grapefruit and melon flavors. Soft yet powerful hop profile marries the sweet malt with class. Long aftertaste has a pleasant alcohol backbone in it. In terms of mouthfeel, I assume it has lost some, but the carbonation is still more than adequate while the body remains medium in size.

Pours with a big rocky lacey head. Aroma bursting with chocolate chip cookies, apples, pears, and of course hops. Body is very robust and caramel malty. Great sweet and bitter balance finishes sticky, bitter and dry with some grainy off-flavors. Hides it alcohol well. Good complexity. Everything was great except for the finish, but that could be a result of it not aging as well.

Bottle... Almost four years old...RBSG2005... Hazy orange ale with a small, khaki head. Good retention. Although the hops have probably mellowed over the past four years, there are still some wonderful notes of grapefruit, pineapple, evergreen, toffee and orange peel wafting from the glass. There’s still a decent hop bite on the palate, but the caramel malt has seized control. Full-bodied and oily with lively carbonation. Lengthy, mostly sweet, but somewhat bitter finish. Still a great brew, but I bet it was even better in it’s prime.