Stone 7th Anniversary Ale

Formerly brewed at Stone Brewing Co.
Style: American Strong Ale
Escondido, California USA

Wonder how this compares to it when it was released. Andy (Landseer) comes up with another winner. Deep amber under an off-white head that was in a hurry to leave. Sweet nose, cookie dough, licorice, fruit, woodsy, citrus/hops, caramel. Full and robust body. The flavor was moderately sweet with an alcohol kick that lingered. Everyboy must get Stone.

This beer produces an aroma of hops, yeast, and honey. It enters the mouth with rich taste of yeast and sweet corn. It a moderately heavy beer that fades leaving a mild sweet nutty taste lingering.

Monthly meeting of the Champaign-Urbana Beer Club. Provided by Andy, I believe. Sampled side by side with Stone 8. Lots of sweetness here after a few years of age. Notes of butter cream, maple syrup, walnut, popcorn, and candided orange peel. Nice.

Cellared bottle. Sweet, sweet candy sugar aroma with orangey hop hints. A bit of earthiness and spiciness. Mellow aroma. Mostly transparent red-amber color with a smallish off-white head. Mellow caramelly, very caramelly and a bit of roasted maltiness to start off. A small amount of spiciness and hoppinness to finish with a touch of ethanol as well. Orange flavors are also sprinkled in there. The hops have probably faded and this is probably a touch past its prime, but it is still damn tasty.

shared with my brother. Hazy orangish/amber pour with a medium white head. Nice resinous hop aroma, sweet candy like aroma. Caramel. Smells great. Sticky sweet, hoppy, malty. Some alcohol evident, however this is very drinkable. The aging certainly mellowed the hop presence. A lot of sweetness, caramel flavors. Very tasty. Well done.

22 oz bottle - Pours amber and fairly clear with a nice tan head with good staying power and nice lacing. Beautiful look. Aroma is caramel malts and nice piney sticky hops, a touch of vanilla can also be found. Flavor is slight bitterness but soon overtaken by sweet caramel and vanilla notes. Smooth and very well blended on the palate. Nothing agitating about this just smooth drinking after all these years it has held up pretty well. Kind of a nice APA on steroids.. I liked it..

I propose a toast with glass number 1000. To all members and contributors of this site who have taught me so much about beer! You took in a newcomer some 20 months ago and taught me about beer. Then you let me taste them with you! You traded your local specialties with me, you poured out your rarities for me to taste at gatherings, and some of you just sent me tasty treats to try for no reason at all! You’ve taught me about beer in your forums, your ratings and magazine articles. My homebrew has benefited from what you’ve taught me. Here’s to all of the RateBeer community! I have before me another beer, one amongst thousands, but one which seems completely appropriate for this occasion. Sent to me by ClarkVV so long ago. Thanks Clark and it was great to meet you in Montreal! This pours out with a huge head of off-white supported by a cloudy body of deep orange/amber. The head sticks to the sides of the glass as it slowly recedes, leaving the room perfumed with rich caramel malts and piney hop aromas. Some vanilla meets the nose up close. The tongue is greeted by a wave of bitterness which is quickly balanced out by the underlying caramel malt flavors. The finish is long and smooth and nicely bitter. This is maltier than the average IIPA, yet hoppier than the average American Strong Ale. Definitely Stone all the way. This was probably somewhat Arrogant in it’s youth, but I can’t imagine it ever having been better than it is at present. Nice rounded edges aged to perfection. The alcohol is well hidden but I can sense that it’s there. I wish this one was still sitting around on the shelves here, I’d grab a few more!

2 years later. A very memorable beer. Take an Arrogant Bastard, turn it down a notch, add a bit of vanilla and drink it just below room temp. This beer is what I think makes Stone great. @ years later and the balance is even greater. Such a treat! Share this with a friend. Great malt sweetness, striking aroma and a finish that lasts for days. Cheers!