Stone 8th Anniversary Ale

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

This beer is best at room temperature. There is a very nice port aroma. Several flavors including oatmeal, coffee, and rice with soy sauce, with some alcohol taste.

aug 2004, hazy dark red w/ brown head. big aroma of malt and coffee, full bodied, sweet and rich. i think this bottle benefits from a year of aging.

Deep ruby amber color with thin creamy head. Aroma is a healthy mix of malt and hops. Earthy and solid. Big hearty body. 8/4/7/4/16

RERATE: 22oz bottle nearly 3 years old. The pour is a deep brown color with a thin head of mocha creamy lace. Aroma is heavily chocolaty and rich malt. There is also some traces of dry toastiness. The flavor is up front bitterness (where did that come from?) but it quickly gives way to the vanilla/bourbon, chocolaty notes that dominate the flavor. The finish is dry and oaky. This is a surprisingly complex beer. I haven’t been overly impressed with stone’s anniversary beers, but I liked this one fresh and I’m still enjoying it 3 years later. Quite the treat.

brown with orange highlights like my hair should be. tan head. aroma of rye bread. some orange floral, brown sugar aromas. flavor of wheat breat with some hops and malt, some rose petals perhaps.

Dammit how did it take me so long to enjoy this beer when i lived in sd. I got a brown purple color to it with a moderate eggshell head, rye bread aroma and some rotting veggies. THick dark fruit and sourdough in the body.

The beer after its disinterment from the 22-ounce brown bottle lies ever so inviting in the glass a translucent burnished copper with a persistent light tan and somewhat frothy head, after its demise the residual lace is an encircling sheet of fine lace. Nose is sweet with malt, hints of caramel and the mouth-watering aroma of the hop flower, start is delectable in its grain presence, lightly sweet with the top moderate in its feel. Finish is annoying in its acidity with the hops determined and the aftertaste desert dry, ah what a treat to the palate and the other senses.

Pours medium brown/mahogany with decent tan head. Aroma has lots of sweet malt and smokiness up front. Some woodsy character also. Flavor very much the same with the smokiness taking over in the finish, leaves a long lingering aftertaste. Reminds me of a toned down scotch ale as far as aroma and flavor. Maybe a little thin, but still a nice brew overall.

Interesting, a nice smoky character, were the oak chips smoked or charred? Because I got alot more smoke than wood. Also, a fairly sweet beer, a good dose of caramel malting up front, and all around. In fact, this beer was somewhat surprisingly two dimensional with just the smoke and caramel notes dominating. I was left wanting more complexity, and surpisingly, more hops in the finish. Perhaps its not a good candidate for aging, as in, I sampled it at 1 year’s age and I could possibly guess it was more vibrant when younger. Attractive deep rubyish color, large creamy head. Very smooth palate and easily quaffable. Distinctly potable.