Stone 8th Anniversary Ale

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

Ratebeer Mondial Gathering (tiggmtl). Cassonade, houblon amertume, chocolat, alcool, cognac. Très complexe.

bomber from Saarlander, acquired in a trade a long, long time ago, in a galaxy... well from a trade that seems ages ago. I held this one for awhile to let it age. poured into my Arrogant Bastard pint glass this brew is a reddish dark brown with virtually no head. Aroma is of strong roasted malt. flavor is of the same roasted malt but also noted some toasted barly, yeasty dough and dark pitted fruit. as this one warms, the flavors tend to meld together in a nice way, but in the background is an astringency that never quite goes away. a nice beer, I enjoyed it, just nothing here to bring me back to it again.

Very dark ruby or mahogany. Very light head. Aroma of plum, oak and a trace of molasses. Oak comes out in the flavour as well. Like an Old Ale. Rich malt. A long finishing spice flavour. Nutmeg, molasses and a heavy saltiness (anchovies?).

To me the beer is built in a light, dry stout style. Light chocolate brown in colour. Not much happening in the nose, faint roasted malts at best. Well balanced in the mouth - malt action much more obvious. Has a little grip in what is quite a dry finish, well backed with appropriate fizz. Lacks a little length but did improve as the beer warmed up.

Pours an attractive red/brown with a decent, one finger, bubbly head. Smell is like a brown ale, chocolate frosting, cooked veggies, candy sugar, ice cream, vanilla extract. Taste is much of the same, with a decent hop character. This tastes a lot like a good brown ale. Very roasty drinkable, with a slight alcohol burn. Taste is quite sweet with chalk and maple syrup, a touch of vanilla roasted coffee. This is a really nice beer, actually. Wish I could have tried the Lee’s Mild...

Couleur brune foncée sous une mousse brune pale qui nous quitte rapidement. Aromes de cacao fraichement râpé, de noisettes et d’amandes grillées. Le malt grillé ne semble pas apporter tout le corps et la complexité espéré en bouche et les flaveurs se résument essentiellement à la poudre de cacao, aux biscuits grillés et au timide caramel. Une réminiscence de liqueur de noisette vient nous rappeler la présence de l’alcool en retro-olfaction. Finale amer et surprenante semblant détaché du reste des flaveurs. Finale quelque peu fruité. Plusieurs des composantes semblent porter un bémol alors que je m’attendais à une totale expression de celle-ci…maudites attentes!

Thin head. Nice deep red color. Nose has a big grape, some apricots, some chocolate. Musty, musky. Texture starts out a little bumpy but smooths and mellows to a nice finish. I thought of it as close to a barleywine crossed with a chocolate stout.

Looked and tasted like Stones attempt at brewing an ESB. Has that ruby around the edges darker brown core color when poured. The roast and earth in the flavor was nice but the bitter finish mixed with some funky vegetable flavors that I usually associate with the ESB style wore thin on me.