Stone 9th Anniversary Ale

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

2.22.06 Tap at Andy’s for Stone Promo Night. Thanks to the Stone guys for coming out and giving us awesome braus. "American Strong Ale" Yes it is. Get this while you can. RightNow!

Poured from 22 oz bomber 3/23/06. Clear golden color with a good head that lasts. Big hop aroma and favor. Light residual sweetness. Can’t taste much wheat, but the beer is a little tart. Medium body with a slight peach flavored aftertaste. Not bad

on tap. all that jazz i liked that hoppy fruity taste it had on it a little bitternes but it was delish... 22 malty super sexy beer has hops that dance like sex in the mouth really amazing

had this on tap and it was amazing. cognac colored. brigth and hoppy a little tartness with a peach finish. very delicious

Pouring the Stone 9 produced yellowish white bubble bath atop the slightly hazy pumpkin body. Gossamer lacing sticks to the sides of the glass as the head reduces. In the nose a simple hop aroma is predominant, but seems more centered on sweet citrus fruits like orange than the bitter grapefruit that often reverbates from hops. Pineapple and mango give the aroma a slightly tropical twist without dramatically increasing the complexity. In the flavor, citrus is further emphasized by lemon and grapefruit in conjunction with the familiar burnt toast. The palate and finish feel watery but ultimately transcend to a creamy aftertaste. Not the best product from Stone Brewery but would be a lovely "easy-drinking" beer if it were more commercially available.

The epitome of a straight-forward beer. Pours a slightly hazy, yet in a clean way, orange color with a smooth off white head. Pine needles in the nose sort of like walking down a trail in the mountains. More hops in the flavor, still manages balance but not an ounce of complexity.

From the bottle.

The aroma comes on nice enough, lots of citrus hops, a bit of sour wheat, some alcohol -- but the flavor is a bit of a letdown. The brew is a strange combination of yeasty dough and all-out hops, and the two flavors jar with one another in a curious way. I’m not saying it was outright unpleasant to drink, but if I’m going to drink a bottle from Stone, I’d rather drink IPA hops on an IPA backbone than IPA hops in this failed cross-style experiment.

(03.12.06) Stone 7th , 8th, and 9th anniversary vertical sampling at DiCarlo’s, special gift of Scott L. Brown 22 oz bomber bottle. 2005 Vintage (release date 08.29.05). 50 IBU. 7.8% ABV. Identified on website as a bigger version of Stone’s Heat seeking wheat. Pours clear light orange with small white head. Good carbonation. Pine resin soap-like aroma. Medium bodied ale that starts with light malt sweetness and fruity citrus hop flavor. Finishes with lingering hop bitterness and light malt fade. Well-balanced but with a pronounced hop profile. Of the 7th, 8th, and 9th anniversary vertical sampling, the 9th anniversary version takes third place, following the 8th and 7th (best of show) anniversary versions. A very good hoppy flavored beer. Thanks Scott!