Stone 9th Anniversary Ale

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

Pretty hoppy aroma, peppery and resiny aroma. Over-hopped flavor, as the malts are weak due to the lightness of the wheat. This beer basically features a big hop juice character and a rather strong bitter finish. Definitely hop-centric and unbalanced.

I picked this up on a road trip thinking that the place still had it from a year ago and expected little from this. Then I saw this at many other shops in multiple states, so I’m guessing Stone is still sending out stock of this to go to shops. I don’t really know why unless the only reason is to make a quick buck. This isn’t horrible, but it tastes like any other American strong ale that’s been on the shelf too long. Pours fairly clear dark orange however there is a confetti like substance in suspension in the brew. There is a small white head. The aroma is musty / dirty caramel malt - smooth and rich and some light ABV. Thick body with a good amount of carbonation for the age. Taste has lots of dusty caramel that was on the aroma mixed with butterscotch - sweet and rich. The finish gets sweeter and has some alcohol burn with light spicy hops. For the life of me I can not understand the obsession ones have with this brewery. They release some good beers, but the rabid following they have is insane. I would gladly take hop heavy brews from Alesmith, Bear Republic and Founders before Stone.

Thanks to Killer for this one! Hazy dark yellow body with a loosely constructed frothy head. Fruity pine aroma but one that is distinctly different all the same. Sweet and hoppy, again, different from a Pale Ale or IPA, but hard to describe. An interesting and enjoyable beer. I don’t know how this would age, I think it’s really all out front right now, but I wouldn’t mind drinking a few now while they’re fresh. Another Stone not distributed to Tennessee.

22oz bottle - This is an interesting beer. It definitely has the strong hops character that is a Stone signature. They’re very present right from the aroma onward. There’s a light citrus aroma and flavor too with some malty sweetness as it hits the tongue, followed by a hoppy finish. It’s fairly easy to drink and I didn’t really notice the almost 8% alcohol content.

22oz. bottle. Enticing and distinctive aroma, fruity, sweet and malty with plenty of wheat and tropical, citric fruits including orange, pineapple, melon and faint banana alongside some light, sugary sweetness, piney, spicy, potent hops, all with a slight alcoholic tinge. Clear light-medium golden amber color with a fine, subsiding head and very wispy lacing. Flavor is hoppy to start, resinous, fresh and strong, turning maltier around midpoint, the sweetness and intriguing fruitiness melding before the bitter, citric, dry, bready and mildly warming finish. Lively and oily mouthfeel with a deceptively full body. I actually really liked this a lot and find the strong wheat concept a seemingly fun one for brewers to tinker with.

Sampled from a 22 oz brown bottle this beer poured a vibrant golden color with a huge amber-white head. The aroma was strong grapefruit and pine with a sweet and slightly spicy finish. The flavor was sweet, tangy, grapefruity and had a hint of spicy hops underneath. There was a mild hoppy finish.

Bottle: Clear light copper color with a medium white head. Aroma is citrusy and bready, and not much else. Flavor had a light grapefruit taste to it, some tangyness, a bit of a spice to it as well. The hops were holding up pretty well after a year, quite enjoyable.

Bomber. Pours a clear light reddish/orange color. Aroma is somewhat sweet and piney. Reminds me of an IPA. Slight candy aroma. A little yeasty as well. Piney and bitter right up front with some alcohol present as well. Tastes like a very dry IPA with a very bitter finish. Nothing at all special about this. I think they need to spend more tme on their brews and less on the mumbo jumbo on the bottle.