Stone 9th Anniversary Ale

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

Golden color. Medium hoppy aroma. Medium malty body with a sharp bitterness. Quite usual now, no thrill…

(22oz bottle) Healthy off-white head atop a lightly hazed golden body. Aroma is moderately sweet, floral, grapefruit, some pine. Taste is moderately sweet, floral, grapefruit, orange. Medium body, some resin. Alcohol noticeable without being off-putting. A hop-bomb wheat -- I wonder what the IBUs are?

Bottle. Orange colour with a off-white head. Sweet fruity, citrus, hoppy aroma and taste. Medium to full body with a sweet dry finish.

22oz bottle. Poured a medium to deep golden color with a large sized off white head. Lots of small particles with nice lacing left on the glass. Aromas of strong pine, light peppery spice, and citrus. Tastes of oranges, pine, light spices and some caramel sweetness. Medium alcohol taste in the finish. Aroma reminded me of an IPA although the taste was more balanced than the straight forward hop aromas.

Floral mandarine/lemony bright hops shine amidst the sweet, bready, not very flavorful malts. Shining bottle-conditioned golden robe. The head is white, foamy, diminishing a bit fast for a wheat containing beer, but less fast than most other Stone beers. A very perfumey big weizen where the wheat comes out nicely, but the final result feels less exciting (lively, fresh) than say a gumballhead, yet I’d rather drink gumballhead. Light bodied, high crisp carbonation. Well contained alcohol, clean fermentation. Easy to drink, but a bit too bitter for what it is, though there aren’t the malts in there for the beer to be any interesting without that bitterness. Ultimately, it leads into a rather astringent, abrasive hop finish that brings back alcohol fumes. A vicious circle that, glad they tried something different though. A pale ale next year?

(Bottle) Pours a lightly hazy golden body with a moderate yellowish beige head. Aroma of grapefruit, orange, florals, and a hint of pine. Flavor of breadiness and citrus. Bitter finish.

Rerate 11/13/06: Pours has a good amount of white foam. Aroma still has a health dose of citrusy hops. Body is somewhat oxidized but has good complexity of sweet caramel malt. Has lost some of its hop sharpness, and is probably past its prime. but is still quite drinkable.

Original rating 9/15/05: Pours a lightly hazy copper orange with a frothy and well-lacing white head. Nice fresh crisp hoppy aroma has some sweet crystal malt and grainy wheat. Body starts with a nice candy malty sweetness and good mild citrusy and piney hops. Finishes sugary, semi-bitter, earthy and lightly warming. An interesting and enjoyable beer.

Bottle… Clear, light golden ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Pine, orange blossom honey and white pepper nose. Beautifully unbalanced flavor. Bitter with big time grapefruit rind. Medium to full-bodied and bone dry with lively carbonation. Along the lines of Bear Republic’s Hop Rod Rye or Smuttynose’s Big A IPA. A new style perhaps… Extreme Wheat? Very nice offering from Stone.