Stone 9th Anniversary Ale

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

This bottled brew from 2005 was bought and sampled in 2006 in Indianapolis. It poured an extremely large sized head of foamy mostly lasting fine to medium sized white colored bubbles that left behind a slightly hazy softly carbonated orange colored body with a fine particulate in it and a poor lacing. The aroma was hoppy malty and had a mild caramel note to it. The mouth feel was tingly from the start and strengthened in the finish then mellowed in its aftertaste with a mild malt hop flavor. Overall, the flavor was hoppy with a malty aftertaste.

Poured an enticing yellow-gold with a firm pillow top. It gives a nice round bready sweet aroma. The flavor is wonderful ... also bready, but candied and citrusy, doughy but in a good way. I really like this more than the string of 3.X ratings behind me. Quite excellent.

(Bottled, 0.66l) Very hazy golden with a medium, lacy head. Cardamom, citrusy-aromatic hops, pale, grainy malt in the aroma. Pale-malty, very aromatic-hoppy, grassy, slightly honeyish, very grainy, a bit alcoholic flavor. Medium body, quite low carbonation. A very malty American Strong Ale with pleasant hopping.

Bottle shared by BrianK in 2009. Pours a golden orange body with a white lacing. Very hop assertive with pine, resins, and hints of grapefruit. Wheaty with note of coriander and lightly earthy. Thin alcohol. Odd beer not bad.

Poured a lightly lazy, orange golden color with a small white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of bubblegum, apples, lemon merengue, vanilla, grassy and floral hops. Taste of wheat, more apple, pear, light alcohol, some spices, and finishing with green, bitter grapefruit hops. Thanks grover!

MN Winter Get Together, 2006: Gold color with no head. Quite a hoppy aroma with a noticeable hit of alcohol. Taste is much the same with only a little more malt to notice.

Bottle consumed on 9/13/2005. Pours a copper-orange colored body with bottle-conditioned tiny bubbles forming a foamy white head, fair retention, little to no lacing. Smells like ruination. Very Hoppy. Bit of pineapple and coconut milk, lots of leafy green hops. Finally, some alcohol in the nose, detracts. Flavor has very low malt sweetness. Aside from the bottle conditioned carbonation, it has a papery, dry astringent feel. Gets rather sour as it progresses and then a flood of alcohol comes. Sour, heavily astringent, heavily alcoholic/fuelic. The hops bitterness exacerbates this and it just falls apart as it warms. Incredibly alcohol ridden in both nose and flavor now. 3/4 of the bottle goes down the drain. Not sure what to think. I bought this bottle in a cooler, the first week it was out and then kept it in my fridge until I was ready to drink it. Problems in transit? Who knows. Mike always says that the trucks are kept air-conditioned, so it’s hard to believe. Will certainly give it another try though.

Pours a clear light gold with a nice thick head and great lace. Aroma is citrus and lots of amarillo hops, some light herbal and spicy hops. Flavor is full with lots hops and a bit of wheat in the end for a nice aftertaste. Medium resinous flavor upfront with a good amount of sweet malt. This is an interesting beer, but not something I would want more of. Kind of a let down.