Stone Cali-Belgique IPA (Cali-België)

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Escondido, California USA

Just got these in at Liquor Barn. Pours dark golden with a mostly receding tan head. Aroma of mango, tropical fruits, honey and cantaloupe. Taste is hoppy and resinous, with notes of mango, tropical fruits, sugar, and candy. Mouthfeel is full bodied with light resins and lively carbonation.

Pours a clear golden orange with a white head which thins out to a nice film. Aroma is all fruity belgian yeast, bread dough, and hops. Flavors of sweet malt, honey, bread and yeast, banana/clove, and citrus hops are definitely present as well. It has a very spicy palate with yeast and hops left on the tongue after. Not a big fan of Belgian styles, but this is good.

Golden with medium white head. First smell from the glass is belgian yeast followed quickly by citrus hops. Very enjoyable mix of hops and belgian yeast in the taste. Both flavor profiles balance each other well and neither overpowers. No off flavors. Love it.

22oz bomber. Pours a deep old gold with a slight haze and a thick, egg-white-like head that leaves thick dots of meringue-like lace on the glass. Aroma is very, very hoppy with lots of grass and more subtle aromas of licorice, honey, and doughy yeast. The flavor starts with lots of grassy and very bitter/resiny hops that present subtle hints of pine needles. There is a sweet, gold malt presence, too. The bready and sweet maltiness gives way to soft fruit, light graininess, and floral and spicy hop bitterness at mid-palate. The finish is quite dry, firmly bitter, and spicy/peppery with phenols. The mouthfeel is wonderfully carbonated - lively but not too sharp. The texture is actually full and almost chewy in body once the bubbles are released, despite the very dry finish. Overall, a decent brew - hoppy, sweet, complex, dry. All of the things you look for - but it was somehow less special than others of this style (take your pick of appellation: Belgian IPAs or Ultra-hopped Tripels). Quite good overall, but missing that "je ne sais quois" that would push into being fantastic...

Bottle and served in Duval snifter: Clean deep golden hue with a small but lasting fluffy head and produced excellent lacing lacing upon the glassware. The nose is quite fruity with overtones of apricot and tangerine, some resiny and grassy hop esters, bubblegum and earthy yeast esters, hint of mineral water. The taste is moderately continental bitterness over a layer of sugary sweet malts. Spicy hop and slight alcohol finish. The mouth feel does suffer from the noticeable boozy character IMO. All told a solid enough brew but I was still left wanting more based if anything on reputation.

22oz bottle: poured a clear amber with a medium sized white head. Light bubblegum and hop aroma with more of the same in the flavor. Well balanced mix of hoppy IPA and a Belgian style wit. I really enjoyed this. Well done.

Bomber thanks to Stefanje. Pretty much an awesome looking bottle, probably my favorite stone bottle, anyway. Pours a very pretty reddish gold with dissipating head. Can smell the Belgian from a mile away with a little phenol and nice floral hops and the ocean. Taste is pretty clean, again phenolic with light clove-type notes and some smooth bitterness. I dig the Belgian influenced IPAs that are around, and this is no different. Nice and crisp with a subtle sweetness, clean and a touch tart. Very nice.

20090210 Bomber from Spirits RB. Impossibly clear, golden, the color of ShamWow, and with small, quickly fading white head. Tropical and citrus aromas, kiwi, light biscuit, moderate grape nuts, light cat piss. There’s definitely a Belgian note, but it’s pretty subtle and not quite clear what they’re getting at. On the palate, the Belgian influence is all but buried beneath sharp American hops. Light phenolic and peppery yeast doesn’t come through as much as it seems like it ought to across the meat of the beer, and mild hops mid way get a so so reception as the palate thins. Mostly quenching and clean, with fairly aggressive eff throughout and quick but sharp finishing bitterness, lingering astringency. Not quite what I expected, and the price tag was quite high for a Stone bomber at seven bucks. All tolled, one of my least favorite Stone brews in a while. That said, it’s still drinkable.