Stone Cali-Belgique IPA (Cali-België)

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

22oz bottle in a Remy Martin snifter. Color is clear orange/golden. Aroma is aggressively hopped with aromas of sweet bubblegum and some citrus. Taste has more bitterness than the aroma leads one to think and overly less bountiful hop flavor. Has a lightly oily and resiny hop finish. I did not really pick up any of the Belgian yeast aspects, and it seemed very filtered. But decent type of all hop brew.

Bottle from the brewery. Pours amber with a good 1 finger, white head. The aroma is of bread and citrusy-pine. The mouthfeel is pretty complex. It has the smoothness of a belgian and the bite of an ipa. It balances out pretty nicely and the bready-malt flavors compliment the more abrasive hop flavors. pretty good brew.

Shared at tjthresh’s house - Aroma is floral hops with tripel yeast, lemon and orange peel. Pours transparent gold with a small head and good lacing. Flavor matches aroma. Palate is tart and creamy. Tasty and very drinkable.

Reviewed 12/30/2008(Draft @ Stone Bistro & Gardens, Escondido, CA): Pours an amber orange color body. Small creamy snow white head, diminishing. Fruity hoppy aroma. Fruity, grapefruity taste. Some hoppy dryness on the aftertaste. Some carbonation. Some fruity bitterness. Nice taste, Belgiany and hoppy. Light fruit taste, maybe pear or something. Creamy palate.

(bottle) Clear light orange body and a medium white head with lots of lace. Aroma is strong with floral and fruity notes - orange, grapefruit, pine, wood, spice. Flavor is moderately sweet but also very bitter - it seems to undulate between the two, which is kinda odd but cool. Medium bodied.

Bottle shared by heykevin. Poured a clear light orange color with a white head. Nice Belgian IPA aroma reminiscent of flower blossom, citrus fruits, and flaky pastry. Light to medium bodied with moderate bitterness. Dry-ish with orange peel, pine, grapefruit, and pale malt flavors. The bitterness lingered after the finish.

2008. Pours a sparkling clear, pale orange color with a brilliant white, moderately full, creamy head which has great longevity and leaves drippy lace. Nose is awesome; Belgain estery yeast bringing peach notes and clove, light grapefruit, orange peel, resinous pine. The Belgian yeast notes and the strong American hop presence actually worked well together in the aroma. The flavor is nice but the Belgian and American notes clashed a bit more; yeast is still estery with more banana, hints at tropical fruit, some pepper spice, and light clove. Other notes of resinous pine, orange peel, and faint grass. Palate is moderately light, a bit watery, and lively; two contrasting styles of palates competing didn’t work well. Finishes fairly long with lingering yeast and some bitter notes of pine and grass. The beer benefits most from its nose which was amazing, but other aspects competed and contrasted. The Belgain aspects overpowered the clean, fresh American hop notes but still an interesting beer and nice attempt from Stone.

22 oz "Cali-Beligique" bottle. Pours a golden color with a foamy white head. Aroma is a bit more mild than I first expected, but incredibly good - with a full hoppy aroma with pine, grapefruit, floral characters. Flavor is more malty than I expected as well, but compliments the hop character quite well. Very refreshing and alcohol content is not over the top, allowing the flavor of the beer itself to not be overwhelmed with too much warmth.