Stone Cali-Belgique IPA (Cali-België)

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

Bottle: (Thanks Mike!) Orange pour with good clarity and a thin off white head. Aroma is a nice blend of American resiny hops and Belgian yeast esters.Mix of oranges, pine and bubblegummy yeast notes. Creamy on the palate. The flavor is bright with a nice resiny and fruity hop character of orange, subtle peach, brief Belgian yeast phenols and a bitter clean finish. Solid and very drinkable.

Ghastly overpriced 22 ounce bottle from Beer Run in Charlottesville, VA and shared with Alraomon, cdumler and Mark the bartender, who seems like a cool guy. Pours a clear orange color with a medium frothy head. Low head retention but nice lacing. Aroma of grassy hops, pear, strone fruits, caramel and mint. Very dry taste with notes of bubblegum, grassy and bitter hops, spiciness and breadiness. Full bodied.

From a growler filled at Stone today. Aroma is hoppy and phenolic. Appearance is a deep gold with a big fluffy white head. Hop flavor and fruitiness from the yeast. Grainy malt flavor. Bitter, dry with a clean finish. An interesting twist on their regular IPA.

Draught at Falling Rock Taphouse.Clear amber - white head. Coriander, fruity, apples, peppery, sweetness, nice hoppy, bitterness, high bitter finish.

Fresh bomber. Pours mostly clear and medium orange-amber in color. A frothy, cream colored head shows a nice, bubbly retention at the edge. Jagged, sticky rings of lacing circle the glass. Aromas include citrus blossoms, bitter orange peel, fresh cut grass, and estery light fruits. A distinctly Belgian, doughy yeast note is prominent throughout, as is a touch of coriander and peppery spice. Flavors continue this theme, bright, fresh citrus hop bitterness shining throughout, with sharp coriander and clove and a dry, fruity yeast profile. The palate is medium-bodied and semi-dry, with balanced carbonation and a lingering, grassy hop finish. This trend of American IPA’s done with Belgian yeast isn’t one I’m a big fan of, but this one is well executed and highly enjoyable.

Brilliant clear amber with no head. Bizzarre aroma is piney hops with clove coriander sweet spice. Medium body. Flavor is mainly malty grainy caramel with clove and coriander again, with a taste of floral hops. The Belgian wins the battle of styles in this brew.

DTM picked this one out at Hollingshead in Orange, CA. I heard about it originally via email, and thought the taste combo sounded odd at the time -- not so. The Belgian hints modifed/added to the IPA style in such a way to give it more body, even though the beer was generally light on the palate. I’d buy again, if I saw it.

22oz bottle from hophead22.....pours a semi-transparent orange brown with a thin soapy off-white head....aroma of yeast, citrus notes as well as light grassy hops and pine.... tangerine citrus flavors, earthiness, some sweet candied sugar, and an earthy bitterness in the finish. soft carbonation...i liked this more that the collaboration but that’s not saying a whole lot.