Stone Levitation Ale

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Amber Ale
Escondido, California USA

16 oz draft poured an amber color with an off white head. Sweet, caramel aroma with a good bit of resin hop aroma. A big time hop bitterness that goes well with the medium sweet body. A surprising amber that drank like a pale ale. Not really to style but a great beer.

Bottle from Utobeer. As a British ale drinker, this is really interesting and exciting. A best bitter strength beer made for quaffing, but in a suprisingly small bottle. Looks beautiful. Mahogany, lasting thick beige head. Spicy hop aroma, bit of ginger to go with the grapefruit. Yep. Just as I feared an unbalanced best bitter. You just can’t stick a load of floral and spicy hops over a beer without the malt backbone to keep it in balance. Yes the aroma is glorious, but it’s just got no middle and then sweet toffee and stinging harsh hop on finish. Where Thornbridge Lord Marples shows how to do this style of beer well, this doesn’t which is a great shame as it could be so much better. Yes the hops are fun. I mean really fun. But the rest just falls away and the finish is too metallic.

Reviewed 12/24/2008 (bottle): Pours a pretty clear, reddish-brown colored body with a off-white light brown soapy head, small but lasting. Citrusy aroma, hoppy, dusty, malty maybe some hoppiness. Watery palate, dusty, hoppy taste. Light on the harsh carbonated taste.

Amber with an off white head. Leafy, piney hop aroma. A little ashiness in the taste with some sweet malts and hoppiness to finish. Plenty of straightforward flavour for the low ABV, but not a great deal to keep the discerning drinker absorbed.

Bottle at Microbar, Clapham, "Just a quick one" session, 18th Dec 08. Rich amber, quite lively, line of head. Strong, citrus American hops dominate the flavour without overdoing it. This is hoppy yet drinkable - effectively a session version of an American Double IPA.

Kind of thought this would have some more grapefruit and pine notes for a beer from Stone. It has a harsh bitter finish that I dont find too appealing. Brown/amber in color with a frothy white head. Aroma is sweet and subtly citrusy.

Cloudy amber with medium beige head. Fruity aroma with hoppy notes. Hoppy flavour with pine and grapefruit notes. Massive bitterness towards the end.

12 oz. bottle. Last time I had this was a couple years ago, figured I try it out again.. Wasnt a fan back then, not a fan now. Dark amber with an off white medium sized head. Aroma is too subtle, malt and hops but hard to make out. Flavor is somewhat toasted with some one-dimensional bitter hops. Mouthfeel is thin. The only disappointing brew Ive had from an otherwise extraordinary brewery.