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Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

Stone Self Righteous Ale

This brew was brought to me by the magnificent Ms. Mieko. It’s 8.7% alc/vol. That’s all I know.

Appearance: Dark brown with no translucency. There’s a nice, tan head.

Smell: It has a dank, maybe prune, aroma. Hops is present as well.  The smell is slightly piny.

Taste: Wow. Just wow.  It’s sweet, creamy and smooth with a caramel or toffee like backbone. It’s pretty sweet but well balanced by a pronounced bitterness.  There’s a strong flavor of hops, but it’s hard to pin down.  Is it piny, grassy, or citric?  I’m going with pine. Whatever it is, it’s bold and flavorful.

Mouthfeel: The flavor concentrates in the center/back of tongue.  The strong hop aftertaste lingers. It’s very provocative to the tongue. The alcohol is barely present.

Drinkability: I will drink again, most definately. I didn’t know what to expect with this one because I didn’t read the label.  When it poured I was surprised to see a dark brew. After tasting, there was an element I couldn’t put my finger on. Turned out to be outrageous hops. It was hiding in plain sight. Wow, a dark, super hoppy beer. It’s like a cross between a mild, sweet porter, kind of, and a double IPA. Amazing. Simply amazing. Right now it’s my favorite beer.

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WIPEOUT I.P.A. OF PORT BREWING

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

WipeOut ipa

Today’s review is WipeOut IPA, a micro brew from San Diego, which I purchased from Whole Foods, West Hollywood.

Appearance: Golden amber, slightly cloudy, not much head, lots of bubbles floating to the top. Noticed some yeast on the bottom of the bottle so it must be a live beer.

Aroma: Dank hoppy aroma, not overwhelming, smooth, with lemon, and slight grass notes.

Flavor: It’s very bitter and very hoppy. The flavor’s much more bitter than one would expect from the aroma. There’s quite an alcohol bite with a strong, sweet, malty backdrop.

Mouthfeel: This lingers on the tongue. Alcohol presence is strong and it’s a little too sweet, which distracts from the hop flavor.

Drinkable: It’s drinkable. Actually, it’s quite good but the alcohol hotness is a little strong. There’s a lot going on here, and the elements seem a little unbalanced. I would be real happy if given this with a slice of pizza in a pub, but I doubt I’ll buy this anytime soon.

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STONE CALI-BELGIE IPA

Friday, January 16th, 2009

cali-belgie

Today I’m trying Stone Cali-Belgie IPA. According to Stone, this is their flagship IPA besides being fermented in Belgian culture which gives it a distinct funkiness. I don’t recall being impressed by their IPA but the Ruination is amazing. Hopefully the yeast will give this something new and enjoyable for my taste buds. The stats are as follows. 6.9% ABV, 77 IBU’s, hopped with Columbus, Centennial, and dry hopped with Chinook.

Appearance: Clear, dark yellow, real nice head that lingers for a while
Aroma: sour citrus yeast, hops
Flavor: Hoppy, clean, bitter, lemon hints, slight alcohol hotness. It tastes interesting but not stupid bold. The yeast does give it a slight funkyness. It seems more dank than their normal ipa. The malty flavor is a firm and balanced jump off point for the hops. Slight butterscotch. grassy sour, grass
Mouthfeel: Carbonation is nice, alcohol flavor is a little up there but not distracting, bitterness is strong but not overwhelming. Refreshing, yet heavy.
Drinkable: I would definitely drink another. I’m impressed. Smooth enough to have a few, but bold enough to keep it interesting.

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I SEE DEAD GUYS

Friday, January 9th, 2009

deadg

I’ve had Rogue Dead Guy Ale once before and wasn’t impressed.  Maybe I was craving something else because I’m really enjoying a pint right now. I’ve been having a lot of hop assaults as of late so the malty, breadiness is a real treat right now. Still pretty hoppy on the nose, but my palette has been raped by Maximus and Ruination so I’m not noting it that much on the tongue. The malty sweetness is really full bodied.  The grains really come to the front.  It’s refreshing.  Wishing now I’d picked up a few of those Halloween growlers because Rogue is coming through with an amazing brew.  Nothing new, but I bring it to you.  Sad to finish this one, wish I had more.

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RUINATION IPA by STONE BREWERY

Saturday, January 3rd, 2009

Stone Ruination IPA

Appearance: Clear and orange. It has a white-colored, medium head with a lot of bubbles floating to the top.

Aroma: Very green, piney, and grassy. Like sticking your nose in a bag of hops. It’s citric, as well. There’s a real hop complexity here. Smelling this is addictive.

Flavor: Puckering hops. This beer is very, very bitter, but not in a bad way. It’s grassy and spicy with citrus and mint notes. The hops actually play a melody on your tongue. The psychedelic guitar solo leaves your tongue in a state of shock. This is an orgy of hop flavor. The malt is barely noticeable. I know the malt is there, but it’s completely dominated. The hop flavor is real earthy and dank.  The hop aroma is prevalent.  After taking a few more sips I’m tasting the malt a little more. Did I mention a strong hop flavor?

Mouthfeel: Bitter, puckering, yet oddly smooth. The flavor goes to the center of the tongue as the bitterness pulsates to the sides. It leaves the tongue tingling.   There is a strong, grassy aftertaste that lingers till the next sip. It feels like your tongue’s been marinating in hop tea.

Drinkability: I love this. I like the over-the-top hop flavor. The alcohol presence is subdued, and it goes down rather smoothly.  I love hoppy bear and could drink an IPA daily, but I’ll save this beer for special occasions. It’s perfect for when when I want to have a bold, shocking flavor experience.

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