Stone 8th Anniversary Ale - Stone Brewing Co.

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.58/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Auburn tone. Streaks of scarlet. Decent clarity. Thin brown head recedes to a thick collar. Lacing is minimal.

Aroma: Chocolate, burnt toast, roasted malt, dusty grain and cocoa.

Taste: The flavor has a dry grainy aspect. Dry cocoa powder. Chalky hops. Burnt malts. But there's a sweet lacto feel to it as well. All in all, it's a nice little Ying-Yang type of thing going on that makes for a pleasant tug of war.

Mouthfeel: Chalky dry. Lightly carbonated. Medium bodied at best. Pleasing enough.

Drinkability: I usually grade drinkability by answering the following question, "How much desire do I have to drink this beer again??" instead of "How many of these could I kick back in a sitting??" While I could put a lot of these back in a sitting, I also have much desire to drink this beer again. So I give it a high rating for drinkability. It's very flavorful and an enjoyable experience all 'round.

Without the Bum on my side, I don't think I'd have tried any of the last 3 Anniversary Ales from Stone. So I thank you yet again, King of the Bums.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2005 05:37:39 | More by Bighuge

Gusler

Arizona

4.53/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

The beer after its disinterment from the 22-ounce brown bottle lies ever so inviting in the glass a translucent burnished copper with a persistent light tan and somewhat frothy head, after its demise the residual lace is an encircling sheet of fine lace. Nose is sweet with malt, hints of caramel and the mouth-watering aroma of the hop flower, start is delectable in its grain presence, lightly sweet with the top moderate in its feel. Finish is annoying in its acidity with the hops determined and the aftertaste desert dry, ah what a treat to the palate and the other senses.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2005 23:57:44 | More by Gusler

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Medium ruby/brown colour and pretty clear. Cream coloured head that's a little thin, but is made up of fine bubbles and leaves lots of lacing. Malty aroma with just a bit of floral hoppiness. Mostly it's all about chocolate and nutty smells, with a hint of alcohol lurking in the background. Moderate bitterness throughout, but this seems to be more about malt (is this really a Stone brew?). Sweet, malty start, some nuttiness and floral hops at the mid-point, and it finishes with more chocolatey malt and some increasing bitterness. Creamy texture aided by well-incorporated carbonation. Full mouthfeel with just a bit of alcohol warmth. Great balance here in an excellent (strong) American brown ale.

April 7, 2006: Tried my last bottle of this great beer. It had a bit of oxidation that manifested as kind of an "aged barleywine nose", but this didn't detract from the quality of the aroma. The flavour had mellowed out a bit, but there was still some bitterness and everything held together well. The body seemed a little thinner than last time, but that could just be poor memory. Still enjoyable after all this time, but it has lost a little of its original character.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2005 00:37:11 | More by DrJay

HopHead84

California

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

02/08/2011

On tap at Stone Winter Storm 2011.

A: Dark reddish brown with a fizzy beige head and okay retention and lacing.

S: Toasted bread with nuts and a little chocolate. ABV is strong for the style, but it's hardly detectable here. I get a little plum and date. Oxidation is sherry-like. There's an interesting smoky quality perceivable when the beer warms up toward room temperature.

T: Toasted bread and nutty with an earthy character. I get a dash of chocolate and a hint of date. Alcohol is subtle. Finish is smooth with a lingering breadiness. There's a dark fruit undercurrent reminiscent of plum. Oxidation is complementary. The finish is dry. There's a little heat in the end and a low bitterness throughout, though no detectable hop flavor.

M: Upper medium body with moderate carbonation. Mouthfeel is creamy, dry, and sticky, with notable warming.

Overall: I really enjoyed this. It's held up very well, though Stone probably cold stores. Pairs well with new age music, or so Stone would have me believe.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2011 03:34:32 | More by HopHead84

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.28/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Tried this earlier in 2008 at a BA tasting at the Brick Store Pub compliments of an unknown BA- Thanks to whoever brought this! Poured a hazy brown with a still lively head that faded to a thin ring. Smells treacly with some aromas of date and fig. The taste is similar, but still quite rich with date and fig fflavors and slight roastiness that provides a toast like backbone for the fruit. Very smooth and creamy, this is still holding up quite well with no oxiddised flavors detected at all. Nice.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2008 16:23:49 | More by Georgiabeer

Dogbrick

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark amber-brown color with a medium light tan head. Thin and sticky lacing. The aroma is very roasted, sweet and malty. Rich-bodied and very toasty and dry, with a pleasantly sweet malt and nut flavor. Just a bit of hops make it well-balanced and nice to drink. The finish is toasted malt and caramel with a hint of bitterness. Overall this is an amped up Brown Ale that I could enjoy regularly.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2004 21:07:30 | More by Dogbrick

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a honey brown, settling to a clear medium mahogany with a somewhat loosely bubbled yet firm finger high foam of light tannish hue. A whispy thin skim stays a float the entire session as does a solid collaring. Lacing coats the glass well in sporatic sheeting. One lavishly impressive looking glass of brown ale if I ever saw one; which ain't many.

Smells of frappicchino cocoa and caramel malted goodness with a slight roastyness and even slighter note of nuts. Overall very clean and pleasantly welcoming on the nose.

Flavors are mild but invigoratingly yummy. Nice malt base of candy caramel, akin to most of the Stone line of brews. Roasty edged with a small nutty hint in the backing. Finishes clean and airy dry with bits of cocoa.

Feel is smooth and malty rich with a small roasty tweek thats boarding on a burntness. Yet the roastyness never excedes past the malt base by much, keeps clean, and drys out nicely in the finish with a favorable return of roasty draw. Well carbonated and nearly full for a brown ale. Beastly so actually, very Stone-like in my mind, or should I say "buds".

Quite quaffable and easy flowing with the smoothness. Fine, fine stuff, another keeper from the fellas at Stone. I found it to be up to par, and beyond by a big measure, with any brown ale I've encountered.

A super Stone quality thanks goes to xlperro for the chance to gulp it down!

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2004 01:24:35 | More by tavernjef

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 dug out of the cellar.. I've been wanting to review the 8th for a couple of years now... I had one about a year ago and it was fantastic... Tonight is the night... Poured into my Chimay goblet...

1/2" head sorta surprised me.. descent lace.. the brew is crystal clear lite brown with bright red highlites,

Aroma is eye opening after all this time.. bunches of chocolate.. lite toast and roasted malts... touches of coffee.. figgy.. and some brown sugar... maybe some piney hops have survived..

Flavor is lite chocolate and cola.. dry caramel essence... touches of raisin.. descent bitterness that ties the brew together... The body is a lite/medium... and the carbonation is smooth (even after all these years!!!) Light dark cherries with some Mission fig.. Nice hoppy bitterness still is there.. the only hoppy flavors I get may be some minor pine... but they are on the decline.

Reminds me out of the gates of a deep English brown.. oxidation had helped the bigger ABV... Better than I remembered the bottle a while back.

4/4/4.5/3.5/4

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2009 08:38:42 | More by JohnGalt1

mactrail

California

3.7/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Tasting 5-1/2 years after brewing date of August 2004. Held up well. A little cloudy, well, murky. Chocolate is the dominant flavor to me. Weirdly sweet aroma, like those choco covered cherries they hand out at Christmas in finer homes in Utah. So call it a good desert beer. So malty sweet, it IS the dessert.

Poured in a big Brigand goblet and the aroma is powerful. Label claims it's based on "Lee's Mild" tho I would say it's almost totally unlike a mild at 7.8% and all the malt. But thanks, Stone, for another wacky ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2010 06:24:21 | More by mactrail

ccrida

Oregon

4.43/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bomber that I acquired (I think from yobdoog) in my first trade ~2 years ago and never got around to drinking until this snowy sunday. Poured into my large St. Feuillien goblet, Stone's 8th anny is a dark brown with a small, large bubbled eggshell head that leaves scattered lace.

Smell is mainly grassy hops that I recognize as more of an aged citrus hop - I reckon this was quite the hop blast when it was fresh. Otherwise it's rather understated. The lack of malt notes had me fearing this had aged way to long, but thankfully that's not at all the case! Served at 55F, a hint of caramel came out as it warmed, but really there was no significant improvement.

Taste is really pretty full, this sucker sure has held up well being that it's over 4 years old! Big caramel, slightly nutty, some light citrus hops, wow, this is fantastic, smooth but lots of flavor, not at all like I expected for it's age. Frankly, I'm shocked!

Mouthfeel is smooth and slight, medium bodied.

Drinkability is great. If this wasn't a rare one-off that I'll surely never have again, I would give it a 5. The ABV is totally hidden, this is just a killer brown ale. If I could by this buy the case, I'd surely overindulge every session!

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2008 21:21:46 | More by ccrida

RoyalT

Ohio

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance – This one is dark brown in color with light orangish rings around the outside of the liquid. The head was nice and full and showed good retention with an aggressive pour.

Smell – The strong, sticky brownish flavors came with the signature hoppy Stone Brewing profile.

Taste – This is big and simple. The malty backbone gives this ale a traditional toasty brown flavor. The hops are big as well. The sugars at the end come across as very broken down, if that makes any sense. They reminded me of straight sucrose if you’ve ever had that.

Mouthfeel – This ale is medium-bodied with well-blended flavors and a very sweet finish.

Drinkability – The ale is evenly-balanced but kind of edgy for the style. It’s a heavy-hitter for sure, but I prefer my Brown Ales a little milder. Maybe Greg can by the rights to the Lazy Brown Dog Ale?

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2004 15:17:08 | More by RoyalT

gford217

Georgia

3.83/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle courtesy of Nick at Liquormax poured into a tulip.

This one pours a hazy brownish amber with almost no head, which is to be expected I guess. There is almost no retention and only specks of lacing.

The aroma is big on roasted malts with no hop presence to speak of. I also got a substantial sugary syrup smell as well, with hints of dark fruit and wood.

The taste actually retained a bit of the hops up front, mostly of the earthy variety. Lots of roasted malts with caramel and sugar on top. The finish is very dry with a slight bitterness.

The mouthfeel is a bit thin for me with very little carbonation to speak of. As mentioned earlier, the finish is very dry.

I enjoyed trying this one though I imagine it's a little past it's prime. Either way, good drinking.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2008 00:13:42 | More by gford217

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I love you Kahn's Fine Wines in Indianapolis. They helped pop my Stone cherry.

Appearance- I immediately noticed a ruddy brown with deep amber highlights. Very, very murky. Good head with a bit of sticky lacing on my glass.

Smell- A instantly think of hop spiced brownies. Mild to deep malts give a hint of chocolate roastiness. Not as much hops as I expected in the nose though. Must have degraded with the aging.

Taste- Starts with a strong mix of roasted malts and slightly degraded hop flavors. Brownies and the resin straight from the citrusy flower. Then a more coffee like note mixed with some herbal notes. The finish is like runby malts with amber tasting hops. Not easy to describe.

Mouthfeel- A little biting considering the aged hopping. Lots of dark flavors to help balance the hops. Bitter finish, but that's ok.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2006 05:47:36 | More by scruffwhor

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.4/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

8th Anniversary Ale, August 2004 - Sampled at 2 Years Old.

Served up in a 5 year chronological Vertical line-up of the 6th, 7th and 9th past Anniversary Stone brews throughout the next few days, before I sample the latest 10th Anniversary Stone offering.


Appearance: Massive tan head, thick, auspicious looks, conspicuous lacing and the highly detailed collapsed, creamy and rocky contours, are just as intriguing as the Moons surface. Body is hazed with a dark treacle like stance; this renders all the qualities of the Bastard child of a drunken one night stand between a Newcastle Brown Ale and a Bloody Mary….. solid stuff, looks much better than the last bottle I had 6 months ago. Lasting Kopf runs rings down the glass, conditioning is super fine.

Nose: Past experience has been of a reticent nose, not so after 2 years!!! It positively leaps out of the glass; crushed figs, soft prunes, milk chocolate and a lovely silky hop character that wraps itself around the darker fruits. The aromas are stronger and the score picks up a few clicks here, just enough to pull a 4.0 with ease, but miss out on a 4.5 by the thickness of a mosquito’s pubic hair.

Taste: Hmmmm, Willy Wonka would be proud. The chocolately nature is progressing nicely and has rounded out with some age. It melds with prunes, figs and a smidgen of Lyle’s Black Treacle to offer a smooth silky effort. Hints of molasses and soaked wood punctuate the lingering tail long after the Cadburys milk chocolate after-taste fades. Dark Jamaican Rum and Cappuccino even comes to mind after a half Bomber. Strikingly good and I am surprised how much this has “picked up” in just 6 months since I last tried it. The complexity is developing; the previously easy to recognize bitterness is now hard to separate from the chocolate tones, it bonds to form an aphrodisiac chocolate coated hoppyness which hypnotizes with a sexual nature.

Mouthfeel: One thing that the Stone Anniversary brews exhibit, is a strong long term conditioning. Not one of the previous Stones, even the 6th Smoked Porter, has suffered. The 8th is no different. Finely dissolved conditioning, silky, talcum powder soft with a slickness that would rival Du Pont’s Teflon®. Oh so easy, all too effortless. The 8% is long gone, but I am sure it is still hiding, successfully camouflaged in and amongst the chocolate hops. Very good.

Drinkability: The dark fruits, addictive chocolate, smooth belly and attractive back end all make for a brew that disappears waaaay too quickly. Intensely flavorful, with an excellent poise from the carbonation, and a rich rewarding dark complexity in the finish - this is perfect right now, so hard to put down, yet so easy to “put down”. Precarious!

Overall: Just like the start of the English Premiership League, this is a very welcome “August return” which, with 8 bottles left, will no doubt be a Perennial favorite for some time to come I feel - I hope!! Whereas the “airy-fairy” fanciful unbalanced 9th bombed in my eyes and was a Bridge Too Far; I can’t help but think that this (the 8th) was a **very** successful detour for Stone. The 8th “works” extremely well for me. This is definitely Stones best “style detour” in the Anniversary line-up for my money. I am digging the journey of the 8th and I am also thinking that this could get better yet.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2006 05:02:20 | More by TheLongBeachBum

ZAP

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown with ruby tints...nose is dark cocoa...body is medium to full...tight...flavor profile is big on the sweet milk chocolate...a little hit of coffee grounds...finishes with a little bitter hop hit...has the feel of a Porter in some respects....

An interesting beer..nice character to this...tasty..not an all-time great but well worth trying....enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2004 00:35:50 | More by ZAP

dirtylou

Washington

4.65/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle, August 2004. Sticker on bottle says $5.99 bought somewhere in Norfolk, VA.

appearance: dark with a very dark red tint. slight dark head

smell: wonderful! Hints of chocolate, coffee, and smoke

taste: Chocolately, nice smoke flavors that are not overpowering. Alcohol definately present, but in a very good fashion.

mouthfeel: A little thicker than the typical american brown ale. Fairly sticky.

drinkability: Probably did not need more than a 22oz bottle but it went down smooth and easy.

I was really impressed with the brown, more so than the DFH and Rogue that it is typically compared to.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2005 01:18:48 | More by dirtylou

francisweizen

Australia

4.5/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

DArk brown, near black with tan edges and a huge beige head. Huge aromas of sweet malts, spices, subtle chocolate, nice roasted malt notes and more. The taste is a bit booz up front with a strange malty sweetness. Where are the hops, guys!? Anyway the flavor than takes an awesome turn for the better when some lovely spicy notes come into the picture. The finish is chocolate-like, sweet, roasty, and yet somehow a bit dry. The mouthfeel is medium bodied-full and the drinkability is outstanding. Great stuff!

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2004 19:48:00 | More by francisweizen

FosterJM

California

3.73/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

1095th Review on BA
Draft to 4oz Taster

WinterStorm 2012

App- Mixing interestingly in the glass was a light brown with ambers/golds. Not a spec of head on it or cling.

Smell- Almost identical to Stone 7, which is suprising because of the difference in styles. I did smell more malt vs the soap on this one.

Taste- A really pleasant malty flavor with a small amount of bitter. A bit thick at points but a little bit of citrus crept into it.

Mouth- A lighter medium with a medium high carbonation and some sweetness.

Drink- Just okay. It was a bit all over the place with feel and looks but tasted good. Probably wouldnt want again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-06-2012 22:11:11 | More by FosterJM

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.75/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed on 8/15/08. Bottle courtesy of adrian910ss. Pours a murky red/brown with a small tan head. Aroma of raisin, dark fruit, with a slight hint of chocolate and roast. Flavor is lots of tootsie roll and chocolate malt, also raisin and cinnamon. Quite tasty! Only slightly past its prime, as the hops have faded.
7/4/8/4/15 (3.8/5)

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2008 23:02:33 | More by LilBeerDoctor

alexgash

Connecticut

3.9/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I luckily got some of this at Liquormart in Boulder on my through town...
Pours a rich chestnut brown with a small light sandy head. Smells of buttered toast with quartz, and earthy, slightly-fruity, sweet notes. A bit on the subtle-y aromatic side (especially for a Stone beer). Taste starts off with minerals and flint, but quickly gets sweet. Notes of toffee, and fruit come through. Then the flint comes back as it segues into a scorched, roasty, nutty bitterness. Doesn't entirely balance out the sweetness, as it lingers into the alcoholic finish. The mineral-quality seems to thin out the body a little bit, but the sweetness makes it coat the mouth quite well. Another great beer from Stone--I just wish I could have made it out to San Marcos for the anniversary festival like I did last year!

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2004 02:18:35 | More by alexgash

GClarkage

California

4.72/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

01/08/05- Purchased at Beverages and More in San Mateo, CA

Presentation- Poured into my Hangtown Brewery pint glass. 22 oz bomber with no date on bottle.

Appearance- Pours a brownish-amber color with a nice tan foamy head. Lacing is about average.

Smell- Tons of caramel and roasted malt notes as well as hop bitterness.

Taste- This one kinda reminds me of a brown ale mixed with an IPA and maybe even some stout or porteresque qualities. Definite strong brown ale tastes with the roasted malt, IPA qaulities with the smooth bitter hops, and the darker beer qualities with a tad taste of burnt coffee. Excellent!

Mouthfeel- Lower carbonation than I was expecting. Medium to heavy taste. Went down super smooth.

Drinkability- May be my favorite brown ale to date. An interesting taste experience. Wondering if this one is ageable at 7.8%?

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2005 17:20:55 | More by GClarkage

merlin48

Kentucky

4.3/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A couple hundred words of verbal antics written on the bottle lead me to believe this is a reincarnation of a 1998, one-off called Lee's Mild. The 8th Anniversary pours a clear, chestnut brown body with a small, tan head that quickly falls into a persistent collar and film of lace. Patchy lace also decorates the sides of the glass.
Interesting nose begins with chocolate..and more chocolate. Caramel, prunes, smoked almonds, licorice, and vanilla also emerge to tease the nose.
Mouthfeel features some hops bitterness, and is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Feels good in the mouth.
Taste is complex for a "brown ale". Lots of chocolate malt, caramel, fresh bready malt, a hint of warming alcohol, dark fruits, and a solid almond nuttiness. Hops bitter well, and waver between grassy and floral. Finish is smooth and clean.
I ususally don't care for brown ales, but leave it to Stone to create an exception. At 7.8% abv, this could be considered an "imperial brown ale", but the abv is generally well hidden in the complexity of flavors. At times, I even detected a resemblance to a strong dark ale from Belgium, in this one. Very interesting. Very tasty. Very drinkable. I wish I had a case of these in my cellar.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2004 11:58:14 | More by merlin48

Bierman9

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

American Brown Ale, eh? I didn't know what I had purchased until I checked here. Shows you what a name like Stone does to you in the store.
Poured a deep garnet color, clear throughout, but a lovely hue!! Head was quite thin, basically just a fine ring of bubbles around the rim. Lacing is not really there at all. Great color, but...
I could actually pick up the aroma right after popping the cap.... it's a nice caramelly/toffeeish malt nose, suggesting decent malt sweetness. Not quite as strong, oddly, when in the glass. 8 has a nice, healthy medium body, though not nearly enough to get into the full range. On the tongue, it is most welcome and right at home... smooth all the way down the chute. Taste mimics the nose, in that it has plentiful caramel/toffee maltiness... a pleasurable toastiness, even a roastiness, and light sweetness. I detect a subtle yet noticeable touch of floral hops near the end of the sip, adding a bit of rebuttal to the malty sweetness present through most of the quaffing. I really like this Bier, especially considering I was a bit let-down when finding out what style it was after my purchase. That being said, I probably wouldn't spend $6.99 for 22oz when I can get a verrry similar quality Bier in Smutty Old Brown Dog for the same price for a 6-pack.
Zum Wohl!!

overall: 3.95
appearance: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | mouthfeel: 4 | drinkability: 4.5

767

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2004 20:31:24 | More by Bierman9

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer poured into the chalice (for some reason I thought it was gonna be a Belgian) a crystal clear deep amber brown. The head was low and tan, but lasted to lace the glass.

The aroma was deeply nutty and malty with caramel most prevalent and chocolate not far behind. Slight roastiness was present in the aroma. As it warmed the aroma became slightly spicy which was most likely a result of the hidden alcohol in the beer making it's presence known through phenols.

The flavor was slightly metallic with chocolate and caramel and the same nutty characteristics. The flavor also had a earthiness and a hop bittering that restrained the everpresent maltiness.

The finish was just dry with lasting chocolate, caramel and slight lasting bittering. The body was medium full but seemed just a smidge thinner. The only indicator of the alcohol presence was in the warming after consumption and even that was slight.

22 ounce bottle. $6.25 in VA.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2005 23:38:20 | More by GCBrewingCo

Suds

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This brew presents itself as a deep chestnut-colored liquid with a thin white head. The aroma is teriffic…malty and big (expected from Stone), with a bit of yeast, a hint of alcohol, bits of vanilla, caramel, and hops. Yummy. The taste is malty and earthy, with a little toasted grain and a big bitter finish. Alcohol warming is present, but the attribute is really well hidden. Very nice on an early November night.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2004 22:45:15 | More by Suds