Stone 10th Anniversary IPA - Stone Brewing Co.

gonzo138

Arizona

4.72/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

finally my store got more of this beer, we originally got about five cases which flew out unbelievably quick, not before I got to try it but before I got to review it, today we finally got more

A- pours a reddish copper color with a creamy white head that ha decent retention and laces nicely

S- wonderful floraly citrusy/floral hop aroma, very crisp and refreshing

T- at first a mild sweet malt taste before the citrusy hop kick nice and clean taste

M- medium body, good carbonation, flavor sticks around a while

D- excellent beer, will try to buy up as much as I can, my favorite IPA from stone, It would be great if this were available year round, my store has a keg of this stuff waiting in the back, I CANNOT WAIT TO TRY THIS OFF TAP

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2006 08:21:27 | More by gonzo138

biking4beer

Colorado

4.72/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber poured into a tulip glass.

Very nice ruby amber beer. Pours a rocky, bubbly 2 finger head. Nice lacing all the way down.

This beer smells balanced. Strong citrus and pine from the hops and very fruity sweet smelling hops. Grapefruit, caramel, peach, and just a little alcohol smell.

Taste is just he same. Too many flavors to describe. Has a huge malt backbone that makes the hops seem subtle in the big picture. I'm sure the IBUs on this are pretty high despite this. Caramel, orange, and grapefruit. Slight alcohol especially as it warms.

Very oily. Sugary and syrupy almost like drinking a flat soda. Carbonation breaks up the oil well, but it could probably use just a touch more.

I could easily drink two bomber of this beer in a sitting, but the ABV keeps the drinkability a little lower. I have to be careful with this beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2006 04:31:24 | More by biking4beer

mmmbeer

Massachusetts

4.72/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz. bomber, label #2 of 10. Stone's 10th pours a crystal-clear orange/copper with lively carbonation and an inch of khaki head that leaves nice lacing. It smells of juicy tropical fruits and pine, along with notes of biscuity/toasty malts. The hops contribute grapefruit, mango, passionfruit, orange, and some herbal qualities while the malts are almost syrupy to counteract the IBUs. On the palate, it is almost the same, but with the addition of apricot, pepper, hints of alcohol, and lots of sweet malts. Not quite as bitter as you'd think, being a Stone DIPA, but there are lots of hops in there - I'm thinking Simcoe and some of the American "C" hops. I checked the website and was thrilled that I identified some of the hybrids: Chinook, Crystal, "large doses of Simcoe," and Summit for bitterness. The body is heavy, almost syrupy, yet well-carbonated and leaves a long finish, hiding the alcohol well. Definitely a heady concoction. Overall more balanced than Ruination, with Simcoe very evident in aroma and flavor. Glad I have another bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2006 22:31:39 | More by mmmbeer

beachbum1975

Ohio

4.72/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Ok, so I got lucky, located and purchased 3 of these about a month ago… I was waiting for special occasions to open them, but since I had no special occasion last Sunday, I celebrated the fact that my Cincinnati Bengals have won the last 4 in a row - that’s a worthy cause for celebration, right? (Well, at least it’s better than celebrating “End of thirst”!)

I love the gargoyle artwork on the bottle - I think it’s the best bottle design Stone has put out so far…

I grabbed it out of the basement, put it in the fridge for about 30-40 minutes then cracked it open. I poured it in my snifter, took a whiff and knew instantly this beer was going to bite back. It sat dark amber or copper in my glass - with a modest creamy head.

HOLY CRAP was my first thought - then after filtering out the abundance of flavors in my head, I was able to discern serious amounts of alcohol, sweet lemon rinds, grapefruits, oranges and a pile of biscuity malts. Like sniffing many of Stone’s brews – get ready for a punch to the nose!

As expected, this is a full flavored DIPA demonstrating a high amount of bitterness with a whirlwind of hops and malts. There’s alot going on with this beer and I found it very enjoyable, but not for the timid beer drinker. This is a seriously heavy beer and with an ABV of 10%, who needs dinner?

Like everything from Stone, you can taste the quality & fine craftsmanship in each of their beers including this one. This is a beer everyone should try at least once!

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2006 00:26:53 | More by beachbum1975

Kendo

New York

4.72/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured into a Duvel tulip, a clear, bright orangey-amber with a fluffy, 1-finger off-white head. Left some chunks of lacing as I drank my way down the glass.

S: Immediate assault of tropical fruits dominated by pineapple -- sugar dusted, honey-coated pineapple -- and grapefruit and mango. Also evident as it warms is just a hint of pine and a peppery spice, presumably from the 10% ABV. Nice.

T: Sugary-sweet pineapple juice follows the nose to the taste. A peppery spice is evident briefly up front, along with a honey-caramel malt sweetness. But both flavors are quickly beaten back by the tropical fruit salad of the hops. A palate-shredding bitterness tears the roof off my mouth, but then repairs it by coating the hole it left with mouth-watering sweet pineapple, mango, grapefruit and even tangerine or maybe mandarin orange. It finishes with a nicely balanced menage-a-trois of peppery spice, malty sweetness and fruity hop bitterness. An interesting experience all around -- it literally makes my mouth water after each sip, simply demanding that you take the next sip.

M: Definitely full-bodied. Smooth and creamy, maybe just a tad bit oily.

D: Excellent. As I said above, it creates a Pavlovian desire for the next sip. As a heavier offering you're going to go a bit slow, but it's not a chore to drink this at all. 'Tis a pleasure.

Notes: I shared this (a small portion, that is) with a wine drinker who was wowed by the complexity of flavors and balance going on here. Another person who sampled from his glass asked "is there pineapple juice in this?" giving me a chance to explain that it was the hops (Simcoes I believe) that imparted that flavor, nothing else. This is a remarkable beer that I believe now rates atop my list of reviewed beers. Highly, highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2007 13:57:07 | More by Kendo

GClarkage

California

4.72/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

10/22/06- Purchased at Ledgers Liquors in Berkeley, CA.

Presentation- 22oz bottle, Fall 2006 release. Poured into my Duvel tulip.

Appearance- Darker copper-amber colored pour. Full inch plus white and thick head. Very small tight knit bubbles. Patches, spots and streaks of lace left.

Smell- Sugary sweet grapefruit and pine hops. Very earthy toasted caramel malt backing. All around very nice meld.

Taste- Super caramel malt background. Perfect roasted malt flavor. Hops then explode with a nice and sweet grapefruit oil flavor. Also seems sticky sweet with a taste of pine sap. Yummo!

Mouthfeel- Thicker and sugary caramel mouth coating. Medium, maybe a bit higher carbonation level.

Drinkability- Leave it to Stone! Probably the most well rounded DIPA's I have had. It's both a malt and hop bomb. It almost tastes like a combo barleywine and DIPA. Reminds me a lot of Speakeasy Old Godfather with a bit less caramel and more flavorful hops. Quite a delicious brew. Highly recommended. I'm fortunate to have a 3 Liter of this to share in a few weeks in celebration of my first child.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2007 18:27:04 | More by GClarkage

ArrogantB

Colorado

4.72/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle purchased way back in August 2006 when it was released. The color is orange and transparent. Smell is grapefruit, pineapple, and pine cones. The taste is very tropical fruit with sweetness and a noticeable alcohol burn. While the hops are not as explosive as they were when I first bought a case, they are still a big factor here. I think this is still holding up very well and is possibly one of my favorite brews.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2007 21:45:22 | More by ArrogantB

MisterClean

California

4.72/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On tap at the Davis Grad. According to Greg Koch, as soon as the warehouse is emptied, will be brewed, distributed, and served as sublimely self-righteous ale (no arrogant bastard pun intended).

A - Red pour, slightly cloudy, dissipates fast, but no lacing.

S - Cirtus, pineapple, grapefruit, flower, and caramel.

T - Amazing. Citrus, pineapple, and grapefruit. Very little malt, but who cares?

M - Smooth, full-bodied, excellent.

D - Excellent, so good, would love to suck on this one's teat for hours.

Serving type: on-tap

01-16-2009 07:08:57 | More by MisterClean

BlindPig

Pennsylvania

4.7/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This was the 100th micro I tried (yes I held out on having it to make sure it was my 100th)
A- 2" off white tan head. Cloudy amber color and as it warms it gets clearer till basically clear. Thin lacing but it is definitely there just not really thick. Sticks to side of glass also.
S- Hops! Citrus hops, with a malt back bone. Also picked up alcohol, grapefruit and orange.
T-Hops! Had alcohol taste on mid tongue but the burn well hidden. Got grapefruit and orange taste coming through the citrus hops. Lots of flavors going on but couldn't pin point them all down. Nice bitterness and a little bit bigger bitterness for the aftertaste. Has a medium/full body (more to the full side) and light on carbonation.
D-just AMAZING! Maybe wanted a little bit more bitterness but when a brew is this amazing why change it. This is my favorite DIPA and favorite beer by far. I can't get over it.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2006 07:30:27 | More by BlindPig

phisig137

Virginia

4.7/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light copper color, with a creamy one finger head that quickly falls. No lacing left behind, and only a small blanket over top of the glass.

Intensily aromatic does not even begin to describe this. Chock full of piney hops, with floral notes, as well as peach and apricot aromas. Slight amount of alcohol is present. If it wouldn't make me smell like an alcoholic, I'd happily wear this as a cologne.

The flavor here is incredibly well balanced, smooth, and huge at the same time. Somewhat grainy and sweet up front, but followed by a massive wave of floral and piney hops. Finish is solidly bitter, and leaves a thin coat of hop resin on your tongue and teeth, begging for another sip. Incredible. Mouthfeel creamy, but oddly, its a little thin considering the ABV. Drinkability is pretty good considering the alcohol.

Stone has always produced some of my favorite beers, and this one definitely does not disappoint. This is quite possibly one of my favorite new DIPA's, and ranks up there with the best. If it weren't for the 10% ABV, I could drink this all day. Now I really wish that it was a regular release. Maybe we'll get lucky, and stone will keep brewing this all year (like they did with Ruination after the 4th and 5th anniversarys). Maybe I'll go back and buy the rest of this that is on the shelf. Either way, I really hope that tonight is not the last time I drink this.... it is phenomenal.

Thank you Stone, for bringing a beer of this quality to the table. Regardless of how often I drink your beers, I'm amazed every time.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2006 00:00:04 | More by phisig137

asabreed

New York

4.7/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber into a Duvel tulip, just in time for the first NFL kickoff of the season.

Appearance: A copper / amber / slightly orange hue to the body of the brew, with a head that dissipates fairly quickly (I poured it too cold which was a stupid idea). With some filling up the glass, however, some nice wet chunks of lacing stick around nicely.

Smell: Hot damn, happy 10th. A floral array of hop resin in both pine and grapefruit, and tons of malt fruitiness, peach, more citrus, some earthiness. But the peach comes in amazingly well, drippingly so almost, which is amazing when it's against the floral and bitter hop assault in the nose.

Taste: Lots of hops at first, floral, pine, and citrus: the triad of bitterness. The malty and fruity flavors come through after the hops pass (though really they never do), with, once again, peach dominating, which I absolutely love. Zest or rind fruit flavors come through, tropical fruit, orange peel, lemon peel, maybe some star fruit in there too. Finish is a great mix of both, with the lingering bitterness always there, but slowly fading into the fruit flavors--all of it's there for a surprisingly long time. Not to mention the flavors are so powerful that the alcohol, at least to me, really isn't felt in the taste at all, a true testament to the brew.

Mouthfeel: Slightly medium to full-bodied (though more on the medium side from what I can tell), seemingly, at first, but by the time the swallow comes, the carbonation diffuses enough so it's not syrupy, though I'm not sure how.

Drinkability: We all know this is a DIPA and not just an IPA, but damn it's a good one, and there's really nothing more perfect for Stone's 10th. I bought 5 bottles, and I imagine in around a year or so (or maybe 6 months?) this will be even more complex, with the malts doing even more. Fabulous stuff at this stage, and certainly something to seek out.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2006 00:47:48 | More by asabreed

ghostwalker

Massachusetts

4.7/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Reddish-amber with a huge cakelike yellow head. Poured into a Duvel snifter. Massive rings of lace. This is IPA perfection, visually perfect.

Nose is fresh-cut candied grapefruit. Distinctly piney, but successfully avoids the Pine-Sol syndrome. Very nice.

Wow! I may actually have tears in my eyes. This flavor is as near perfection for a DIPA as I have ever had. Immense without being too boozy. Solidly built malt foundation without being too sweet. A hop presence like none other, literally oozing with hop oils, but not too bitter. Top marks, without a doubt.

Mouthfeel is slightly syrupy. Only a little tooth-strippiness, which surprised me given the huge hop levels.

Drinkability seems pretty damn good for such a big beer. I am halfway thru the bomber and the flavor remains fresh and tasty without becoming cloying or overwhelming.

An awesome brew. Truly worthy of Stone's 10th anniversary, and even worth the extended wait here in MA ;)

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2006 01:53:11 | More by ghostwalker

Franchise

Oregon

4.7/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This offering from Stone pours a deep orange maybe some hint of maroon very nice shading. It left a thin tan head that disappeared quickly but was remedied by a couple swirls in my Rapscallion snifter. The aroma is fantastic, pineapple, passion fruit, honey, hoppy citrus notes, slight alcohal presence, this is a very complex nose so much going on I don't think I can describe everything.

As I took the first sip there is a sweetness upfront of caramel and fruit, the hops in this brew actually don't dominate as much as I expected in a IIPA but don't get me wrong they are very much present. The alcohal in this brew is very suttle and by the end of this 22oz bottle I began to feel its presence. The finish is smooth a small grapefruit bitterness but because of that dominate malt presence not very stong. Overall this is a fantastic brew the aroma is phenomenal and well worth the price at $5.95/22oz bottle.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2006 15:39:26 | More by Franchise

alexgash

Connecticut

4.7/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Two pints worth at Ashley's on Friday the 13th during the MI Stone Release Party. Great time by the way! Thanks Stone! Dark gold edges around a glowing dark orange body. Small, persistent, off-white head. Nose is overflowing with sweet sugary malt, tropical fruits, and huge, numbing hop bitterness. Taste follows suit. Big sugary malt with complex fruitiness; tropical and rummy. Yummy. Hops come on strong; pineapple, pine, citrus, you name it! Bitterness is big, but not out of whack. Finish is warming and long and makes me want to drink more. A big beer for a big anniversary and I'm glad I got some of this. Full-bodied with a smooth, creamy feel. Here's to 10 more years!

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2006 22:39:14 | More by alexgash

1whiskey

Oregon

4.7/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

22 oz bomber with a great silkscreen (#7 of 10) pours out a glowing orange with a chill haze. Thick, creamy head that sticks around well for something with so high an ABV.

Smells....glorious!!! Sweet pineapple is the dominant aroma, along with pine, orange, brown sugar, and all that pleases the senses. This is my idea of aromatherapy.

More of the same in taste...this quite a pleasurable experience for the palate. Lovely hop resins contribute pine, citrus, and spruce notes. Lots of fruity flavors here...again pineapple is forefront, but I also detect papaya, mango, orange, grapefruit, apple, and a very sweet and sturdy malt backbone. Wow! What a beer. Alcohol warming is evident, but not overwhelming.

Mouthfeel is meduim to heavy, with quite of bit of (wonderful) hop resin aftertaste. Quite a bit of carbonation, and amazing head retention. I'm more than halfway through my beer and that head just won't quit. As for drinkability...it's amazing for such a big beer....or any beer, really.

Great beer...much sweeter than I expected. Not quite a barleywine, but not even close to as harsh as most DIPA's. Amazing fruit flavors. Worth seeking out. A must try if you can still find it.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2006 08:39:19 | More by 1whiskey

jerrymiller

Nevada

4.7/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a deep orange hint of maroon. Leaves a thin tan head that disappears quickly. The aroma is fantastic, hoppy, citrusy, slight alcohol presence.
The hops in this brew dominate as this is a big IPA. The alcohol in this brew is pretty subtle but by the end of the bomber, I felt its presence clearly.
The finish is smooth and grapefruity. Malt presence is evident, but not overly strong.
Great beer, can't buy enough…

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2007 17:50:26 | More by jerrymiller

jaxon53

Connecticut

4.68/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served slightly chilled in a pint glass. Poured a rather cloudy, dull orange. Almost a brownish tint to it. Moderate amounts of lace on the glass from the two finger , frothy off-white head that had decent retention. Smelled strongly of citrus fruits, piney hops, and minor hints of alcohol. Tasted of orange, maybe some grapefruit hidden in there, lemon zest, and hops with a little bit of pine coming through. Needs to be a little warmer. Nice bitter hoppy brew that was smooth with a nice warming alcohol finish. The alcohol isn't too overpowering. Just enough carbonation. Glad I have a few of these kicking around because the drinkability is great. Definitely a new favorite of mine.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2006 01:24:10 | More by jaxon53

Vancer

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Another Stone classic – those that can readily get these are indeed fortunate.

I mean, check this out: semi-hazy amber, poured hard in case the 10% tries to knock down the head. But it didn’t, got a nice ivory cap that left sticky laces. TONS of citrus, orange and hops in the aroma. Very sweet and sticky quaff, can’t believe the amount of orange in here. NO hint of alcohol, it slides oily and smooth.

Nice. Enough said, what more can you say about a superb brew>

Muchas Thanks to boolshot for sending this for my BA annv.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2007 22:09:57 | More by Vancer

mitchfor3

California

4.65/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Purchased BEFORE the release date at Ledger's for $5/bomber.
Poured into a pint glass.

Reddish-copper hue with slowly bubbling carbonation. Thick creamy head with impressive staying power and good lacing. I'm sitting here looking at this beer wanting this to be a 5.

Nose is a blast of white grapefruit and piney, resiny notes. Hops all the way.

Tastes exactly as expected - a hop bomb, west coast all the way. Alcohol is there - and at 10% it probably should be. As balanced as a DIPA should be - yeah there's a malt backbone but it stays out of the way of the hops.

I'm having a hard time rating this one. I want to give it a bonus for being from Stone, but I know I shouldn't do that.

Smell is a no-brainer - it's a 5.
Appearance is a 4.5. It's better than "good" but I don't see a reason to call it "exceptional."
Mouthfeel - 4. This is probably the beer's weak point. I wish it were a little thicker - feels just a little thin.
Drinkability -5. Why the hell not. It's good and I plan on drinking a lot of it!
Taste - 4.5. It's damn good, but it's just not PERFECT. Therefore, I can't give it the perfect score as much as I want to.

Good choice for Stone's 10th Anniversary. To be honest, I'm a touch disappointed since the beer was excellent but not mindblowing as I was hoping. In my opinion, it doesn't really stand out from some of the other excellent DIPAs available. Still, good job Stone. Damn good beer. Happy 10th.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2006 07:24:25 | More by mitchfor3

TheBungyo

Washington

4.65/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Obviously Stone has few equals when it comes to hopped up brews (the RIS is no slouch either). It's with 0 surprise that I report the Stone 10th Anniversary IPA is winner. Honestly when Stone focuses on this style its a no-brainer ... they win. Period. This brew is certainly no exception. The pour is honey bronze topped by an excitable creamy head. If only there was some lacing this would be perfect appearance wise. Nose is just massive and unrestrainable. Lots of pineapple and grapefruit. There's also plenty of malt that plays just the right supporting role never going so far as to steal the hops main attraction title. When I say there is malt I mean, THERE IS MALT! It isn't meek and does all it can to coexist peacefully with the hops while trying to usurp it in a friendly fashion. The malt is full of cherries, toasted corn, rum and caramel. There's also a bit of unexpected spice .... damn what a fantastic beer. Mouth is full and excessively creamy. Stone my hat is off to you. I would not hesistate to buy this beer again and again. A lovely double IPA.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2006 22:11:22 | More by TheBungyo

sloejams

California

4.65/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

The beer Stone made to commemorate this grand occasion is an enormous hop monster. The bottle is beautiful, complete with a story on the side – all painted on. It pours a ruby-orange with a frothing eggshell head. The aroma is a floral bouquet hop assault. All of the hops of the rainbow are present: from sweet to pine to everything in between. There’s a lot of fruit on the palate – some lemon, some pineapple and lots of grapefruit. All of the taste soaked in hops with a tinge of maltiness. The creamy texture smoothes out the alcohol warmth. Delicious. I’ll next to stock up on these.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2006 21:25:33 | More by sloejams

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.65/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

The artwork continues to impress on Stone bottles. On this bottle the Stone demon strikes a stoic pose, proudly raising his beer mug in homage to me. The marketing worked, I was humbled by the salute and bought a couple bottles.

This is one sweet ipa. I poured it into a Ruination glass because it seemed appropriate, and it showcased the clear orange hop resin covered by a thick foam with a spitty consistency. Pine needle and grapefruit-like hop aromas are balanced by sweet malts for a perfect score on smell. The flavor was huge, very hoppy and malty and everything, a little bitter in the after-taste but I guess it's hardly avoidable.

The mouthfeel was thick and coating, another perfect score. I didn't taste the alcohol, but I'm starting to feel it so I guess it's there. This is a top-notch IPA, I completely recommend everyone tries it before it's gone.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2006 00:20:59 | More by TurdFurgison

bjohnson

Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Pours a cloudy slightly dark amber color with peachish hues. Frothy and soaplike one finger cream colored head.
S: Extra bold pine hop aromas with citrus, mostly grapefruit notes. Nice bold sweet sugary maltyness also noticeable.
T/M: Pine and grapefruit hop notes with a dominant sweet malt undercurrent. Nice bitterness that lingers. Sweet malt takes on a sugary taste. Oily and resiny hop character slowly glides across the palate leaving a slick film behind. Bigger level of bitterness in the aftertaste once it warms a bit--more malty presence the colder it is. Smooth mouthfeel with a good level of carbonation. Medium to heavy body. Sweet and oily when you lick your lips. One damn good brew.
D: Pretty damn tasty dipa, but I didn't expect anything less from Stone. High abv of 10%? Noticeable in the warming of the chest, but besides that, not on the palate. I would drink bomber after bomber of this stuff, although after 3, I may not be standing any longer. Very very very drinkable even with the high abv. So smooth, yet so potent.

I wonder how this would hold up in the cellar. I would think the hop profile would suside a bit leaving the malt to dominate. Glad I had this sooner rather than later. On tap? Probably phenomenal. In the bottle, well...just exquisite. Get one if you can!

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2006 02:11:50 | More by bjohnson

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.65/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

biegaman was nice enough to share this one with me. thanks jan!

pours a light copper colour with a big, dense yellow head. head is slow to drop and leaves a nice layer of lace behind.

aroma is great. first sniff was a touch catty, but after that the other dimensions come out. fruity, orange and tangerine. just a hint of grapefruit. not piney/resiny at all. no real alcohol noticeable.

taste is great. really nice bready malt, decent bitterness level that isn't over the top, and a wonderful hoppiness. alcohol comes a bit, but well balanced. really complex, much more than the average dipa. bit of sherry/dried fruit. maybe cherry. nice.

mouthfeel is great. nice body without being overly full. good moderate carbonation level.

drinkabilty is suprisingly high. hides its 10% really well. i could easily drink a few of these, and fall over. but it's good!

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2006 23:09:29 | More by grub

orbitalr0x

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

From notes. 22oz bomber. Pours a copper orange hue that's quite dark. A nice half inch of light tan head on top as well. Looks great in the glass with good clarity. Aromas burst out of the glass with an onslaught of thick hop oil fumes. Pine aromas intertwine with massive citric/tropical notes. I get a big pineapple/mango aroma off this brew. Smooth caramel malts underneath. Quite simply a beautiful, enticing aroma that makes it hard for me to put my glass down.

First sip brings a rush of hop oils right off the bat along with a velvety smooth caramel maltiness. A superb hop profile with a mix of pine resin and vibrant tropical, citrus flavors. A touch of pineapple surfaces again. Flows down with a touch of alcohol and a big, bold bitterness that is to be expected. A massively tasty brew that brings the hops without remorse. Yum.

Mouthfeel is big and very smooth & creamy with just enough carbonation. The big alcohol is very well masked, making this one hell of a tasty, drinkable DIPA. I really wish I had more of this and I will keep my fingers crossed that this gets brewed again someday. One of the best DIPA's to cross my lips.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2007 23:42:45 | More by orbitalr0x