Stone 10th Anniversary IPA - Stone Brewing Co.

MasterSki

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Got this in a trade with KAME - thanks dude. Served in my Kuhnhenn tulip glass.

A - Poured with 1.5 fingers of tan foam that dissipated slowly and left lots of sticky lacing. Murky orange-brown with tons of bubbles racing upwards and adhering to the bottom. Good foam and carbonation after 3+ years, but I don't really dig the color.

S - Anyone expecting much in the way of hops at this point is going to be sorely disappointed - I'm not going to penalize the brew on that basis. There's a strong caramel, burnt sugar, and rumcake malt profile, and actually some residual spicy, zesty, piney, hop notes - think slightly aged Behemoth or Big Foot. As a barleywine it's solid but not mind-blowing.

T - The bitterness is a big shocker - can't believe it has persisted for this long. There's some apple, burnt sugar, and caramel malt character that give way to slight tropical fruit and peach notes. Perhaps Simcoe holds up better long-term? Minimal booze. Seems to gain more flavor depth as it warms up a little bit.

M - Medium-thick body, slight carbonation tingle, Finish is dry with some oily resinous qualities as well. Smooth and soft texture, with a bit of alcohol warmth after swallowing.

D - The booze is very well-hidden, and the flavor is still interesting, even after 3+ years. That being said, a bomber was sufficient and I won't be looking for more bottles of this aged DIPA. I can understand why Stone trots it out at the occasional festival, as it's still an interesting brew (I'm assuming they aren't making new batches, but they are instead aged kegs). Still it'd be really nice if they brewed up a new batch a la Sublimely Self-Righteous.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2009 22:15:51 | More by MasterSki

GRG1313

California

4.78/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

NEW NOTES FROM TASTING THANKSGIVING 2009:
Tasted again Thanksgiving 2009-same as prior notes but with much richer, bolder and more integrated flavors.

Big pineapple nose;

big rich flavors-bourbon/whiskey flavors but super well balanced and drinking incredibly.

Currently drinking so well (and having been properly stored) I would call it one of the best all around beers I've ever consumed at this point in time. It currently has the flavor profiles of the "cask version" tapped at Stone during it's WinterStorm but with more carbonation.

This beer is currently wonderful. Please, if you have one try it now. This is exactly what one strives for and desires when aging a beer. Just my opinion.

ORIGINAL NOTES FROM 6/25/09:
Bottle - Dark orange honey color with a nice white head.

Mildly sweet orange nose with underlying malt and a hint of banana.

Bold rich and creamy mouth feel with a front palate flavor of sweet fruit, carmel and malt and a finish of grapefruit hops and light burnt toast. Some creamy coffee flavors throughout.

Complex and layered flavors. Interesting example of the bottle being better than the tap.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2009 07:04:04 | More by GRG1313

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

really interesting IPA. Having with my friend Paul B. and we both note the differences between what we're drinking and the commercilal description. Hardly any piney qualities. Poured with some head and lace. Color is dark & hazy amber with cherry highlights. Aroma is a little grapefruity, some malty, rotten fruit, caramel, and grain. Wrap around the tongue body. Silky. Sweet finish. Not a session beer though. This is about 3 years old. Killler.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2009 02:02:55 | More by drpimento

Sean9689

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz bomber into Duvel tulip.

A - Copper/rusty in color, mirky, white head. Lots of random bigger bubbles left behind from the head floating around on top. What's left of the head is pretty sticky, leaving some lacing behind.

S - More sweetness/malts then hoppy citrus/bitterness on this one. In fact, very little hoppy flavors and a lot of malts up front. I don't know if I'd say "fruity" sweetness, but a sweetness nonetheless. Probably because it's been a few of years since this was brewed, it has changed a bit. I don't think it's for the worse though, as I enjoy something different (which is what Stone is all about).

T - Sweetness, sugars, malts with a miniscule amount of hoppy bitterness. Almost reminds of of an American Barleywine in some ways, but the sugary sweetness is a good balance and not overly in-your-face. I probably would like some more hoppy citrus but I do like it as-is.

M - Very nice, medium in body, rich. Perfect amount of carbonation.

D - Easy to drink and I would do so again. Although, I think most of its hop characteristics are down to the bare minimum. I think a year or so ago, this would have been just about perfect but I think this one is past its prime.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2009 23:08:16 | More by Sean9689

ThreeWiseMen

California

3.85/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Acquired in a recent swap with Swimsum. Thanks Brent!

Poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Cloudy, orange-amber body with thin, fizzy-ish, off-white head. Body looks thick and oily; shows just a bit of carbonation within. Head dissipates to bubbly splotches pretty quickly, and drags no lacing. Reminds me of FW Unfiltered DBA a lot, but with added body and cloudiness.

Smell: Lots of cascade hops in this one. Caramel, pine, citrus, hop oils, booze, yeast, and a sturdy malt backbone. I bet the aromatics were much juicier and hoppier when fresh, but this still smells quite good.

Taste: Biscuit-like malt and tons of cascade hop resin. Bitterness has probably fallen out quite a bit over the past two years (certainly tastes like it), but this is still pretty bitterness that remains is still pretty strong. I can imagine this was a total hop-bomb in it's heyday. Pine, sea salt, maybe some wood and spice. Rich boozy character appears midway through and provides some nice heat on the back end.

Mouthfeel: Oily with low carbonation. Hot, dry, and bitter(ish). Pretty hefty DIPA. Leaves sugary coating on the lips.

Drinkability: Very cool to see what two years of age will do to a massive imperial IPA. I liked this one, though it was a definite sipper. Large amount of heat and fairly heavy body made this one drink a bit like hard alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2009 15:01:11 | More by ThreeWiseMen

ClockworkOrange

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 22 ounce bomber bottle shared with brothercannon. Poured into nonic pint glasses. Appears a murky rich apricot color with around two fingers of dense, lingering amber/tan colored foam. The head leaves a thick sticky lacing on the inside of my glass as I sip my way to the bottom. Nose and flavor are predominantly of fruits such as pineapple, peach, ,mango, plum, nectarines, grapefruit, orange and lemon, as well as a huge dose of sweet medium toasted grains and caramelized malt and a hint of mint. This one has aged nicely, becoming akin to a barleywine and there is still a bit of alcohol burn lingering about. This ale falls somewhere between medium and full bodied with ample carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2009 03:34:05 | More by ClockworkOrange

alovesupreme

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A huge head that mellows to a small coating with great lacing.
This beer is more like a barley wine at this point, with a bready character surrounded by citrus and a hint of pine and spearmint.
Grapefruit, orange rind and a minty character all contribute as well as a bready character that has clearly changed over time.
A full syrupy body with great carbonation.
A fantastic beer that has changed over time into something different but equally delicious.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2009 20:28:56 | More by alovesupreme

schroederm

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

In a snifter, three-ish years old.

This beer looks fantastic. An opaque copper body with amber and pink colorings is blanketed by tons of sticky white head. I can smell it from two feet away, and I can't even wait: blood orange, clove, lemon... and a wonderful sweet character. A bit funky, has this beer converted into a barleywine?
The taste pretty much proves that is has: HUGE flavor. Peach, more blood orange, a touch of clove and pepper, overwhelmingly sweet with a fantastic bitter finish. Good body, good. The only reason this isn't perfectly drinkable is the fact that this beer just inundates your palate with flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2009 20:20:33 | More by schroederm

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to akorsak for this - I tasted this when fresh and took notes recently of the cellared version -shared w/ octopus87. Poured chilled into a goblet and 1/2 pint and savored for a couple hours.
A - an extremely hazy deep apricot amber w/ a 1/2 inch band of pale rocky head. The cap settles to a ring, there is a moderatelly high amount of lace w/ a very fine bead.

S - A huge fruit note -plums, ruby red, mango, and pineapple in the nose w/ subtle pine in the nose. The nose is of a 10% IIPA so it has an odor of alcohol, mild cedar type woody scents and more grapefruit - the malt gives a kind of candy accent

M - The feel is viscous, w/ a heat of most barleywines w/ equivalent abv. The acidity is high and astringency is also intense. The malt is very sweet to cushion the hop intensity w/ a very bitter boozy finish

T- The malt is rich in the taste, but high in alchol flavor as it is swallowed, pepper and flowery resinous hop tastes w/ a citrus accompaniment. The flavor is of bitter herbal hops, there is a woody essence that permeates the taste buds w/ acidity of hops surfacing w/ a fruit taste like pineapple and rum. The hops contribute highly w/ slight pinesap qualities, but nice bitterness w/ the dark sugar of the malt. The flavor is very pleasing w/ considerable complexity and strength

D - A great IIPA, fun to drink even when sampling at two years old. Definitely a West coast double Ipa with hops oozing out of every possible place. The drinkability is good considering the abv. The attention given to matching malt to the intensely bitter hops is what makes this so good, you don't get the feeling the recipe is all about hops even though slanted in that direction steeply.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2009 01:42:22 | More by Slatetank

CrellMoset

Virginia

4.3/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz. bottle courtesy of DBhog - thanks!! Poured into a cervoise and split w/ a non-BA friend, as this one's hefty in both size and abv%!

Appearance: Pours a completely opaque, sunset orange- to ruddy amber-hued brew. The finger and change of slightly off-white to perhaps lightly tan head has average retention, perhaps even above average for the style, settling down significantly after the initial fade and leaving a mass of clingy, bubbly, rocky-around-the-edges fluff. Faint carbonation is visible around the edges of the glass, fine-bubbled and well dispersed but also surprisingly fast. The lacing itself is rocky, clingy, and sheet-like, thin and delicate all over the sides of the glass. A very good start.

Aroma: Huge fruityness, spicy and intense. Pineapple makes itself known in a huge way, with grapefruit - sweet and zesty - not too far behind. Tons of other stray fruity esters - orange and lemon peel, apple, pear - grapple with tobacco and other leafyness, as well as a light and pungently sprucey pine note. Everything is vaguely sweet, lightly roasted and caramelly, doughy and pillowy, lending everything a very candied, fruit juice-esque note.

Taste: Fruit juice strikes again!! Whatever bitterness was once likely prominent in this one has faded substantially, replaced by a dull prickle, blended well with the spicy spruce notes. Fruit notes (and hop notes generally) run the gamut - orange, lemon, pineapple, mint, kiwi, leather, tobacco, grapefruit, pear, mango, lighter floral notes - and are enveloped in a sweet, roasty malt cloud, slightly grainy but fantastically delicious. The alcohol is hardly noticeable at all, even at 10%, and I'm very pleased with the way this one has seemingly aged. It's still "spicy" - I actually think it's equal parts piney notes, hop bitterness, and alcohol heat, but all things considered, eh.

Mouthfeel: Nearly immaculate, with a light and fluffy but still crisp and wonderfully smooth, even, and creamy mouth. The body is thick, but it doesn't FEEL thick - it feels breezy and pillowy, and compliments the flavor components well.

Drinkability: This beer is near perfect in almost several ways. It falls short on all points, but it's still drinking remarkably well at this stage in the game. Count me as another vote in bringing back Stone Xth as a regular, akin to the return of Stone XIth as SSA (is that a recognized acronym yet?). The alcohol is mellow, well-integrated, and - though, yes, 10% - about as good as you can expect it to be. This is one big, flavorful, enjoyable, intense brew, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone - drinking just great.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2009 04:38:35 | More by CrellMoset

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clouded brown orange. Nose is malty alcohol tones. Flavor is quite smooth malt tones. Aged hops are clearly present. But the malts rule here. Touches of caramel and apple tones. (As well as a fairly firm alcohol tone.) Feel is smooth on liquid and carbonation. Man. Amazing still though a totally different beer aged than fresh. A real pleasure to drink and a vibrant example of how good double IPAs can age.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2009 00:43:09 | More by RblWthACoz

kinnaird

California

4.33/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I love Stone offerings, but have typically shied away from their pale, IPA, and Ruination because I think the rest of the lineup is better. But, the other day, the beer buyer told me he had a bottle of this in the back and asked if I would like to buy it, and because of all the wonderful things I've heard and continue to hear about this beer, I accepted his offering. Consumed on February 1, 2009 during the Super Bowl. On to the review...

I poured from the bottle into a Unibroue tulip and held the glass up to the light. The body is bright apricot, topped with a frothy, two-finger eggshell head.

The smell is out of this world with the volume turned up on the juicy, citrus aromas. I never had this beer previously, but I would've never guessed this was a two year old, double IPA. It smells like it was dry-hopped yesterday. Wow, consider me floored. Also, there's zero detection of fusel alcohol. The aging really brought some balance (I would assume) because there's zero alcoholic aroma in this 10% beast.

This still tastes like a double IPA. I wouldn't say the barleywine characteristics have started taking over, and I tend to lean toward big and malty. The hops are still very forward and in your face. Awesome.

Silky smooth and very satisfying.

I don't think alcoholic content has anything to do with drinkability. It's a combination of all the previous characteristics, and if I get lit in the process, nice. Anyway, drinkability is excellent. I wanted more, but ran out after splitting the bottle with my buddy. If I ever find more of this, I'll get more than one bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2009 01:24:22 | More by kinnaird

Overlord

California

4.63/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Hell of a brew. Had it fresh years ago (dimly remembered), and recall loving it, but was surprised to see bottles of this reappearing.

Pours a bright orange with hints of amber. Two inches of off-white head.

The aroma ... breathtaking. Exotic fruits (pineapple? Mango? Guava? Mandarin Orange?) and a bunch of sweet white grapefruit with ... is that malt I detect? Wow, the flavor is pretty balanced. Sweet, viscous caramel, delightful brown sugar, and a bunch of sweet grapefruit and tropical notes.

This is a splendid beer, and I'm shocked at how well it's aged. Going back and getting more. Many more. I never cellar any hop-based brews, but I'm going to make an exception. This has really gone through a barley-wine style maturation process (10% ABV?), and while it may be a different animal, it's still one I'd like to butcher and consume.

**I spotted this review after writing my own: I agree, and would like to know how the tenth was stored.

http://thefullpint.com/2008/09/09/review-stone-10th-anniversary-ale-2-years-later

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2009 08:15:18 | More by Overlord

jgap

California

4.53/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I've had more than my fair share of this brew. It pours a very nice amber. A wonderful, piney smell with alcohol that is balanced well with the malt. The taste is similar. Reminds me of A lot of good times. Very hoppy, lots of piney chinooks and, pleasently, very few centenials and cascades. Exceptional taste, which is similar to the smell. Doesn't taste like a double but a well balanced, very hearty IPA. If you get the chance to taste this TAKE IT!!!!

Serving type: growler

01-20-2009 04:45:28 | More by jgap

m1ked

California

4.3/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a growler last night. Went for the 06 Double AB, but was pleasantly surprised with this 8 o'clock offering. Plus, I was told this would be the second to last growler release of this. Get it while you can!

A- Poured from the growler into a tulip glass. Dark orange, light copper color with a good one inch foamy head. Not quite opaque, more translucent in clarity. The head slowly recedes to buubly ring around the glass, and retained minimal head in the center.

S- First whiff, surprisingly caramelly sugars. Swirl it around a bit, get my nose deep in there- Is this an IPA??? I get caramelized grapefruit, some guava, watermelon and some sweet alcohol. It smells thick!

T- Definetly sweet malt up front, almost caramelly, and honey-like,transitioning into some slight pine bitterness, and finished with some anise.... like the lingering flavor of black licorice.

M- I never had this fresh, I had a bottle about a year ago...but I am convinced this has condensed or thickened up over time. This is the thickest feeling IPA I have ever had. Coats the tongue heavily. Rubbing my tongue against the roof of my mouth for like a minute and I can still detect its presence.

D- This is hard for me to gauge. A great beer (from what I have heard/read)that has developed into into an amazing, yet different beast. Great to have a glass of, but I am staring at a whole growler of this. I promise I will do my best though!!

Serving type: growler

01-18-2009 19:46:42 | More by m1ked

magictrokini

California

4.43/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Out of the double-magnum Pours cloudy amber with a rocky white meringue-type head. Nearly overpowering hoppy nose. Lots of pine and grapefruit, almost like fresh-cut wood. More citrus in terms of orange peel. Huge hop taste with a subtle alcohol burn. Loads of grapefruit and resin in this monster, biting you with every sip. Some sweeter citrus as well, oranges, pienapple, and even a little mango. The malt smooths it out a tad in the end, but overall the beer retains the nice hop bite. One of the best.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2009 19:56:35 | More by magictrokini

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.15/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a hazed, dark amber body with a thin, fizzy, off-white head.

Smell: Fruit-scented, pithy aroma enveloped by a sweet-smelling caramel maltiness. Very minimal waft of alcohol.

Taste: Toasted caramel with a full, hearty sweetness. Earthy, fruity hop flavors of concentrated citrus and diminished pine resin that, though it's now two years old, still provides a solid jab of bitterness that holds until the hoppy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is, I'll admit, a bit chewy.

Drinkability: Still delicious! Ah, my zest for life has finally returned. Stone 10th was good then and it's good now. Some beers arrive a mess and need years upon years to morph into something decent. Some beers are fantastic fresh but die quick, painful deaths. So, it's good to see some can stand the test of time.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2009 21:30:40 | More by ChainGangGuy

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.43/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed on 8/15/08. Bottle courtesy of adrian910ss. Pours a mahogany brown with a small tan head. Aroma of bitter hops, sweet malt, citrus, and stale urine. Flavor is quite malty and sweet, also got some apple skins. Kind of muddied as I didn't find it complex in flavor. Ok but not one of the better Stone offerings.
6/4/7/4/15 (3.6/5)

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2008 23:05:32 | More by LilBeerDoctor

dalion037

California

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

I opened this for Christmas after cellaring it for the last 2 plus years. I have been told that IPAs are best fresh but I have to say that I really think that this beer has gotten better with age. The hop flavor was still intensely delicious and the mouthfeel was still as good as when it was fresh. This is definately a beer that was worth cellaring.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2008 20:19:01 | More by dalion037

rye726

Colorado

4.18/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A rich copper brown color with a creamy tan head. The nose is a mixture of aged piney hops, candy malts and ripe fruits. The taste follows nicely. Again a big sweet malt profile followed by a dulled yet delicious hop variety. Full silky body is well carbonated. A fantastic ale that has aged well.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2008 02:10:34 | More by rye726

gford217

Georgia

4.58/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle courtesy of dave12285 poured into a tulip.

A: Pours a hazy copper with a dense tan head that lingers for q while leaving some delicate lacing. Honestly, it looks a lot like an American barleywine...

S: ...and it smells a lot like a barleywine as well. There is an initial citrus hop aroma, but definitely subdued. The smell is dominated by the caramel malts with butterscotch and brown sugar as well.

T: The taste is much like the smell. I never had it fresh, but I imagine there was a huge hop kick in this at some point. Now it's almost all malts with a touch of citrus up front and some earthy hop bitterness in the finish. Lots of sugary sweetness and some dark fruits as well.

M: Mouthfeel is medium bodied with decent carbonation, but it is very smooth and sticks to the mouth throughout.

D: This beer has aged very well in my opinion though it's certainly more of a barleywine than an IIPA at this point. Regardless of category, this is a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2008 23:45:26 | More by gford217

JohnGalt1

Idaho

4.28/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz picked up a long time ago at Erickson's for $6.. it still has the price tag on it... poured into my Smokestack goblet. I am reviewing this tonight as my ongoing cellar clearing project.

1" finger head sticks around for a while and sticks like champ to the sides of the glass.. very nice lacing.. Brew is hazy bright orange.

Aroma is still fairly hoppy, but obviously is showing some age.. citric grapefruit with pale malts and a background brown sugar note.

Flavor is very much like a fairly fresh American BW.. piney and citrus hops with quite a big punch of maltiness and some caramel... finish is long with a sorta floral hoppy/yeasty fruitiness to it. The body is still fairly thick and the carbonation is pretty creamy.

I loved this beer immensely when fresh.. maybe my all time favorite DIPA.. right now, it is still drinking fairly nicely... again, it is much more like a big BW, but I am not complaining.. I am a happy camper.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2008 08:02:47 | More by JohnGalt1

opwog

Minnesota

3.23/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Now listening to: Gits - Here Is To Your F**k

Age note: It seems that with the release of the new 12th anniversary that some of the older anniversary beers are slipping out from distributors, as well. I had this back when it was originally released, but this specific bottle is 2 years old.

A- Amber color with a 1 finger beige head that quickly sinks to a thin disc of a head.

S- Not much smell at all to this. Malt...yes, hops...yes, but I have a feeling that this may have been a snout full when originally released.

T- I have to say that this is very reminiscent of the Greenflash Imperial IPA up front. Lots of malt and hops battling it out and switching around. But with thsi beer, that intensity fades quickly.

M- As the flavor fades, the hops start to really bite the back of my throat and actually caused excess saliva (OK, I know...gross, but that is what the mouthfeel was)

D- Even as my only beer of the night, I couldn't finish a 22.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2008 05:25:49 | More by opwog

IBUnit63

Massachusetts

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

Perfect 1-2" dulce de leche head. Sparse visible carbonation at first rising from awesome butterscotch/caramel body with slight haze. Gets to be next-nigh perfect on the 2nd pour with decent lacing.

Loads of caramel malt - floral hope take time to emerge with warmth - lisghtly soapy at first. Mild grapefruit rind. Alcohol bite is blanketed with sweet caramel tones.

While the hops may be fading it still has a powerful bite - a little piney at first (maybe the effect of more than expected carbonation) but then floral tone emerges with more strength. Caramel, caramel-apple and alcohol are quite profound at first. Powerful stuff.

Raw and rustic brute force meets velvety finish and slight carbonation tingle. Mild burn from alcohol in back of mouth is not a bother. As this warms the soothing caramel, butterscotch and apple heft coats nicely in n extremely long finish.

OK, it's not sessionable but 1 of these a day would be even better than an apple.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2008 08:03:07 | More by IBUnit63

callmescraps

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Just dragged this guy up from the cellar. Let's see how it goes.

Appearance - Nice, beautiful copper with a solid half inch of head. Some real nice lacing to boot.

Smell - Real nice hop with some definite fruit, almost orange and some candy apple.

Taste - Comes up with that hoppy goodness up front. Followed by some sweet maltiness with a serious alcohol kicker. This shit will get you drunk. Frankly, this is reminiscent of a good barleywine, which is hardly a bad thing.

Mouthfeel - Creamy goodness with lots of nice carbonation. Pretty thick but not heavy.

Drinkability - I like it, I even quite like it, but I'll call it a day after this one bomber. Plenty of kick, that's for sure.

Overall this was a pleasant experience. This is solid, hoppy, serious IPA-ness. If you are looking for a good IPA, this should be on the short list.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2008 21:10:48 | More by callmescraps