Stone 10th Anniversary IPA - Stone Brewing Co.

dedrinker

Kansas

2.8/5  rDev -34.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

WOW! After elbowing through all the surging hordes of people trying to get this beer, I finally found the opportunity to sit down and try it only to find out that it is quite over-rated. Too much alcohol dominates the flavor, and this gives the assertive hoppiness a hot, wild, weedy flavor. I am a fan of the Ruination, and this ought to have been Ruination Plus, but the clumsy balance of alcohol to beer flavor rendered it unenjoyable to me. Sorry folks. I'm not hatin' on it though. Nope. Relax.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2007 00:09:49 | More by dedrinker

Bighuge

Minnesota

2.63/5  rDev -38.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Slightly hazed orange-copper. Thin and creamy off white head. Lacing is adequate. Aroma is comprised of alcohol, caramel malt and tropical fruits. Alcohol is the easiest to pick out. Taste starts out boozy and ends boozy. The Green Flash IPA I had before this was much more enjoyable. Hop traits in this are ghostly. I get a tropical fruit melange of sorts. But the alcohol overrides it all. Fussel-like in nature. To me this is what Arrogant Bastard would taste like if it were 15-20% a/v.

Hands down, my least favorite of their Anniversary beers. And not even in the same ballpark as their 5th Anniversary IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2007 05:05:42 | More by Bighuge

Bmoyer0301

Pennsylvania

2.55/5  rDev -40.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Appearance:

Another great extra from my buddy Greg, although I'm afraid this might be way past its prime. I popped the cap and was not surprised to only hear a slight hiss. I poured into my DFH snifter straight on and was left with a very thin and spotty tan colored head. When I hold it up to the light it appears muddy and murky like old pond water. Deep copper brown with some yeast chunks lingering around, with no light passing through. Viscosity is fairly thick for its age.

Smell:

Right off the start loads of caramel, brown sugar, some wet cardboard, papery aroma. Faded muted hops, earthy undertones with some slight garlic and onion notes.

Taste:

Pretty thin, muddy, onions, brown sugar, some raisins with no real hop presence. Like a weak poorly made barleywine. Honey, slightly sugary quickly tangy finish. As I predicted was past its time but still fun to try and see the aging on this.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2011 17:31:48 | More by Bmoyer0301

kmcnair

California

2.4/5  rDev -44.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Aroma - Thick caramel malts, light citrus fruits, sherry and oxidized hops. Slight alcohol detected. Misses the marks for a double IPA, closer to a barley wine.

Appearance - Medium copper color, thin yet long lasting halo of a white head. Slight haze.

Flavor - Strong, sweet malts dominate and a slight alcohol note are the front runners. Alcohol bite is still strong even months after release. Moderate hop bitterness and catty resinous hop flavor. Balance is way off on the caramel, sweet and malty side ... the hops used here aren't all that pleasant.

Mouthfeel - Full bodied, sticky and cloying on the palate. Both the hops and the malts are cloying. Its over the top and too much. Less crystal malts and a stronger attenuating yeast would really make this shine, perhaps a sugar addition would help to dry this thing out.

Overall impression - Too many big and deep malty flavors infused with an alcohol note that make this just way too much. With some age this will probably be better, but at that point it will be even less Imperial IPA like than it already is.

I'll stick with Stone IPA or Ruination if I'm looking for a well done IPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2007 07:32:13 | More by kmcnair

goochpunch

Texas

2.35/5  rDev -45.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pours out a copper amber with a thin yet frothy head of bubbles of varying size that sticks throughout the pint. Leaves splotchy lacing. Smells very sugary sweet with a medicinal quality from the mix of sweet and alcohol. Lots of pine with milder citrus aromas. The malt smells overly toasted to me. Flavor is way too sweet, cloyingly so, and medicinal in the alcohol. Lots of pine resin hops and a finish of aspirin and cough medicine. Mouthfeel is thick, slick ,oily, and kind of flat. Not all that drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2006 19:54:34 | More by goochpunch