Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA - Stone Brewing Co.

VaTechHopHead

California

2.78/5  rDev -28%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - Pretty light for a DIPA with an highly unfiltered light orange, deep yellow color. Alright white head that fades quickly with average lacing. No visible carbonation.

S - Very faint for a DIPA...super light on the hop aroma. It almost has a light lemon scent with flowers thrown in.

T - Again, not too heavy on the hops for a typical DIPA. The hops don't taste fresh and juicy but there are flavors of flowers, wood, grass/moss, and a black licorice/citrus combo finish. Definitely had better tasting DIPA's.

M/D - Nice medium body and lots of light carbonation. Sticky hops remain on the palate with a funky flower petal taste. Drinkability is a little low for me because the flavors seem confused and a little old.

Don't know when this one came out, maybe it was old/sat on the shelf too long, etc. but I was not impressed with this brew from Stone.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 21:52:26 | More by VaTechHopHead

projectflam86

Ohio

2.78/5  rDev -28%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Pours a cloudy yellow color with a medium white head that leaves a bit of lace. I know that IPAs are generally a little hazy but this one is difficult to see through even though it is light in color.

S- The nose is not as aromatic as I had expected. Little to no citrus aroma to be found and just a bit of herbal musk.

T- Well, the bitterness is there but it is completely lacking in terms of traditional IPA flavor (citrus, pine, floral). Just a very bitter, slightly boozy, rather boring brew. *Full disclaimer* I am huge fan of American IPAs and not so much a fan of English IPAs. I just prefer the citrusy bitterness of the C-hops over the Euro ones. This brew tastes like an overly bitter English IPA.

M- Medium bodied with ok carbonation.

D- When I heard that 14th was going to be a IIPA I was really excited to give it a try. IIPA + Stone is the perfect recipe for a killer brew but this one really let me down.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2010 23:09:13 | More by projectflam86

Lauthaha

Michigan

2.8/5  rDev -27.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Poured from a deuce-deuce (22 oz. bottle) into a beer taster.

Appearance: Cloudy pale golden color with moderate carbonation visible through the murky liquid. Head settles to a thin layer of foam on the surface of the beer and leaves moderate lacing on the way down.

Smell: There's a great deal of pungent citrus (lemon/lime/grapefruit) in the initial scent. Certainly a floral hop element, and even some light breadiness towards the end. From the scent, I could see it pairing with Indian/Pakistani cuisine or fishy seafood quite nicely. No unpleasantness.

Taste: Slightly repugnant. The scent is superbly misleading. First sip yields bitter nastiness. Burned popcorn and heavy fusel-type alcohol flavors battle voraciously, while a nearly cloying sweetness (of caramel malt, perhaps) creates a layer of strangeness underneath it all. Aftertaste is bitter and pungent. Not my favorite take on an IPA of any kind.

Mouthfeel: Lightly hop-oiled, ample carbonation, slightly chewy. Leaves a light coating upon imbibation.

Drinkability: I fear I may have to offer this as a libation to the beer-gods.

My only regret is that I drank the Lagunitas Hop Stoopid first tonight. *Sigh* if I could turn back time.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2011 02:35:15 | More by Lauthaha

blakesell

Ohio

2.83/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from the 22oz bottle into an over sized English pint glass.

Noteworthy, the beer did gush upon opening.

Appearance- Beer pours clear and amber golden with a huge head of foam. Head is quite impressive, rises and coats the sides of the glass leaving ample lacing on the sides.

Smell- Something smells not English about this IPA, there's a Belgian smell here that seems a bit off. Strong English style noble hops which I'm sure is exactly what they were going for. Earthy and grassy. Malt is bready and may provide enough backbone for the aging that many are sure to do, me included.

Taste- This strange Belgian thing is going on still, it isn't entirely welcome in an English IPA. The noble hops are here, the stone yeast (if they even use a standard yeast strain) is there. The beer attempts to be solid but there is just something very off that I just can't pinpoint, and perhaps it's over hopping, perhaps the bottle is infected as it was a gusher.

Mouthfeel- Resiny, hoppy, overly bittering, not entirely warming which is a plus considering the gravity, highly carbonated, medium bodied.

Drinkability- Unfortunately I will have to drink my 2nd bottle at some time, I hope by then it is more drinkable. I can't recommend this fresh at all.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2010 00:55:36 | More by blakesell

WillieMoe

Massachusetts

2.83/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I gotta say this was a bit disappointing to me. I absolutely love Stone, and maybe my expectations were to high, but for an Imperial IPA, it seems off.

On looks alone it does look very enticing, but doesn't look like an imperial IPA. Looks more like Belgian, with a nice slowly dissolving frothy head.

The scent of hops is decent, and there are hints of citrus in the nose.

Has a bit of a buttery feel on the tongue, but does have a nice IPA dryness to it.

I am still a fan of Stone and they're one of my favorite breweries, but to me, this is not one of their best offerings. Maybe my expectations were just too high, I dunno?

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2010 00:22:44 | More by WillieMoe

hwwty4

Missouri

2.83/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Thanks to Akorsak for this one.

I've been wanting to try this since it came out. I've been lucky enough to try all the Stone Anniversary going back to Stone 8 (albiet some have had a little age on them) and they have all been good to great. Poured a double deuce into my Tripel Karmeliet tulip. This beer pours a hazy, orangey-straw with a decent sized 2inch head that leaves just a bit of lacing down the sides of the glass as it disappears from my glass. The nose is a bit jumbled. Orange pith, old cut grass, dried herbs, a nice floral aspect all tied together with aspirin. Everything is rather distinct and doesn't interplay very well. The flavor is abrasive. The first sip reminds me of chewing a aspirin while sucking on a grapefruit peel. Floral hops open up on the palate after it warms but that medicinal herbal hop presences is really distinct. Behind the layers and layers of full frontal hops is a nice biscuity malt backbone. Wish it would have been amped up just a bit. The mouthfeel is very menthol. It seems like it almost cools the palate with every sip. Over all this has been my least favorite of the series. I think I'll go drink a 12 to get over this.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2010 23:46:23 | More by hwwty4

andrewm190

North Carolina

2.85/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Most disappointing from Stone. They are one of my favorite breweries, and I generally consider anything I get there to be a shoe-in. But this was pretty lousy. The beer itself was not a tragedy, but at 10 bucks, I expect better than average. It poured a very transparent yellow, with plenty of foam. Some hops registered on the olfactory detectors, but some other musky sour bitter rot did as well. I like bitter, but not combined with whatever mean musk rolled off this puppy. The taste matched. It felt cheap, with some hops plunged in.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2010 21:43:15 | More by andrewm190

bark

Sweden

2.85/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Hops dominate the smell: Grape fruits, resin, fruity lemon sourness, pineapples. Some chemical solvents and a touch of garlic. It is not as sweet/malty as some DIPAs are.

The colour is bright yellow/orange. The liquid is cloudy, some yeast particles floats in the liquid (the beer was carefully decanted) The three finger head is compact and white with a tint of yellow. Some lacing and a ring occurs when the foam slowly sinks down.

The taste is dry and very bitter. Notes of fresh fruits (apples, pineapples, lemon, lime, apricots) and some vegetables. Hints of spices; mainly pepper and garlic. The body is low. The aftertaste is short and a bit sour with some growing bitter citric flavours.

The carbonation is medium; the small bubbles are strong. The liquid is a bit creamy.

Probably the driest and least malty DIPA I have had so far. I am quite disappointed, I had expected more from this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2010 20:33:06 | More by bark

htomsirveaux

Texas

2.85/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

22 oz. bottle tried 15 Aug 2010. Served in the 0.5 L Adambrau becker.

Large foamy slightly yellow head. Moderate carbonation. Hazy toasted yellow corn color. Aroma is reminiscent of apples, floral, roses, slightly medicinal. Flavor starts somewhat soapy. Bitter. Some apple cideriness to it. Strong hop profile, quite medicinally-aspirin bitter throughout. Grapefruit pith bitterness in the finish and aftertaste. Medium body. Warming alcohol.

Not sure what hop variety gives the aspirin bitterness but it is unappealing.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 17:37:45 | More by htomsirveaux

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Had this on 2010-07-23 in Lynchburg, VA from a 22 oz bomber.

A - Very hazy gold with a 1-finger white head

S - Tangerine and sour bread

T - Medium roasted grain, lots of bitterness and an oily resins are impinged by strong pepper and a stoney, mineral flavor. The alcohol is pretty apparent. The aftertaste has a bitter back bite but with a little sweetness. I like hops a lot, but this seems too strident and coupled with the strong black pepper, it wasn't an appealling taste to me.

M - Silky with medium body and carbonation

D - Nope. One was enough. It's an odd tasting beer. Hooray for experimentation. I love Stone beers but not this one.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2010 12:43:07 | More by Tucquan

cbutova

Massachusetts

2.93/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Third time having this one, was the best by far on-tap about a month ago. This bottle is a bit better than the last one I had, which tasted like peas and urinal cakes.

A- Hazy golden yellow with a fizzy white cap that has low retention and leaves a small cloud and ring behind. Very small amount of lace.

S- A lot going on here, not a huge fan. Upon opening I got some nice tropical, citrus and earthy hop notes. Then it went all over. I do soapy, grassy and light sweet-caramel malt notes. There is also an odd, musty chessy hint hidden in there, it becomes distracting.

T- The foremost thing I get is a mix of overly earthy-grassy-spicy hops with sweet light malt. Too much hop flavor, getting sick of this trend. It just gets messy. Citrus-zest also blasts the palate. The end product is an overly bitter, almost soapy beer. I understand what is English here but it is Americanized, I see why the English keep their hops in check for the most part.

MF- Huge bitterness. Light body with nice creaminess. High, smooth carbonation. Slightly warm.

DB- I am sick of this trend but I can still drink this one decently, I am too forgiving to food and drink. Sadly this is the first Stone beer I have to say I didn't enjoy a lot. A blast of hops that feels messy and unbalanced, probably gonna get me some Ruination to make me forget this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2010 01:33:18 | More by cbutova

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

2.95/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Poured from a 22 ounce bomber into a pint glass. The beer is a cloudy golden color, with no head. The beer has aromas of hops and flora. Initial hop forward bitter flavor, with sharp citrus undertone. There are bits of spice hidden underneath the heavy initial flavors, but very subtle. The beer is light and crisp in mouth, with a sour citrus finish. Aftertaste is mostly sour, with slight bitter hops blend. The beer is a bit unbalanced, and the strong flavors make this a "one and done."

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2010 01:02:44 | More by GarthDanielson

aerozeppl

New York

2.98/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

From notes

A: Bright golden orange color. Quite a bit of sediment floating around in the bottle. Minimal white head with a decent amount of lacing.

S: The nose is just off. Cheesy? Musty malt. This is not what I was expecting from a Stone anniversary beer. I keep smelling and it just is not getting any better for me.

T: Very citrussy and grassy. It does not have enough citrus to be an American DIPA and there is no such thing as a double English IPA which is what I think they were going for. I think they needed to bring out the malt a little more to make this one work. It is sort of all over the place.

M: Medium body. The carbonation is a little too sharp.

D: The color was the best part of this beer. I see what they were trying to do but it is a bridge left uncrossed. If you entered this into a competition based on style it would get killed. Above that it just was not that enjoyable which is a damn shame. Their anniversary beers have been excellent before this.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2010 01:36:15 | More by aerozeppl

wedge421

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Light orange with a bit of haze in there. Nice white fluffy heady. A very clean looking IPA.

S - Lots of sweet caramel malt notes mixed in with pine and citrus hop aroma. There is a lot of West Coast in this glass blended nicely with the English malts. A Very interesting aroma.

T - Definitely a British style beer. Lots of malt character mixed nicely with that Stone hop character of bitterness and pine. A nice balance overall but nothing mind blowing.

D - I would definitely seek this one out again but with that said it is not the best Stone brewed IPA I have had. Its an interesting mix of the two style but ultimately comes up a bit short of being a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2010 22:00:53 | More by wedge421

gregmoscetti

California

3/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I was pretty stoked to try this beer but unfortunately, Stone has swung on and missed big. The beer goes in a three step process: Aggressive hop bitter (surprise surprise)...2...1.. hmmm that tastes interesting and not too bad...2...1... ugh gross, is that a sweaty sock?

so for those of you at home, it will taste "ok", then "not bad", then "ugh, gross."

Die hard stone fans and people who don't get to drink great IPAs whenever they want will say its good. But it isnt. Way better stuff down here in so-cal to be wasting a penny on this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-28-2010 19:26:51 | More by gregmoscetti

Ego

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

sittin' around the cellar for some time now, I thought I would pull one of these out to see how it was doing.

eyes...
audible sizzle fizz, one full finger of head (the craggy soapy kind), hazy straw color with a good amount of carbonation running through, the head settles in a hurry into your typical O-ring configuration, no lacing to speak of, minimal legs, so far this is far from impressive

nose...
piney hops with some malt backing, not too much else, I bet it has calmed down from being set down

taste etc...
for as much carbonation as seen in the glass it barely seems detectable in the sip, also, there is barely any flavor here, kind of a mild orange flavor with almost zero bitterness, there is some of the ABV felt in the gullet. This is a tamed tiger. It drinks really easy in this form but I would not recommend it to highly. This has been perfectly cellar kept since the release (no sunlight, no anything).

verdict?
this one has definitely lost its punch

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 05:03:04 | More by Ego

jsanford

Georgia

3.03/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - Pours a hazy orange-gold with a thin creamy ivory head. Nice retention, leaves spotty lacing.
S - Pungent hops of pine resin and grapefruit with a sweet toffee malt backbone. Slightly subdued.
T - Begins with pungent herbal and citrus hops followed by the sweet cracker malt. Very intense bitter finish that's not entirely pleasant to me. Not my favorite hop profile.
M - Sticky with a medium body and moderate carbonation. Alcohol really makes it's presence known as this one warms.
D - Not my favorite Stone offering, but it's a cool concept that I respect. Glad I tried it, had to struggle through the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2010 17:15:27 | More by jsanford

Halcyondays

California

3.05/5  rDev -21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

22 oz. bomber,

A: Pours orange with a full white head, very good retention, leaving nice lace.

S: Melon rind, hint of white pepper, green smelling.

T: Extremely bitter pine and grass flavours overall. Malt is very mild. Lots of bitter melon, white grapefruit, and pine.

M: Medium/full-bodied, sticky, resiny. Hoppy long aftertaste.

D: An OK DIPA, but for me it was just bitter without a complexity in the hop character which made me disinterested as I drank the beer. I always try the Stone Anniversaries, but I don't think I'll pick this up again, I like the overall idea though.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2010 02:09:43 | More by Halcyondays

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -21%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a hazy orange-ish color with a white head. In the aroma, a small hop, but actually quite mild. In the taste, a nice bitter hop and quite malty. A bitter and medium bodied mouthfeel and a small bite and dry maltiness in the aftertaste. Very English like, kind of lame for Stone, OK nonetheless.

Serving type: on-tap

07-23-2010 13:44:26 | More by OWSLEY069

merryjoulton

Arkansas

3.05/5  rDev -21%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy yellow amber color that is accompanied by a thick and unrelenting head. I'm really trying to, but can't find much to the aroma. I get a little grassy greeniness, maybe a hint of sticky hop residue. Smell is not overly floral or piney though. Taste is actually pretty clean and crisp. Not much malt, no yeast, just hops. But not many of those either. Mouthfeel and drinkability are OK. This rendition seems a bit reserved, but maybe that was by design. Still a well constructed brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2010 23:03:17 | More by merryjoulton

bobhits

Kentucky

3.05/5  rDev -21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Hazy yellow orange body, extremely cloudy, with a strong 2 finger head. Lots of lacing and rather good looking by any standards.

The nose is piny and earthy english hops. The malt is really lost in that mix of hops.

Hop forward english piny and earthy...really odd. The malt is heavy and alcoholic. It's sweet but hard to really pick up a flavor there.

Thicker than I like for even a double IPA. A reason Runination is a master piece. Listed at just under 9%, I would have expected closer to 10%.

It's a drinkable beer dispite a few flaws and my general preference towards American hops.

A very interesting spin on this style. It isn't 13 year or 12 or 11 or 10....or 9 for that matter, but it's still a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2010 13:26:17 | More by bobhits

Stigs

Pennsylvania

3.1/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

22oz bottle, served in an English-style pint glass

A - two+ fingers of very puffy and creamy, just slightly off-white foam. seems to be taking hold and fighting valiantly on its way down. the beer is light gold, and very hazy - wondering if this will clear up after warming a bit (***). clingy, sticky lace left down the glass most of the way.

S - bright citrus (melons, pineapple, hint of banana) and grassy hops. sharp crackery malts cut through - almost pilsener-like. lemon picks up, and finishes with a bit of floral and perfume.

T - ridiculously sharp grassy hops, to the point of being overwhelming. other flavors struggle to make it through: lemon zest, pine-sol, pine needles, and perfume...no balance whatsoever. unable to pickout exactly what it reminds me of until I saw in another review: urinal cakes.

M - lightish body with assertive and prickly carbonation, just a flash of creaminess before finishing very dry...lingering alcohol, grass, and pine.

D - i wanted to like this one - too similar to Ruination, which I just cannot wrap my head around. hop-head here, but this has ZERO balance, and a pretty unpleasant hop profile to match. struggling to make it through half a glass here.

edit - ok, ill admit it is slightly growing on me...

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2010 01:22:20 | More by Stigs

Spica66

Indiana

3.15/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

22oz poured into pint.

A: Light golden color. One-finger head. Medium carbonation.

S: Very strange smell. Earthy, grassy. Different than any beer I have ever smelled before.

T: Grassy continues. Long, lingering, bitter, earthy aftertaste. Unlike any beer I have ever had.

M: Smooth and properly carbonated.

D: Not for me. I ended up gulping my half down.

This beer seems like it didn't know what it was up to in life. I will not buy another one.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2010 15:16:31 | More by Spica66

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.15/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle poured into an emperial pint. 8.9% ABV, June 2010, "Consume when fresh or age in the hull of a seafaring vessel for a year or more."

A - I watched helplessly as tiny particles rushed from the bottle into my beer. Luckily their damage didn't amount to much as it remained a mostly clear goldenrod yellow color. Lots of carbonation kept the well-retained white head alive for sometime. Chunky lace clung to the glass pretty well too!

S - Distinctly different, English hops populate the aroma with a blend of both grass, freshly cut, and a squirt of lemon juice with a light hint of pineapple. Sweet crystal and pale malts back the aroma up very nicely offering good balance without distracting from the hops.

T - Something must have changed between the aroma and flavor as it's much less attractive now. Maybe I was better off setting this beer to sea... Sharply and overly bitter, grassy and earthy flavors with a bit of cardboard aren't very appealing. The sweet backing malts in the aroma turn dry and flakey like a biscuit without butter. A small pinch of lemon and pineapple citrus makes it's way in but certainly not enough. Burtonized water is pretty big in this beer too. Lots of minerals and salt present.

M - Sharp carbonation brings a lively feel to this medium-bodied English IPA while a dry, incredibly bitter finish changes it up quite a bit. Much too dry and very bitter for my liking. Strange that I don't particularly enjoy THIS bitterness but love overly hopped American IPAs.

D - I'm determined to finish this bottle and have it change my mind about the beer. It isn't a half-bad beer, I just can't get into the flavor profile or large bitterness. Definitely one of my least favorite Stone brews to date.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2010 12:32:04 | More by BeerFMAndy

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 5 | overall: 1.5

Bomber to wine glass. Reviewed upon it's arrival to PA.

A: Pours with a one and a half finger foamy/frothy white head. Decent retention. The light persimmon colored body is bright and richly radiant thanks to it's haziness. Sixty percent opacity. Mediocre lacing.

S: Only British ingredients were used in the making of this brew (minus Colorado River water) and given the aroma/flavor profile, it comes as no surprise. Above average amount of toasted malts: Bread, biscuits and grain. The harsh hop bill is dominated by pine, and reinforced by sawdust and grass. The yeast contributes a healthy does of must and sweat.

T: Impressive? Sure. Great? No. Nothing new is presented on the palate that I wasn't aware of or couldn't have predicted from the nose. As Stone brews have been accused of before, this here is a one-trick pony.

M: One of the fullest and creamiest DIPAs I've ever had. And then? THEN the carbonation mercilessly decimates the taste buds while the hop bitterness sears off no less than 10% of my tongue. This is a real PALATE CRUSHER. Seriously. I felt like beating up my girlfriend after the ass-whooping that was handed down to me.

D: Even though I don't think this is particularly good beer, I applaud Stone for their inventiveness, their goal and their execution. The 14th Anniversary is EXACTLY what a Stone E(I)mperial IPA should be like. Quite literally.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2010 13:10:26 | More by FeDUBBELFIST