Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA - Stone Brewing Co.

AleWatcher

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I had a bomber of this, but didn't get around to reviewing it. I found it on tap and had to give it a try...

Poured a hazy golden color with a nearly white head of 2 fingers. The head had great retention and leaves some nice lace behind as well.

The smell is slightly sweet-- then pure Stone hoppiness. Big, bold, clean, and crisp. I'm surprised they call it an "English" version-- this fits the American style in my opinion. The hops are citrus and pine with huge bitterness. Very drinkable-- I'll go ahead and be that guy who admits that a kit of Stone's IPAs seem to forget about flavor and instead go for assertive bitterness and over hopped punchiness.

The light sweetnes fits the big hoppiness perfectly. The body is light enough to keep it drinkable!

This an exceptionally delicious beer from the Stone team-- happy anniversary to you fine gents, and thanks for the excellent beer!

Serving type: on-tap

09-02-2010 20:16:02 | More by AleWatcher

nickd717

California

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

On tap at Rose & Crown. Now I gave the bottled version a B+, but the tap version I had here was much wose.

Pours a very cloudy yellowish-greenish color, not too appealing-looking, with a small whitish head.

On the aroma, I get the same earthy and spicy English hops, but they're drowned out by the smells of soap and wet dog. Not great.

Sweet doughy malt on the flavor, with very earthy English hops and some wet leaves. Fairly hoppy.

Palate is a bit syrupy for my tastes. Medium-full body and medium-low carbonation.

Now I see why others didn't think highly of this beer. I did not enjoy this experience all that much. This is way better out of the bottle in my opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2010 02:10:00 | More by nickd717

weatherdog

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Brixies in Brookfield Il, served in a 12oz. snifter

The beer pours a hazy golden yellow with a very lacy white head. A decent layer of lasting bubbles adorn the top of the beer.

The nose is strong but not too over the top like I expected from a Stone anniversary beer. Strong herbal and grass hop aroma with just a a tinge of lemon at the the end. A semi-sweet malt backbone backs up the barrage of hops.

I'm enjoying the bitterness in this beer. With most Stone beers the bitterness is overly harsh but this is much smoother. The hop flavor is very earthy with herbal flavors. A sweet finish for an IPA with some alcohol flavor at the end. A really unique hop profile that I kind of enjoyed and a nice diversion from my usual preference of citrus hop bombs.

The mouthfeel and carbonation is near perfect for my tastes. This beer is dangerously drinkable and I finished my snifter without much effort, palate fatigue. I applaud Stone for taking a chance with this beer. While not my favorite DIPA, I can't see all the hate this beer is getting.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2010 05:57:05 | More by weatherdog

WeisGuy

New York

3.85/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Ashley's in AA

a - pours a bright golden amber color, one-inch ivory head with good retention and lacing, pretty cloudy

s - big grassy and citrusy hop aroma with a substantial biscuity malt backbone, light boozy alcohol notes and tropical fruit, some yeasty aromas as well

t - quite a bit hoppier than I expected, big grassy and lemony hop components up front with a nice light caramel and biscuit malt component on the midpalate and finish, lingering citrus hop bitterness on the finish, light alcohol heat

m - medium-bodied with ample carbonation, nice alcohol warming, well-balanced finish

d - pretty drinkable for a nearly 9% abv beer, more well-balanced than many IPAs this big, alcohol is fairly well-hidden

Pretty solid beer from Stone, overall, but not something that I would pick out as an English IPA. Well worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2010 23:27:38 | More by WeisGuy

david18

New York

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had a twelve ounce pour of this at Rattle & Hum in New York City. They listed it as a double IPA but Beer Advocate (and Stone) both characterize this as an English IPA. I tend to agree with the former.

In general I liked this beer a lot and found it to be a very good low alcohol double ipa. Light color and cloudy with with a very good and strong hop aroma. A little heavy on the heat, especially for an 8.9 abv. i can't wait to find this in a bottle.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2010 18:46:21 | More by david18

atsprings

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Flying Saucer served in a 22oz weizen glass a slightly hazy orange with a decent khaki slowly diminishing head. Aroma is Earthy hops and biscuity malts. The taste is loads of grassy earthy hops in front of biscuity malts with slight alcohol presence. The beer is a bit on the heavy side, but not too much, there is a slight dryness that smooths things out nicely. I must say, this beer was much more enjoyable on-tap than if was from the bottle.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2010 00:03:07 | More by atsprings

Phelps

Arizona

3.73/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed on tap at tops, poured into a standard pint glass.

Looks: pours an interesting pale sunshine yellow, just a bit hazy, with a meringue-like white head that sticks around for quite a while.

Smells: like a forest rain. Dank, but also biting. Weed, lemons, roses, soil. Bright and hop-heavy, with woody wet pine.

Tastes: interesting. It's the finish that gets you -- like the pure resin of English hops, it's an odd acrid-dry tinge that blasts the taste buds. Grapefruit rind, pencil shavings, lager yeast, lime. The sweetness of the nose drops of completely in favor of bitterness. It's like hop tea.

Feels: impressively full-bodied for an IPA. It's filling and feels weighty on the tongue. Medium-light carb.

Drinks: boldly. I can see how this beer wouldn't be for everyone. A stretch for Stone, and an interesting take on the English IPA. I appreciate the bravery.

Serving type: on-tap

08-08-2010 03:27:34 | More by Phelps

jampics2

Ohio

3.95/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap @ the Winking Lizard. Served in a pint glass.

I almost remember what it was like to be 14. More balls than brains, starting to really carve out my identity while still stumbling through much of my days. This recipe was a perfect choice for the Stone 14th anniversary beer; it's a little awkward, but it's interesting and flavorful. Overall, this was a winner to me, but this beer drinks far beyond it's years (ABV).

Orange with a nice head. A good looking beer.

Smell is nice earthy hops and some pale, bready malt. There's a bit of spice too. Nice but could be just a touch more refined, this is rough around the edges.

Taste is nice, sweet biscuity and bready malt with TONS of bitter grass, earthy spices, and some grapefruit rind. Crazy the bitterness on this one and a sharp sweet note that quickly gets overwhelmed. Eventually, my tongue gets back to tasting more than the ruinous hoppiness. A touch of asprin flavor lingers and kills this from being just outstanding.

Medium body, creamy carb, and a runious lingering finish. Just not quite there to be outstanding, but not too oily or sticky.

Ah, to be young again. So full of hope. And 14 is a great age. This beer reflects that interesting stage in life, where we're anything but polished. This was a nice beer and an interesting and successful take on the English IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

08-06-2010 18:04:26 | More by jampics2

tzieser

Arizona

2.1/5  rDev -45.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Ugh...what can I say about this beer? Two words come to mind: epic fail.

The color isn't there, English-style IPAs shouldn't be corn-yellow like this one was...at least its a bit hazy, but its so far off of its English roots its incredible. The nose is hoppy as hell-- which is fine (because its stone after all) but where's the malt? Nowhere to be found. The flavor is just insanely bitter-- which is also fine but again, where's the malt? english style ipas should not taste like this. Mouthfeel is where it should be. I just don't see myself having more than a pint of this, which is an absolute shame because I really REALLY wanted to love this beer.

Its a shame really. I had big expectations for this brew, which could be why I was let down. Maybe if I wasn't so amped up for this if enjoy it more.

I think if this was labeled anything other than "english style ipa" I wouldn't be this harsh, as I would have been a bit more open minded in terms of style based criticism. Typically I rate beers according to how much I enjoyed them regardless of style. Unfortunately I did not enjoy this beer, thanks in part to the mindset I was in going into this review (thinking "english ipa" not "new ipa")

I'd rather reach for a true English ipa or a great local English-style ipa (mayflower IPA comes to mind) before I ever gave this another shot. Nice try, Stone. Stick to your intense west coast IPAs from now on, please.

Edit: this review is coming from someone who's a hophead. I also loved stone 13, I just didn't like this.

Serving type: on-tap

08-02-2010 23:41:44 | More by tzieser

glid02

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the Porter in Atlanta.

Pours a hazy copper color with a 1.5-finger off-white head. The head recedes into a patchy layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of smooth caramel malts with hints of breadiness and large citrus and leafy hop aromas.

Tastes similar to how it smells, though the hops are a bit less robust. Grainy caramel malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by large citrus hops and milder grassy and leafy hop flavors. Midway through the sip light amounts of bready flavors make a brief appearance before fading into a solidly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is very good. It's got a nice thickness with grainy carbonation.

Drinkability is also very good. I finished my glass quickly and could easily have a few more.

Overall I was surprised by the large amounts of citrus hop flavors, and the profile of the citrus hops, in this bad boy, expecting more earthy, grassy, and light citrus from the more popular English varietals. What I got was more in line with what most of Stone puts out, so if you're a fan then it's well worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

08-02-2010 00:28:28 | More by glid02

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.45/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On tap at Max's today.

The beer pours a honey gold color with fairly good head retention and decent lacing. Not sure what to make of the nose. Obviously, one picks up a considerable amount of hoppy bitterness, mostly consisting of black pepper and dank earth, but also pine and even some barnyard funk. Kind of an odd mixture of aromas....

The barnyard funk, dank earth and pine come on strong on the palate, but then there's literally a tidal wave of hoppy bitterness that completely dominates the flavor profile. This leads to a very dry, very bitter finish. The bitterness is so intense, you really don't pick up much alcohol (at least I don't), so I was a bit surprised to learn the abv. is nearly 9% in this beer. Mouthfeel is pretty decent, and there's no doubt this beer delivers plenty of flavor, and has a long, dry, bitter finish. Drinkability is OK at best. Frankly, even though I consider myself a hophead, this just struck me as too much of a good thing. The bitterness really wears out the palate, and it was a struggle finishing off the small glass I ordered.

Just not my cup of tea.... guess you can't expect any brewery to hit a homerun every time.

Serving type: on-tap

08-01-2010 19:06:48 | More by johnmichaelsen

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

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a slightly hazy, golden orange color with minimal head and a moderate amount of carbonation.

S - Moderate grapefruit and pine aroma make up the majority of the nose with biscuity malt in the background.

T - Some phenolic biscuit malt sets a foundation for a blend of sweet and bitter hop onslaught to the tongue. Mild orange citrus and a hefty dose of grapefruit and pine needles. Intertwined among the bitter fruit is some sweet pineapple. About half way through the glass the pineapple becomes more noticeable. Finishes dry and practically sucks the spit off your tongue.

M - There's some warming on the way down and the mouth is left with a cotton-like feel counterbalanced with a citrus and pine. Medium bodied, mild carbonation on the tongue.

D - Very good.

My first reaction to this beer was, "Meh". However, realizing this is an English style IPA on steroids, it's a total hop bomb for the style.

Serving type: on-tap

07-27-2010 03:47:59 | More by jzeilinger

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served from tap into a standard pint. Pours a hazy golden yellow with a one finger white head. Maintains excellent lacing throughout. The aroma was comprised of fruit, hops, and malt. The flavor was of massive hops, grapefruit upon sitting on the palate and swallowing. It was medium on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a very interesting brew. Usually I will get the hops on the followthrough but they came upfront in this one and were balanced/counteracted nicely with the refreshing fruit followthrough. Very nice touch for a very good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2010 20:31:50 | More by thagr81us

drabmuh

Maryland

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On draft at Churchkey. Served in a nonic pint glass. Beer is yellow with a little haze and a broke white head of medium to big bubbles that leaves some lacing on the glass. Carbonation is minimal.

Mild citrusy / fruit hop aroma. Not much going on here.

Very dry beer. Thin to medium in body. Lots of hops, no sweetness, very citrusy and bitter in the back. Almost chewy in the mouth. It is pretty good but not my favorite IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

07-23-2010 17:29:24 | More by drabmuh

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

mzrebiec

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Wow! I got 2 bottle of this beer in the cellar and did not want to open them due to the rarity of the beer in my location. A local bar had it on tap so I had to try it. It was simply incredible. The hop character was very earthy and not as citrusy as a normal IPA. I am getting ahead of myself. It poured a nice golden hew with a minimal white head that laced all the way down the glass. The aromas that came out of the beer were fantastic. Earthy, hoppy, and some pale malt came through. Now, back to the flavors. It was a very drinkable beer for the ABV and the smoothness kept me wanting more. Hats off to Stone on their 14th anniversary beer. I cannot wait to see how it tastes in a year or two.

CHEERS!

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2010 02:33:33 | More by mzrebiec

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I had this on tap at Shady McGrady's in Harrisburg - served chilled in a snifter.

A - A peachy colored ale w/ thick bone white cap which has a creamy appearance and holds well. The bead is very fine and the clarity is translucent. The lace sticks to glass in haphazard pattern

S - The smell while pleasant is also a little peculiar with hints of pear and musty pine esters the alcohol is evident and has a mild floral/herbal element

M - The feel is good, but the fruit and tang of yeast and subtle acidic tinged hop texture shifts midway to a warming and intensely bitter sharp aspect. It isn't that I didn't expect that considering Stone Imperial IPA's but it lacks subtlety the carbonation is moderate and sweetness is low with a moderate astringency level

T - The flavor is pleasant and mildly fruit w/ notes of golden apple and pear and mild herbal English hop flavors which seem slightly piney too. The flavor gets more peppery and the alcohol gradually comes forward with a very sharp bitterness which lingers into a very dry finish. The taste is like an English ipa pushed and molded to fit the American Imperial Ipa mold, it loses some of the English character and seems salty it is so bitter toward the end

D - The drinkability is average for me - the flavors start ok, but the intense bitterness doesn't help the overall character of the beer to me. I would say give it a try, but as I mentioned in the taste it is really lacking the English character and is an American Imperial IPA in English Ipa clothes - the bitterness seems to be more the focus than actual English hop flavor

Serving type: on-tap

07-11-2010 13:12:58 | More by Slatetank

mdfb79

New York

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From 7/2 notes. Had on tap at the Big Hunt in DC.

a - Pours an amber, murky-golden color with 2 inches of white head and light carbonation.

s - Smells very weird. Got some earthy malts and manure. Not enjoyable at all.

t - Tastes of tropical fruits, sweet fruity hops, citrus, and floral hops.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.

d - I thought this was a nice beer except for the smell, which was awful. I asked several other people who ordered it as well and they all agreed on the smell. Probably wouldn't seek out again.

Serving type: on-tap

07-10-2010 16:41:59 | More by mdfb79

thain709

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Served with a hazy, yet glowing, golden body...a nice, two finger, white head...good retention and nice lacing

S - The hops (citrus and pine) are present as you would expect from a Stone beer but there is also an underlying grain and sweet malt aroma

T - The flavors are rather balanced with both the malts and hops having their time to shine...the malts have a sweet caramel flavor to them and they also give off that roasted grain flavor too...this helps knock down the bitterness from the hops...the hops present themselves as citrus first (grapefruit, orange, lemon) then the finish with a blast of pine

M - Medium bodied...moderate carbonation, dry, I think having it on tap helped

D - Being an anniversary ale I would get this one while it's still around...I was actually expecting this to be a tad more hoppy, but Stone stuck to the Queen's orders and threw in a good dose of malts

Serving type: on-tap

07-04-2010 14:10:20 | More by thain709

Hershdawg

California

3.8/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

On tap at Eureka! Burger in Redlands on Tap for Steal the Glass. 14th anniversary glass.

A: Golden color. Excellent head retention. Slight head after even after a half hour.

S: Citrus, Grape fruit, malt, spice, and booze.

T: boose, malt, hops. It becomes more impressive as it warms up but if it reaches room temp towards the end it becomes more alcoholic.

M: Any thicker it would be a barleywine.

D: One bottle portion is enough.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2010 05:00:45 | More by Hershdawg

SaazWarz

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this at Al's as well on draft.Super with hot wings! Simply a great beer. I find it funny that folks find it funny stone made an english Dipa! Whats it to them...but to dog this beer is just wrong(IMO). The E in Emperial is maybe for the great Empire that England once was. And can someone tell me what the hell is a cat box taste? What are you guys eating?

A- Cloudy, blonde, nice white head that leaves a nice lacing on the glass.

S- citrus,grapefruit, nice pungant burst of hops

T- Grapefruit,sticky sweet, piney resins,

m- tart,nice bitterness on the palate and back of tongue

D- easly drinkin if your a seasoned IPA consumer. So good I had to take a growler home.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2010 17:47:32 | More by SaazWarz

pmsawyer

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

As an English IPA it misses the style; it is an Imperial IPA . The ingredients were English, except the treated water, but the style is Imperial as implied in the spelling Emperial which implies something different has been done.

Aroma - Hops with no detectable malt

Appearance - gold with orange tint. Little to no head.

Flavor - aroma did not mis-lead all hops. Very little malt tasted. Long aftertaste of hops a little harsh and bitter.

Texture - light body but astringent.

Overall a strong hop tonic. Never sure what "drinkability" means (Bud Light?) but one was enough.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2010 14:36:35 | More by pmsawyer

Deuane

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Al's of Hampden. The very fact that Stone is making an 8+% English IPA is quite funny to me....I am sure this one will piss some folks off!

A-Bright, golden orange-copper with a thick bright white head. Head reduces slowly to a thin cap that leaves nice lace.

S-Melon rind, herbal notes, grapefruit, hint of white pepper and a touch of cat box.

T-Assertive bitterness up front with strong notes of grapefruit rind, pine melon and subtle berry sweetness. Malt body is quite light and does not do much to in an attempt to balance the hop bill.

M-Medium bodied, quite sticky and resinous. Long lasting hop bitterness.

D-Good, but this one didn't do anything to wow me. I liked the flavours and the hop aggressiveness but nothing really impressed me. A solid, yet unremarkable beer from a brewery that knows how to make quality hop bombs. This one falls a bit short IMHO.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2010 10:31:13 | More by Deuane

vertigelt1

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Looks like I'm first to review it on tap! Served up at The Daily Pint in Santa Monica.

A: poured much oranger than I'd expected. A light, bright orange with a finger of white creamy head that disipated quickly and left little lacing.

S: I smell a little bit of the pine others mention, but not much grass. Some tangerine and grapefruit. Light malt.

T: strong grapefruit bitterness, very little of the pine I smelled. Not a lot of complexity, just strong bitter hops. Malts? We don't need no stinking malts! Slightly medicinal finish. Not entirely unpleasant but very strong; finish lingers and lingers.

M: medium body, slightly thin for the boldness of the taste. Carbonation balances that thinness to a pleasant, well Dundee mouthfeel anyways.

D: I'll be honest. I don't need another one. I'm fine with assertive beers, but this one felt a little one-dimensional, and infind that overpowering. My palet is amped up but is ready for... Something else.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2010 03:25:42 | More by vertigelt1