Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA - Stone Brewing Co.

Brew33

Ohio

2.63/5  rDev -31.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Stone 14th Anniversary. Really excited to try this. Great concept and I love Blackheart so this is gonna be great. Or not...

The appearance is good. Slighly orange, slightly hazy. The aroma is weak. Slight Hoppiness. The flavor is odd to say the least. A ton of astringency. Medicinal. Like chewing a non-chewable vitamin. It's like they somehow managed to extract all the less than desireable flavors from a hop while leaving all the good ones behind. Very European hop flavor. I get none of the citrusy charcteristics some others describe.

Not a great beer. While I think it is probably a good interpretation of the style and I love the idea. It's pretty bad. Totally out of whack. Another Stone disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2010 01:00:15 | More by Brew33

jpro

South Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I was very interested to try Stone's take on a "double" English IPA... Pours a bright, yet cloudy gold into a tulip glass, with a nice, sudsy, white head. Smell is dominated by earthy hops, pepper, maybe a slight hint of grapefruit and resin. Taste is dominated by the crucial, bitter, resinous finish. The malt profile is pretty clean - breadiness and a touch doughy. Mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium. Wow, that finish is pretty brutal! An interesting foray for Stone, but I'd much prefer their American IPA / DIPA / Strong Ale styles. Glad I tried it, but probably won't seek out any extras.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2010 19:50:37 | More by jpro

GregoryVII

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured this straight down the center of my snifter and it produced a pleasantly frothy off white head a good inch thick. The color was a yawning straw gold, and there was a decent parade of bubbles swirling about.

The aroma was spicy hops, but also damp and earthy, like a morning forest floor mixed with some pleasant herbal notes.

Taste is a good hop rush that is spicy, sharp and crackling. Lemon pepper, bits of earth and leafy/grassy goodness. The malt is sweet and powerful as well. I can detect a bit of that hard water character associated with Burton Ales. These hops linger with you; spicy, earthy, musky and grassy green all at the same time.

The carbonation is lively and very spritzy. The body is medium.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2010 19:26:02 | More by GregoryVII

Pencible

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: This poured a clear light gold with some white head.
S: It smelled like earthy citrus and unripe grapefruit, with some herbal and pine hops and a bit of honey.
T: It tasted like strong earthy citrus with pine and herbal hops, and a little honey malt. It had a strong and harsh bitter aftertaste.
M: It was somewhat thick with moderate carbonation.
D: This was an interesting blend of English and American IPAs, but the result was not really a great flavor to me. The alcohol was well hidden, but the harsh bitterness made it not as easy to drink. Maybe some sweeter malts to help balance out all the bitterness of the hops would have helped?

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2010 17:34:00 | More by Pencible

gpogo

California

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

A- Hazy golden orange, small to medium white head that quickly dissipated, nice fizzy bubbles.

A- Floral hop aroma, very light soft malt notes.

T- Very bitter with a nice sweet malt taste in the middle, but leaving a bitter finish.

M- Medium body with moderate-high carbonation

D- Admittedly I am not the biggest English IPA fan. That said I still think this is a bit bitter with such a light malt flavor to it. Drinkable yes.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2010 04:32:00 | More by gpogo

elgiacomo

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle.

Pours a very hazy yellow/amber with a two finger off-white foamy head that recedes slowly and leaves some nice clumpy rings of lacing. Eventually reduces to a faint cap and ring.

Aroma is some pungent hops and funky yeast, floral, grassy, and earthy hops, citrus rind, spice, light malt sweetness. Strength is good at first, but tapers off through the glass.

Flavor is really nice, good juicy citrus up front, some spice, earth, grass, moderate light malt sweetness in the middle and then finishes with an excellent lingering citrus bitterness. Very little alcohol is noticed in the flavor but there is a bit there at the end.

Mouthfeel is medium to full, oily, medium carbonation.

I've been on a bitter binge lately and this one delivers nicely. I should probably pick up another one soon as now is the time to drink it. Delicious. A little something different in this one. Just how "special" is this yeast? Perhaps the malt too. Plus I love how it is so bitter, hazy, and even a bit funky. Under 10% ABV is another plus. Fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2010 03:20:15 | More by elgiacomo

obywan59

Virginia

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Almost tramsparent, slightly cloudy. 2 1/2 finger white head. Nice carbonation.

Pleasant biscuity floral and fruity citrus aroma backed up by sweet malt. Smells like a good summer time brew. Refreshing. Plenty hoppy, as you'd expect from Stone.

I get lightly sweet malt up front, soon overpowered by bitterness with a bit of tart citrus. Aggressive bitterness to finish it out.

Moderate feel. Peppery. The bitterness lasts and lasts. Peppery. Acidy burn in the throat.

Very drinkable, but the ABV slows me down just a bit.

Nice summer brew, but atypical. Kicked up a couple of notches. Way more bitter than the usual summer offerings.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2010 02:52:16 | More by obywan59

vkv822

Oregon

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

22oz. bottle into pint.

Pours a fairly cloudy golden with a thick frothy white head that leaves wonderful lacing and nice carbonation visible through the haziness.
Has pleasant citric hops and faint floral hops in the aroma with a light biscuit malt backing and perhaps some light wheat notes as well. The flavor has a bit more hops than I was expecting, and in only the best way. They are of more citrus and floral, with some herbal notes and a faint malty backing as in the nose, but as it warms the herbal notes really take over a bit too much for my liking.
The mouthfeel is a smooth, buttery medium body, though does start to pleasantly finish a bit more dry towards the end.
This is a very pleasant beer, and though I was expecting to detect a little more difference for an English IPA, it was still an enjoyable beer though the herbal notes really do make this a bit of a slow drinker.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2010 01:51:59 | More by vkv822

bosco7

Pennsylvania

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

Really pale orange with a nice tight white head.

Smells full floral hops. Reminds me of some pacific northwest IPAs. Some soft malt notes below the hops.

Aggressive noble hops followed with a really pretty maltiness. Marmalade. The Stone shines through despite the unusual hop regime. Prolonged pithy bitterness in the finish, like biting into grapefruit pith.

The stickiness of the bitterness really detracts from the drinkabilty a bit. Overall though this is an interesting beer, especially coming from Stone. I am really reminded of some of the IPAs and DIPAs I have tasted in the Pac NW.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2010 00:53:07 | More by bosco7

kirok1999

Ohio

3.8/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A nice, clear straw gold with a wispy white head and a bit of lacing with each sip.
Smell is really mild, some slightly wheaty sweetness, mild citrus hops and some caramel malt notes.
Taste is much like the smell. There are definite wheat notes here. Mildly sweet with some lingering bitter hop notes. Dry, lingering finish, pretty bitter and dark. Mild burnt caramel helps with the dark finish. Best paired with some strong cheese.
Very mild carbonation, smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Easy to sip on a hot evening.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2010 00:22:07 | More by kirok1999

hooliganlife

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

pours a nice yellow and orange with a heavy haze. nice inch high fluffy head hangs on well. light lacing.

light flowers, malt, and citrus. smell was actually pretty weak on this, i was hoping for far more floral.

delicious. tons of pine bitterness through out. light vivid floral hop flavors that mix in with some earthy resin like flavors. light biscuit malts through out.

lots of carbonation bite. a bit dry in the finish. light to moderate body over all.

i dug this, a lot. i hope to land some more and see what a few months does to the bitterness. i want more!

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2010 22:51:44 | More by hooliganlife

Arbitrator

California

1.3/5  rDev -66.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Chilled bomber into a glass. Shared by alfrantzell at a weekend tasting. Thanks, Arne.

A: Pours a cloudy apricot body with a finger of short-lived beige head. No lace. The lack of clarity is really unsettling -- it makes the beer look like turbid pond water.

S: Old towels and urinals. There were four of us seated around the table, and I purposely took the last pour and made the last comment so that people wouldn't be influenced by what I had to say. But when I did, that became the consensus of the tasting. There's a peppery, salty, organic note to this that distinctly reminds me of urine and old towels. It's unpleasant.

T: Toasted malt and biscuit, I can pick out. But that weird organic smell I noticed is back, here. It presents the flavors of mildew, decay, and salty pee. I don't think the beer is infected, exactly -- I just have this reaction to certain flavor / aroma combinations (see Nugget Nectar and Tongue Buckler, which smell like urinal cakes to me). This beer goes a step beyond that and carries the unpleasantness into the flavor. And this time, I had 3 witnesses to agree with me.

M: Some alcohol to this, an astringent (tea-like) finish, and a semi-dry body. Nothing about this works at all: it needs more sugar to cover up the booze and bitterness.

D: A complete misfire. Terrible. Between 4 hopheads, we drainpoured half the bottle. And I'm very forgiving toward Stone products, so I'm sad to give this the score I am.

I'm actually half-wondering if they made this to mock Ding. Not cool, Stone.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2010 06:30:20 | More by Arbitrator

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.9/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I am always game for a Stone Anniversary beer, especially an IPA. This was billed as sort of English but it is clearly a Stone style hopped up IPA which is a good thing!. This had a nice smell, bitter taste of citrus, a bit of malt, hoppy with a bit of kick from the alcohol. This was my third bottle and I couldn't help but to knock it back quick fast in a hurry. I still wish they would recreate the 10th anniversary because that was their best beer in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2010 03:27:54 | More by ArrogantB

velosuds

Oregon

3.33/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a clear pint glass.

A-Pours a very hazy a golden-apricot color with a about a one finger, light off-white head. Scant lacing, which is uncharacteristic compared to every Stone beer I have had. Second pouring more vigourous produced a two finger head, but still scant lacing. Never taken so long to finish a bomber of any Stone beer.

S-Bitterness, light pepper English malts, and lemongrass.

T-Bitterness with lemongrass from the hop bill. Spicy with some English malts with taste reminiscent of honeydew melon and cracked black pepper.

M-Medium to full bodied with plenty of hop bite. Alcohol presence at 8.9% ABV is very well masked.

D-This is probably the least favorite Stone offering I have had. Don't much care for this, and I'm not going to bother finishing reading the story on the bottle. Very disappointed. An anniversary should be something to be celebrated, to commemorate the good thing that started it all. If this had been Stone's first beer, they may not have had a one year anniversary. Stone sometimes is too enamored of itself. They should stick to what they are very good at, instead of trying to interpret what is now an anachronistic style. This Independence Day weekend has me glad we parted with the English. Ben Franklin would not have cared for this. I much prefer the American Imperial IPA.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2010 01:46:23 | More by velosuds

TheodorHerzl

Indiana

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

Sampled from a bomber.

A: Orange hued with spotty lacing
S: Earthy, lemony, bready
T: loads of lemon, peppery, and caramel malt balancing
M: Decent, leaves a bit of a dry sensation in the back
D: This is my highest rated score, but I didn't even know the alcohol was at 8.9% in this one. It was went down easy and was rather refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2010 01:19:20 | More by TheodorHerzl

MbpBugeye

Ohio

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

Shared on the 4th.

A- A lighter burnt orange. Its moderately hazed. A typical white head and decent lacing. The beer doesnt look huge but it looks pretty nice.

S- Very pungent, dank, resinous smelling hops. It smells very unique. There is also a lot of pine and tropical fruits.

T- Bitter throughout. The actual bitterness remains the same all the way from start to finish but the tastes underneath change and is quite nice. Lots of juicy tropical fruits. Loads of mango, pineapple and oranges. On the finish lots of pine comes out. Malts are very tame and subtle.

M- Dry-ish. Fairly light and crisp.

This smells and tastes totally English but ramped up. Stone achieved what they were going for.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2010 20:16:34 | More by MbpBugeye

nerdrocker101

Georgia

3.78/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I actually do like the English IPA style, so I looked forward to trying an imperial version of it.

Pours what I can only describe as a burned golden color with a solid finger of foam that dissipates much like when someone has peed in the snow.

Wafting aromas of sweeter British malts and earthy hops.

The taste consists of some biscuit, lightly sweetened malts and piny hops that leave a lingering bitterness.

It certainly differentiates itself from standard American Double IPAs. It might not be my favorite, but maybe with a little age it'll round out some.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2010 12:57:50 | More by nerdrocker101

Gyle41386

South Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I have to be honest: I wasn't very excited at first to hear about Stone's 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA. English IPA's just don't do it for me, mainly because I'm a stupid American who doesn't appreciate subtlety, blah blah blah. Then, I remembered Stone was brewing it to Imperial strength. I figured it would be like a beer version of the EMT sticking adrenaline needles into Nikki Sixx's heart. So, might as well crank up "Kickstart My Heart" and crack this one open.

The pour is a pale golden orange, with emphasis on the "golden." A bit over a finger of white foam retains well, and the inside of my pint glass is pretty well plastered with sticky lacing. Off the top of my head, I can't recall a Stone beer I've had that didn't look amazing. They're like Unibroue in that aspect, but I digress.

The aroma is pure Briton Stone...sweet malts and bitterness. There's a sweet fruity smell that seems to be mostly orange. Earthy, herbal bitterness that may also have a bit of grapefruit rind to it. Also some pepper. Plus, there's a bit of an odd scent (not a bad odd, just a "what is that?" odd) that I never would have been able to place had I not been told ahead of time that it smelled like chicken flavored ramen noodles. Well, Joseph, I smell it, too. It's got to be the "Burtonised" water.

The flavor is all Stone. Big bitterness that really makes me think Imperial ESB. All of the malty/fruity sweetness takes a backseat to intense hoppy bitterness. Peppery, resinous, earthy, and herbal. I know, I'm an idiot for being surprised by a Stone IPA's bitterness. It just doesn't offer a ton of flavor to back that up. The finish is weirdly salty and dry. I think that can also be attributed to the water. Still a solid flavor, but a disappointment from Stone after having had their IPA, Ruination, and Double Dry Hopped IPA.

Texture is a bit more to my liking. Medium-bodied. Sticky, with a ton of lasting bitterness. 8.9% ABV never really makes itself known. Wasn't really a huge fan, but enjoyed it more than any English IPA I can remember having. Not the easiest drinker, but far from challenging. Again, disappointing for a Stone IPA, but still a quality brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2010 02:52:48 | More by Gyle41386

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.93/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a golden/orange color with an inch and a half frothy white head. Head retention is very good, and there's also a lot of lacing left behind on the glass. Aroma is nice but a bit light, I can smell lemon peel, citrusy hops, bready malt and also some pine hops. Luckily the taste is stronger than the aroma. It tastes like citrusy, spicy and grassy hops, peppery spice, lemon peel and some bready malt. This brew is definitely more hoppy than malty, but that's not much of a surprise. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit coating, finishes dry and it's well carbonated. Drinkability is good, it's certainly easy and enjoyable to drink. I think it's a good overall brew, not bad at all.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2010 23:20:10 | More by bluejacket74

klikger

Wisconsin

4.43/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz. bomber served in a standard pint glass

A - Beautiful hue of apricot-orange. It's cloudy, but I can still see through it. Features good lacing and a small white head.

S - Lemon, lemongrass, and yeast

T - Floral and citrus hops right away, with honeysuckle, clover, and freshly cut grass showing up soon thereafter. There are traces of pepper in the back half. All of the above blend with the hops for an earthy, herbal bitter end.

M - Medium bodied; a little chewy at points. The carbonation is spot on, and the complex flavors make this a joy to swish back and forth over the different regions of the tongue.

D - If money weren't an object, I'd be drink another bomber right away.

Very impressive despite high expectations. Stone rarely disappoints and certainly not here. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2010 21:25:09 | More by klikger

hosehead83

Ohio

4.3/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz. "bomber' bottle into my Arrogant Bastard pint glass
Cloudy gold in color, with an attractive, fluffy,
whipped-eggwhites head of foam
Aroma-Earthy hops and citrus notes
Taste-Spicy, lemon zest zing,bittering earthy hops, peppery, citrus-rind, rather dry finish.
Very interesting and complex. Lots of character.
Each sip tastes a little different. Alchohol very well-hidden in the hop profile. Not a "gulper" by any means, but pretty easy-drinking for the strength.
Overall, a very interesting and tasty interpretation of the style. You can almost hear the "reserved" English hops squealing with delight at their new found freedom!

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2010 15:46:57 | More by hosehead83

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

TheGordianKnot

Tennessee

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Poured a beautiful orange-ish straw color into my pint glass. Very clear and enticing with a large foamy white head. Ringed lacing intermittent along the glass.

S- Not a whole whole lot here in the nose. I get a sweet malt aroma closely followed by a grapefruit hoppy smell.

T/M- Very nice balance of the malt and hops for what it should be. I get a nice malty base that turns to a nice mouthful of hops that Stone always produces. The hops are citrusy and piney and balance well together. Nice medium body and medium carbonation make this a great beer to eat with my bleu cheese burger on a hot summer evening!

D- Very drinkable. I wish I could have gotten a six pack rather than a bomber. I found that in writing this before actually enjoying with my meal- I accidentally drank about half the bomber. So, I'm going to wrap this up so I can pair this with my food!

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2010 22:52:39 | More by TheGordianKnot

Overlord

California

1.75/5  rDev -54.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1

Hophead84 and I usually see eye to eye on beer, but whoa, do we differ on this one.

Pours a billowy orange-gold. Big off-white foam head. Bit turbid.

Smells herbally, medicinally, faintly of toasted malts, and ... I don't know .. pungent.

Taste is a mess. Shouldn't be called an IPA, frankly. It's more like an uber-ESB that's been dried out on medicinal herb twigs. So much herbaliness it destroys the malt/toastiness component, plus a hint of pine, grass, and hay components, and ... ugh. A sort of drying (other people mention salt, but to me it's just dry) aftertaste that lingers and lingers. Not citrus-y, no hint of sweetness, just a chore to drink. The acrid-ness combined with an alcohol tone really made me feel like I was drinking a cleaning solvent.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2010 17:25:54 | More by Overlord

SpdKilz

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Wow, whoever took the picture for this beer has mad skilz. Heh...

Appearance - Pours a brilliant, cloudy tangerine hue into my SA Perfect Pint. About a finger and a half of slightly tan head is achieved, which dissipates at a moderate pace, leaving decent lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell - Spicy hops up front with a citrus kick right after. Yeast, bready malts, cracker, and a hint of sweetness comes in at the end.

Taste - Damn, quite a bit more bitter...way more bitter...than expected from the nose. Massive citrus (i.e. grapefruit rind) up front with a spicy, piney hop flavor midway. Finishes a bit earthy and bitter. Very low malt presence and sweetness is almost undetected.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, decent carbonation, finishes very dry and bitter.

Drinkability -Ehh...Stone seems to always have "that" style with everything they do. I know many breweries have their own style they incorporate into almost every beer (i.e. JP), however, I am somewhat over the massively bitter tasting offerings of stone. As always, I'm glad to try their new releases but rarely will I come back for more. This one is such a bitter hop bomb is reminds me of trying to finish the 13th Anniversary last year. A bit difficult.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2010 01:20:09 | More by SpdKilz