Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA - Stone Brewing Co.

ccrida

Oregon

4.45/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is pale gold with a big, fluffy white head that leaves chunks of foamy lace. I like the parchment background of the "label". Pale IPAs, love them.

Smell is big hops, lots of spicy herbal hops, some mint, a bit of cat pee. EKGs are the most prominent. The stemmy earthy component of the hops almost picks up a cocoa note.

Taste is also big earthy hops, very spicy, robust, a hint of peanut butter as well. The burtonized water accentuated the substantial bitterness, to which the base pale malts stand no chance. Which is fine, it's a good hop blast, as to be expected from Stone. The salts accentuate the alcohol, even though it's pretty clean.

Mouthfeel is medium light, a bit slick, decent carbonation.

Drinkability is pretty good, a huge IPA, perhaps English ingredients, but clearly American DIPA style. Very good, a nice change of pace from typical west coast DIPAs.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2010 04:01:59 | More by ccrida

RoyalT

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - This one is a beautiful orange in color with a light and fluffy head that screams of delicacy.

Smell - The hops are light and very fresh, sharp but easy on the nose. This is a complex and refined hop aroma that is hard to describe. It is very non-traditional and as I understand it made with British hops. There's a kind of citrus, fruit-like character to the nose but not the big orange or grapefruit that you find in a lot of American IPAs. It's not a hop monster like Ruination but more like if you take the lightness of a good British hopping then "Stone it up" about 100 degrees then there you have it.

The balance of the nose is near perfection and would be even more interesting with a year in the cellar to grow the malt a bit. Right now though it is still properly balanced if a bit on the hop side. There's a classic ESB-type of yeasty note to the malt base and a bit of sweetness that is again very pure and natural.

Taste - This travels true from nose to tongue. The hops seem more floral here and mate squarely with the sharpened ESB yeasty notes. The sugars up front are incredible and really not like anything I've had before. It is a very pleasant sugary kind of sweet flavor like sugar water.

Mouthfeel - This is where the beer leaves its mark. It's borderline medium-bodied and not at all heavy like an American DIPA but OMG is this thing bitter. This is more bitter than any other Stone beer that I've had and is so dry it will make you scream uncle a few times. This is self-generating revenue here as every sips just makes you want to take another one.

Drinkability - I am a big fan of creativity and this is just amazing. It is so different yet so good and really was a very daring project that IMO could not have been done any better and certainly not by any other brewery. In almost every other case when an American brewer of "big beers" takes on a non-traditional style and beefs it up it is a holy mess, but here the folks at Stone showed why they are the top brewery on the West Coast.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2010 02:31:56 | More by RoyalT

avalon07

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured from a bottle to an imperial pint glass. Had a yellow-orange color and a cloudy texture. There was an inch of foamy/creamy, long-lasting head. Very good lacing.

S: A sweet aroma of citrus, hops, pine, and some malt.

T: Tasted of grapefruit, hops, pine, and malt. Well-balanced and bitter, though never too bitter.

M: A highly carbonated beer with a dry finish. Medium-bodied.

D: Excellent. One of the most drinkable English IPAs I've had.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2010 12:23:01 | More by avalon07

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

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a hazey oarneg skin and copper with a spritzy head that lasts only after a few sips.

The aroma is piney, heavy citrus, and rustic Prairie grass hops with some heavy toasted malt aromas. But the malts are definetly overwayed by the hops.

The taste is complex with hop bitterness. You get some earthy grass from an open prairie. Then you have lots fo citrus zest, mayve even some lime peel aromas. The hops play with or trick some of these aromas around a bit. Some fresh baked bread with lots of gypsum and baking soda makes some of the orange zest taste like cherry flavored oranges. I know this sounds bizarre, but thst what I tasted at times. Very interesting But isn't all that exceptional eithe rin the end.

The palate can be a bit overly astringent, but not too bad.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2010 04:22:00 | More by scruffwhor

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

dirtylou

Washington

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

22oz bomber, split during the Spain world cup final

appearance: light, bright orange body - thick foamy white head - a touch pulpy

smell: odd aroma - "a sweaty sock filled with smarties", but perhaps not - grapefruit rind, bitter citrus

taste: very deviant from the english ipa - well pronounced bitterness from grapefruit zest and peel, sugary, caramel malts, strange but very enjoyable

mouthfeel: cask-like, pulpy

drinkability: good

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2010 22:28:30 | More by dirtylou

cokes

Wisconsin

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

Lightly hazed, saffron colored with a thick puff of slate suds. The stack dwindles with time, but leaves smears of lace all around.
Mowed weeds and wildflower aroma, with sizable backup from wet cement and aged cheddar. One part fresh-cut vacant lot, one part fresh-laid sidewalk, and one part artisan cheese-maker. All squeezed with lemon juice. I like it. And it works together, in its own weird way. Though, I have some questions as to how these same things would work in the mouth.

And now they get answered.

It eddies between the teeth, coating everything with a layer of shortbread primer. Here and there are dabs of caramel and honey. There's an out-there burst of fruitcake, then the talc-y, mineral-rich yeast/hard water takes over. Metallic, with pangs of chewed vitamins and calcium deposits. This seamlessly segues into the milkweed, wet grass, and cut clover sense of pulpy chlorophyll bitterness and astringency. A big, gin-fueled, booze-wave adds crescendo.
The body is big, but lightened with the persistent carbonation. Fleecy, full, rotund, but fully aerated.
They were going for different, and they absolutely got there. There is a lot of fascinating nuance here, but most of that gets usurped by the bludgeoning bitterness and booze. A slightly scaled-down version could be a revelation.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2010 06:58:11 | More by cokes

beertunes

Washington

3.6/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into 10oz glass. Poured a semi-hazy orangeish yellow with a nice inch of white head that had coarse bubbles, very good retention and decent lacing.

This beer had a very nice, well-rounded hop aroma. Not too sharp, bitter, floral or spicy, but a little of all of those. There was a bit more malt in the nose than I expected from Stone, a pleasant surprise. The taste followed along closely. Some malt backbone and a lot of different hop flavors. A dry, slightly bitter finish.

The body was full but not heavy or sticky. The beer lingered, but didn't stick around too long to become annoying (you know, like that guy at the party). Drinkability was very good, but a 22 by myself was enough for one sitting.

Overall, a very nice beer from a brewery that often makes beer I like and, equally as often, makes beers that are over the top boring. A must try. I wouldn't mind if this became a yearlt release.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2010 21:49:03 | More by beertunes

kylehay2004

Florida

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

2 finger frothy white head on a murky golden body. Wet sock hop and lemon aroma. Some pine notes. Flavor is mostly piney hops, a little bitter. A little paper-like. The hops are subtle, more so than I expected. medium body and moderate carbonation. The flavor grows on you as you drink it. It is definitly different than I expected with a much stronger floral note to the flavor than I usually see in imperial IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 02:07:00 | More by kylehay2004

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I first had this at ACBF in Boston 2 weeks ago, only a 2oz pour. But now I found my first bottle in Columbus, $6.99, and I'm gonna buy a lot more of it. The best looking Stone artwork to date, including the gargoyle from Stone 10th but this time with a cool parchment colored background.

The beer is crystal clear, a light orange shade of copper with a huge pillowy and rocky foam and big chunks of lace on the glass. The aroma is earthy and floral, pungent kick-ass hops. Apparently Kent East Goldings, Boadicea, and Target based on the bottle description. Mitch Steele and company kicked ass with this formulation.

The taste is strongly hoppy, no malt balance in sight, just loads of English hops. Peppery and spicy, floral, a little chalky and turing bitter in the aftertaste.

Delicious, like I noted above I'll be getting lots more. My favorite Stone Anniversary beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2010 01:28:00 | More by TurdFurgison

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.38/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

So I finally get around to drinking one of the most polarizing beers of our times, the Stone 14th Anniversary. I picked this up for $6.49 at the Village Pump today.

In my Duvel tulip, this beer is a brilliant golden orange with great clarity, a dense, off-white head with excellent retention and beautiful lacing. A gentle but steady stream of carbonation rises from the laser-etched D. With chunky lace, this really does look good. What's more impressive is that this beer was able to travel as far as it did (and made a short stop at the gym on campus) and was able to retain clarity despite being bottle-conditioned. Well done, Stone!

What a wonderfully hoppy nose! I recently had the Mikkeller Single Hop: EKG and that made me wonder if that hop is a wash when it comes to IPAs (I love it in a good bitter or ESB). Spicy, minty and rather pungent, this smells great. I can see where complaints of it being soapy come from, it does smell really green and herbal like some soap is. I can't really discern much malt character on the nose, and there's just a touch of fruitiness, probably from the yeast? As it warms up, a slight mineral character comes in, probably the water profile?

The palate opens intensely hoppy with plenty of earthy, herbal, minty, twig like hop bitterness, just absurdly strong. Bitterness is quite high, but the hop bouquet is excellent. Very herbal, I could almost see some dried rosemary in there, but for the most part, it's minty. Malt character is light, with a little toast, a little biscuit like. Drying on the finish with plenty of hop bitterness, there's a coating of resin on my palate. Moderate mineral character is present, and coupled with the rather huge hop character, it does maje this beer quite singularly unique. While light, this does have a very nice body, never feeling watery or too light. Alcohol also does appear on the finish. Carbonation is medium-light and quite appropriate. Very, very enjoyable stuff.

Stone had lost me with a lot of their experimental beers. The 12th and 13th Anniversary beers were decent, but not quite at the level that I felt compelled to drink them often (IIRC, I drank the 13th once, maybe twice). A lot of their collaborations were disappointing, but with this beer, they've won me back. I will pick up another bottle or two to drink soon, I can't see the point in aging this, on a ship or otherwise.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2010 02:05:06 | More by DefenCorps

twiggamortis420

Texas

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

22 oz bomber pours a medium gold color with just a slight haze. Foam is creamy and tan, leaving a nice lace in its wake.

Nose is tropical, grassy and lemony...almost like Fruity Pebbles. Strong malt presence with some sweetness and light caramel. Does not smell overly British to me; clean, no minerals and light on dark fruit.

Tastes like caramel covered lemon peel shavings. Gritty, earthy hop flavors abound. Bitterness is there, but a little tame compared to the hop flavor. Has just enough sweetness to help out with balancing. Does not have the toffee or minerality of a British IPA...seems more of an American IPA brewed with British hops. That said, it is a delicious beer and very enjoyable, the bomber went down exceptionally fast. Drinks easy for such a hoppy brew. "Another hoppy Stone brew" came to mind when this one came out, but I must admit that this is a damn fine tasty beverage.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2010 19:39:22 | More by twiggamortis420

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

nickfl

Florida

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

A - Pours with one and a half fingers of white head, resting on top of a hazy, dark copper colored body. The foam settles at a moderate pace and leaves nice, thick lace.

S - Strong citrus hop aromas of grapefruit and lemon, backed by resinous pine notes. Some light, bready malt in the background.

T - Lemony hops with moderate bitterness up front along with a note of pine and some bready malt. Orange begins to creep into the hop character in the middle with some herbal notes and increasingly sweet, biscuit like malt. Finishes with a sweet, candied orange character of hops and soft malt, which is balanced by moderately high bitterness. Lingering orange hops and lightly toasted malt imparts a savory, herbal note that lingers on the palate.

M - Medium body, moderately high carbonation, and a slightly sweet finish.

D - I love the hop character in this beer. The sweetness of the malt blends perfectly with the citrus and spice notes from the hops, especially in the finish. I am strongly reminded of Oscar Blues Gubna, though from the blurb on the bottle this is apparently made with entirely different hop varieties than that beer. Another great IPA from Stone!

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2010 06:02:37 | More by nickfl

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

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

AgentZero

Illinois

3.4/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A - A murky piller of golden surrounded by lighter yellow on the edges. Nice two finger foam head that didn't stick around long. Nothing in the way of lacing.

S - A lot of citrus off the nose with some orange rind and caramel sweetness. Something different here that I cannot put my finger on, but it is not necessarily bad.

T - Something strange here that I cannot quite put my finger on. Quite bitter, something almost like a little bit of smoke going on with this one. A hop burn on this that I feel like detracts from the taste.

M - Carbonated, medium bodied.

D - Not super drinkable, has burn/hotness and not great taste that made me only drink about half of the bomber.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2010 17:51:58 | More by AgentZero

Brent

Kentucky

3.35/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

To describe a Stone beer as "heavy handed" could easily mean the drinker is not a hophead and unaccustomed to Stone's embrace of the power of the hops. I happily list myself among the ranks of hop devotees, but, even for me, the heavy-handed description of this beer applies. Big malt body to carry the hops and abv. Assertive hopping that seemed brash and unrefined, with rough edges that rasp the tongue. Finish is a bit hot as the hops join force with the ETOH for a discordant finish.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2010 15:07:07 | More by Brent

blackie

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

a: into a piraat chalice, looks fantastic, frothy bleach-white head atop a deeply hazed golden beer that looks very much like a yeasty hefeweizen, suspected as chill haze as the effect is reduced with warming, good retention

s: immediate punch of crushed sweettarts on the nose, pinapple, orange, kiwi, candied peach, big pale malt base with a thorough yeasty aroma, mineral, lemon-lime, like it much

m: carbonation low and smooth, body medium-full

t: first thought on the aroma was "what's the bfd", but all the chatter makes a little sense now...it's certainly an interesting flavor sensation, a powerful astringent bitter begins immediately and grows well into the finish - think somewhere between crushed aspirin and biting into a lemon rind, big body of ultra-pale malts - very clean, with a noticeable yeasty component, crisp mineral water, very citric

d: not a problem at first but this one begins to creep up on you quickly, the division makes sense, but it works for me, certainly unique

bomber from Whole Foods, Arlington, VA

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2010 03:18:31 | More by blackie

champ103

Texas

2.75/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours a slightly hazy straw yellow color. At first a tow finger white head forms, but recedes in a second to a ring. Some nice sticky lace is left though.
S: Citrus and grassy hops up front. Herbal and medicinal. Slightly soapy with a lingering spicy aroma.
T: Very piny and resiny up front this time. Citrus lingers. Rough grainy malt that tries to balance everything out. Medicinal and soapy with a lingering spiciness. Very hot with an ethanol like quality.
M/D: A medium body with rough and prickly carbonation. Hot ethanol that is just rough. Hard to drink.

This did not do it for me. If Stone wants to imitate English brewers again, I say they make a beer that has more nuance and subtlety. This is somewhat crass, very rough, and unpleasant.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2010 23:02:36 | More by champ103

alexgash

Connecticut

3.83/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

22 oz. bottle.

Golden lemon yellow body. Tall, thick, mushroom cloud of beige-white head. Good lacing and retention. Lots of herbal, spicy, minty hops on the nose. Some sea air mixes in. Sugar cookie malt and tropical fruit aromas fill out the rest.

Big, aggressive hop bitterness up front. Minty, herbal, grassy, and even a little cat pee. Boozy tropical fruit malts fill out underneath. Sweet, creamy, and fruity, with a little honey. Malt can't quite balance the big raw hoppiness though. Full-bodied with a creamy, soft feel. Big time lingering bitterness with a touch of residual fruit sweetness. Abrasive and interesting. Not something I would drink everyday though. Happy 14th!

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2010 00:14:19 | More by alexgash

drpimento

Wisconsin

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

Another encore for Stone. Poured with a nice sized foamy, frothy, cream colored head and some lace. Color is a slightly hazy amber. Aroma is mainly hops plus malt, citrus, and fermented fresh cut grass. Flavor is like nose and hops stand way out with some butter flavor too. Excellent body and carbonation. Finish is like flavor and fairly long. Very little aparent alcohol. Maybe a session if you're in the mood for major hops.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2010 23:52:30 | More by drpimento

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.72/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a nice amber in color very impressed with a nice fluffy white head. Lacing all throughout.

S - Ow Wow! I never had such a crisp smell of citrus hops in all my beer experience. Very strong grapefruit as well. Loving it.

T - Man the ABV is well hidden. The fruity sweetness of the hops really leaves only a slight hoppy bitterness from the brew but the bitter finish is just harsh enough to take the edge off of the ABV. A perfect IPA in my opinion.

M - Medium bodied and full of flavor.

D - It sucks that it's limited but I guess it's a way to get me to buy another! Great beer overall and a pretty ok price (paid 8 dollars for the bomber)

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2010 06:43:38 | More by DrDemento456

merlin48

Kentucky

4.2/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bomber pours a hazy, light honey gold body with a large vanilla hued head that retains well and leaves attractive patchy lacing.

Lovely aroma boasts lemon and orange zest, honeyed biscuit, and an herbal mintiness.

Medium body has a zesty carbonation and prevailing dryness.

Taste has a lot of dry and bitter lemon zest hoppiness, with an edge of grapefruit. Honeyed biscuity malt sweetness balances well. There is a herbal mintiness throughout, the only English trait(if that can be called such) I can discern. Finishes clean and dry with a lasting lemonrind aftertaste.

Satisfying and highly drinkable. Another solid product from the folks at Stone. Happy Anniversary!

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2010 15:58:52 | More by merlin48