Levitation Ale - Stone Brewing Co.

keithmurray

Louisiana

3.93/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

beer pours a dark mahogany with tan head

smell - pine, grapefruit, citrus, hops

taste - really hoppy upfront, citrus backbone (grapefruit)

mouthfeel - robust flavor, nice hearty body, bitter upfront, slightly sweet in the back end

drinkability - hard to believe that a beer with this much flavor is only 4.4%, makes it very drinkable

Serving type: nitro-bottle

09-12-2010 20:23:58 | More by keithmurray

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

3.93/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass, red amber colored with a tight off white head that lingers leaving good lacing, clear

S: fruity hops, grapefruit, lemon zest, orange

T: slight bitterness up front quickly fades to a caramel malt, toasty bread

M: on the thinner side with high carbonation

O: a refreshing red ale, low abv but high in flavor

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 00:36:57 | More by M_C_Hampton

TheFightfan1

Pennsylvania

4.34/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a beautiful transparent amber color with a fluffy tan colored heading. Very alive looking and a full of lacing after every sip.

Heavy caramel malts with a grassy and medicinal hop profile to match. Little bit more of a sour dough malt is dominant in the finish.

Both malts and hops are dead even in this pairing. A blast of that malty base really pulls through at first with an earthy,wood character but the bitter and grassy hops kind of take over for the finish.

Light-medium bodied with excellent balance, great carbonatin and a slight diacetyl slickness in the finish.

Very hard to believe this is 4.4% ABV. Very tasty and filling. This a perfect session beer for any time of year.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 20:14:14 | More by TheFightfan1

Bosoxfan20

Missouri

3.9/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A- Deep amber color with a tan head that has nice retention and lacing

S- Caramel malt base, some citrus hops, but a little less than what I normally get from Stone.

T- Solid flavor depth for 4.4 abv. Orange peel, apricot, and pine work together nicely with the caramel malt base. Some toasted nuts also come through. Good balance. Bitter finish.

M- Certainly a dry finish here. Light to mid body, while maintaining fairly creamy. Super drinkable.

O- A well done hoppy amber. Low abv makes this one of the more favorable sessions I've had. Not quite as bold as most from the Stone line, but a solid beer nonetheless.

Serving type: on-tap

05-06-2013 02:16:32 | More by Bosoxfan20

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Looks a deep copper-red. Great lacing. Head gushed up at about two fingers... beige in color. Looks great.

Awesome earthy hop nose. Loads of spruce, minerality, grapefruit pith, and dried apricot. Rugged toast that doesn't sideline with any booze, due to the low ABV. Stays true to the nose, no extra maltiness to get in the way.

Gruff earthy hops and crisp orange and toast notes. Roasty, actually, with bitter pith and flavorful pine woodiness. So smooth and wonderful in the mouth. Chewy with a presence of dextrins, but light enough to never coat and always deliver with that spiky carb and gentle hop oiliness on the tongue. American hop heaven for a lighter early evening opener. Magically drinkable. Exceptional stuff, certainly deserving of all the accolades.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 02:27:18 | More by thecheapies

DenverLogan

Colorado

3.73/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

From 12 oz bottle...poured in a Stone tulip glass.
Pours a dark amber with significant amber head.
Aroma of amber malts, light hops.
Moderate carbonation and penetrating mouthfeel.
Flavors of bitter hops, grapefruit rind, persimmon, grassy hops, white pepper. Despite the relatively low abv this brew has significant flavor and punch. A respectable hoppy session brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 03:57:43 | More by DenverLogan

brewsclues

Pennsylvania

3.89/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle on 4/18/13

Levitation has a low ABV, plenty of citrus/pine hop-forwardness, but a light, dry mouthfeel that isn't hollow. Boy, does "session able" ever get overused by this reviewer when drinking 7.9% double hopped malt-bomb blasts. Forgot it. THIS beer has the "slug back a couple" qualities that are appropriate for a light-red.

Dig this brew - it's not going to impress anyone at a beer-drinkers hipster party, just a solid drinkable beer for a session.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 22:11:04 | More by brewsclues

PaleZombie

Arizona

3.84/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pored from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

A - Amber copper color, very clear about 1 finger of head that vanished fairly quickly.

S - Great citrusy hop aroma, grapefruit, lemon, slightly tropical with a decent amount of caramel malts.

T - Bitter grapefruit starts, caramel malts in the middle with a somewhat floral hop note at the end.

M - Fairly light body, medium to high carbonation with a fairly dry finish.

O - This was pretty tasty. More hop forward than I was expecting which was nice. The only place it fell short was in the mouth feel which I cant ding it to much being such a low abv. This would be a great session beer that I could drink all day and not get too hammered.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 20:43:01 | More by PaleZombie

Mojo

Alabama

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

There is nothing unique or exciting about this beer, but dang if I didn't enjoy it. It poured up a deep amber/copper color with a small head, not a lot of lacing, but decent retention. The smell is very pine, floral, bready, citrusy. Taste is about the same as the nose. Citrus is the predominant flavor and it is all I can do to savor and enjoy it. It's sort of like a SNPA. It's hardly thr greatest beer ever brewed, but it sure is enjoyable nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 03:28:26 | More by Mojo

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Appearance: Clear dark copper. Head is off-white and slightly creamy. Drops to a thin cap with a slightly larger dense collar. Sheets and streaks of lacing.

Smell: Slight hints of citrus. Caramel malts add a layer of sweetness. Slightly bready. A touch herbal. Pretty mellow with a slight roasted and toasted profile. A hint of earthiness in the back. A decent hop complexity.

Taste: A straight up replica of the nose with a backing bitterness. Some herbal and earthy notes under a bigger hit of grapefruit. Nothing aggressive. Slight bready sweetness. Caramel malts. Slightly toasted. A bit watery as it warms. Clean malt profile.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with a moderate carbonation. Clean.

Overall: I'll fly you to the moon and back.

Nicely drinkable with a good balance. Worth picking up when you just want something easy with enough flavor to be worth drinking.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 00:25:03 | More by Goblinmunkey7

Rope

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This has been a go to beer for me. A drinkin' beer, not in terms of quantity rather I don't need to give all my attention to enjoy it.

Appearance-
Rich brown, with a yellow head that disappears quickly

Smell-
The expected hop hit known with Stone, but a rich caramel malt as well

Taste-
The bitter hops really shine through, but the malt balance is a lot stronger than most Stone beers.

Mouthfeel-
Clean and carbonated

Overall-
Great for an afterwork and unwind beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 17:13:47 | More by Rope

pkalix

California

4.13/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

finger of head, which dwindles to only a layer. an orange tea color throughout.
smells citrus-y; still cant get used to 'citrus-y' beer, but i suppose that's what the public wants. some grapefruit and dry, eraser-like bitterness.
taste is just as above. grapefruit. sandpaper-like dry bitterness. some orange in there.
overall, just another stone. bitter, hoppy. great-looking beer, the taste is notable (if not my preferred style), but not one i want to continue on with. not bad, but not my preference. still want to visit the brewery, though . . . .

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 01:41:53 | More by pkalix

mattkoon

South Carolina

4.09/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a lot of ales i've had have that hoppy bite- which is good, but this levitation ale from stone is just smooth, and drinkable and somehow full flavored. it has great color and a nice smell....smells like a good ale. this beer doesnt have the bite that a lot of stone's beers have, but sometimes you dont need to be drop kicked in the face. i like this beer a good bit.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 23:56:12 | More by mattkoon

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.7/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A finger and half of head on a clear, dark straw colored body.
The aroma is a rich malt, which is nice.
The taste has a bold bitterness with a strong malt backbone. Straightforward and good.
The texture is crisp with moderate carbonation.
A good drink.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 04:19:35 | More by Fatehunter

BaltimoreBeerLover

Maryland

3.36/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a wine glass from a 12 oz. bottle. $2.39/ individual bottle from Shawan Liquors.

Appearance: Dark brown with a touch of red. When held up to the light the red comes through much more visibly.

Smell: Predominantly a rich, toasty, and very sweet malt smell with a hint of hops.

Taste: Not quite as sweet as I was anticipating from the smell. Slight hoppiness.

Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation. Pleasant aftertaste of malty goodness.

Overall: Didn't blow me away by any means but this is a solid beer for sure. Nothing too special about this beer but definitely an overall enjoyable experience. 3.7/5

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 04:00:35 | More by BaltimoreBeerLover

dar482

New York

4.06/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The color is of a deep, deep, almost brown, amber. A dense foamy head. It has a lot of lacing. The aroma is of sweet malt, almost like candy, but not very strong.

Tasting it, it has a good light malt flavor. It’s quite drinkable as that leaves quite quickly onto its finish.

It’s light ABV comes through with the finish that doesn’t last long, though there’s definitely a bitterness there. It does however leave an earthy and almost herbal like taste. A very strong resin presence. It does have a good mouthfeel and a great roundness in flavor.

I definitely enjoy this has an amber that has good balance. It isn’t a hop bomb, nor is it a sticky malt beer. The resiny stick at the end is interesting. It almost tricks you into having a much bigger ABV, like Sixpoint Resin, but it’s smooth and decently drinkable.

I wouldn’t go crazy chugging a bunch of these or return for many times, but it definitely is a good example of a resiny amber.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 08:29:27 | More by dar482

atr2605

New York

3.54/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-pours a red amber with a big fluffy off white head with nice retention
S-citrus, pear, and white grapes
T-lemon and citrus bitterness up front followed by white fruit sweetness from the malt bill
M-light bodied
O-interesting take on the style, very drinkable and great flavor, perhaps a bit hoppier than many other red/amber ales. I would have expected a bit more malt presence

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 01:59:43 | More by atr2605

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.71/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle poured into a shaker pint.

Appearance
Clear amber with 1-2 fingers of white head. Excellent retention and low carbonation.

Nose
Caramel, candied citrus and pine.

Taste
More hop forward than the nose lets on. Candied orange, lemon and pine needles. A light drizzling of caramel and bread to balance it out. The pine comes back full force in the finish along with some grapefruit zest.

Mouthfeel
Medium bodied, crisp, smooth, dry, bitter and refreshing.

Overall
Not bad. A lot of hop bittering action in the tiny 4.4%.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 19:43:19 | More by justintcoons

KYGunner

Kentucky

3.76/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Levitation is a great name for an ale that poured a thick creamy head on top of a mass of bubbles. Gorgeous amber hue with a silky complexion.

Nice aromatic hoppy nose , I got little to no malt or barley scent. There was a hint of lemon or grapefruit at the back.

The taste follows the nose, light hoppy flavor with a lemony backdrop. The taste is smooth and flavorful but again no malt or barley taste. Gives the feel of a weak IPA and not a hearty ale.

Overall, I like it but I'm left wanting more.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 22:56:46 | More by KYGunner

Chadhowie

California

4.11/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Levitation Ale is pretty much the lightest beer Stone offers, and is a great light beer. It's probably still on the stronger end of the spectrum of American Ambers, which is to be expected from Stone. I've only had this once, because it's difficult to find in my area.

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2013 23:56:02 | More by Chadhowie

Maxwell

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The beer pours a light caramel red. The body is incredibly clear and free of sediment, and the head of the beer is light and soapy white, but bubbles away quickly to leave a light scrim and some thin wavy lacing on the glass. The beer smells terrifically big and bitter, with gushes of pine, citrus, and a light note of juicy mango mingling with the candy caramel malts beneath the hops. It smells tremendously hoppy for a 4.4% Amber Ale, which is what Stone bills it as, personally, thought, I see this beer as a sessionable IPA with a darker body. Stone calls it an amber ale though, and honestly, style doesn’t really matter. There is a nice resiny touch to the smell of the beer when agitated, which further marks this beer as an IPA to me. On the palate, this beer continues the IPA trend. The beer begins with light bitter pine before opening into big bitter citrus with a sweet caramel traveling beneath the hops and balancing this beer beautifully. For all its bitter flavor, this is a lighter beer that finds a beautiful balance with the light alcohol and malts keeping the hops to a comfortable and thirst quenching bitter bite and enough flavor for you to compete with beers far bigger than it. The finish of the beer is bitter and full of hints of grapefruit and light cereal malts. On the mouth, this beer feels light to medium in body with a nice little fizzle from the carbonation, which smoothes the beer onto the tongue, leaving the mouth with a very thin sheen of cool spittle, and a light dry bitter lingering in the mouth. It is actually quite refreshing in feeling, which may stem from its lower alcohol percentage. Overall this is a superb beer. Its hugely hoppy, yet balanced, yet completely sessionable. Stone has really done something neat with this beer, and I really hope that others continue to follow suit because this is something I could sip all day and it would not make me fall over at the end of the day. A session beer for the hop heads, and a delicious success for Stone. It is a little too hop-forward for me to consider it an amber/red ale, but really that’s just semantics. The beer is good. Drink it.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 02:04:50 | More by Maxwell

Braz

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dark reddish amber in color. Not alot of head, recedes rather quickly leaving some lacing. Very nice aroma. Very hoppy, citrus and pine resin. The taste is very mild and leans more toward the hoppy side for an amber ale. Light bodied with a bitter, somewhat roasty finish. A bit unbalanced I think as the bitterness is a little dominant and I don't pick up any malt sweetness at all. Still, very drinkable and a good session option for sure.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 05:53:21 | More by Braz

sevenarts

New York

2.3/5  rDev -41%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

A: Translucent, glowing amber with a modest tan head and good lacing.

S: Pine from the hops with some peppery spice, almost as if there were rye in this, though I know there isn't. Interesting hoppy aroma, especially for such a mild and low-ABV beer.

T/M: Kind of strange, honestly. The hop flavor is surprisingly big, with lots of bitter pine, but there's a weird, unpleasant aftertaste to it, a little soapy and somehow *off*. Hard to put my finger on just why this doesn't work, it might be that these big flavors are paired with a thin, watery mouthfeel that just doesn't support them. The result is very odd, and the hop flavors have a strange, unpalatable tinge to them.

O: This beer gets worse the more you get into it. It looks great, smells pretty good, tastes weird, and goes down like water. Very disappointing. I get that Stone was trying something different by making a light, low-ABV "session" brew loaded up with hops, but it just doesn't work that well, and it's certainly impossible to imagine drinking a lot of these in a session.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 21:30:17 | More by sevenarts

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From: Hyvee, Council Bluffs, IA
Date: None on bottle
Glass: New Belgium globe glass

Stone's Levitation ale is a fine, well-crafted brew that offers moderately strong citrus hop flavor in a low ethanol package. While a bit one-dimensional at times, this is certainly an excellent session brew for hop-enjoying people.

Pours a 2cm, light tan head, composed of small and medium-sized bubbles. Retention is above average, gradually fading to a thin cap atop the body. Lacing is exceptional, significant blotches and patches of foam stick to the sides of the glass. Body is a dark amber to copper color, with active carbonation visible from the bottom and sides of the glass.

Aroma of citra hops primarily: grapefruit rind bitterness on top of a mild base of modest caramel malt. Well-balanced, if not a bit two-dimensional.

Tasting overall reveals an amber ale that comes across as more of a heavily hopped American pale ale than anything else. Enjoyably bitter and grapefruit-like, if that's your preference. Front of palate picks up modest grapefruit rind and bitterness with modest malt sweetness undertones. Mid-palate continues grapefruit rind bitterness with further modest caramel-colored malt sweetness. Back of palate picks up modest grapefruit and hop bitterness, which also lingers into the aftertaste.

Beer is medium to medium-light in body, with medium to low levels of carbonation. The beer could stand to be a bit more carbonated without suffering. The resultant mouthfeel is slightly fizzy, crisp, somewhat smooth. Closes dryly.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 07:14:44 | More by falloutsnow

zrbeer1579

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

My first review

Pours a deep amber brown with a half inch head.

Aroma is a strong grapefruit and pine.

Taste is mostly grapefruit and pine. Some roasted malt. As the beer warms, the pine becomes stronger.

Mouth feel is thin. The finish is dry and bitter . Carbonation feels right.

Overall: I kind of like this beer. Especially since it has a low ABV and has some nice hop flavors. I wish it was thicker. It's basically a light IPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 20:30:56 | More by zrbeer1579