Levitation Ale - Stone Brewing Co.

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

LeRose

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Compared to Ruination, this is a "nice, friendly" beer? Orange/bronze pour with an IMMENSE foamy head. Herbal, pine/resin, definite grapefruit/citrus taste, but not so much in the aroma. I found it more in the taste versus the aroma. Very light mouthfeel, a little dry on the finish. Drinkable and enjoyable. Hard to avoid comparison with Ruination. Levitation maybe more drinkable overall, but for the money I would treat myself to the big bad brother... Would buy again, just not sure how much I liked it, but good stuff.

Reviewed from notes

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 19:26:25 | More by LeRose

lordofstarside

Nevada

3.48/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

bottle to pint glass. Pours a rich dark amber with half a finger of foam. Poor retention, moderate lacing. Smell of hops, citrus, caramel, and a biscuit malt. Tastes of hops, brown nut, and caramel malt. Thick body, very chewey. Overall it's not too bad, pours red but taste is reminiscent of an ipa. Not a lot of flavor going on, though. Unless I'm looking for a session ale I don't think I'll be drinking much of this

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 00:27:47 | More by lordofstarside

JamesMN

Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Amber/caramel hue with a one finger off-white head.

Aroma: Sweet caramel malt and a hint of bready malt.

Taste: Watery and bitter. Some nice earthy hop flavor making it almost a Red Ale/IPA hybrid. There is just a tiny bit of roasty flavor in the aftertaste that makes the palate a little more robust.

Mouthfeel: Just below medium bodied with good effervescence. Easy drinkability.

Final Thoughts: It's nice that Stone released with low ABV beer and they definitely prove the point that 'light' beer doesn't have to be light on flavor. Would I drink it again? Possibly on tap during a session.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 22:22:29 | More by JamesMN

genitempo

Texas

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

A - Pours a shiny, leather body. Minimal white cream head with heavy lace.

S - Inviting citrus aroma, dulled hoppiness.

T - Bitter hops, citrus, and pine, that seem to turn on fairly early, reach a pinnacle at a nice point, but wash out very haphazardly. So much potential to end on that note.

MF - Impressive weight for such a low ABV.

O - I was excited to try this beer. Friends mark this a one of there "go-to" session suds. I'm hesitant to do so, so quickly. I am impressed with the amount of flavor packed into such a low ABV brew though.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 08:48:18 | More by genitempo

mattbk

New York

3.83/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a deep, dark red, in fact more of a brown ale almost, which is a surprise to me. Nice head, appears well carbonated, very clear.
S- Citrus, mostly grapefruit. Maybe just a slight hint of caramel in the background. Present, very clean, not overpowering. I kind of like the simplicity in it.
T- Hmm, pretty interesting. Certainly bitter, sharp hoppiness, flavor hops as well, which is a mix of fresh pine and grapefruit. Some caramel, almost roastiness, which adds to the bittering quality of this beer. The hops in this beer nearly overwhelm the back of my throat. It is a good tasting beer, but somewhat overpowering for the malt base.
M- Mouthfeel pretty thin in this beer, which makes sense with the low abv. My belief is that this is intended to be a high flavor / easy drinking beer - but instead it's a bit odd, with a beer with this much flavor and almost no body.
O- I like this beer, and would recommend it. But I think the intent of this beer was missed - the low malt backbone makes the hop flavor and slight roast flavors so high that it makes the beer fairly unsessionable and to me (right now) borderline undrinkable.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 02:22:52 | More by mattbk

Cavanaghty

Maine

3.83/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served on tap in a pint glass.

Appearance: Dark amber color with about one finger of off-white head.

Smell: Faint smell of hops and citrus, maybe some malts.

Mouthfeel/Taste: Medium bodied and smooth. Taste was good, hoppy for a red ale.

Overall: Again I am not a huge fan of reds, but this one is ok. Credit were due for a good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2012 14:20:48 | More by Cavanaghty

GossageBrewery

Missouri

3.6/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured this red ale from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Poured a clear amber color, produced a thick creamy off white head. Excellent retention and lacing left on the glass. The aroma consisted of toasted malt, and earthy hops. Medium in body, this ale has a foundation of fresh baked bread, roasted malt, citrus and piney hop flavor. Overall a nice example of this style, well balanced. Great session beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 23:41:20 | More by GossageBrewery

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

this is the most flavor you can possibly get into a beer under 5% abv, im convinced. it pours clear dark amber in color, surprisingly dark after a swig from the bottle. theres a fluffy lazy white head patiently fading. smell is red malts without the sugar, fresh resiny hops, some grapefruit. lots of hops for a red. flavor is balanced amazingly, malt flavors and aromas first, hop bitterness at the end. almost fresh from the vine hops, really pungent, dank, and yummy. some copper in the aftertaste, minerally, long lasting. theres great carbonation, feels likghter than it really it. this is one of the better session beers ive had, a 10 dollar 6pack is a perfect monday night football pick. cant believe i waited so long to try this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 03:11:01 | More by StonedTrippin

brystmar

New York

3.2/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

True to the style, this pours an amber/red body with minimal white head. Smells of hops and malt, leaning on the sweeter, maltier side. Toasty malts and minimally intrusive hops comprise the flavor profile. Bready. A kiss of hoppy bitterness at the end before a clean, dry finish. Body is slightly more viscous than expected, which is great.

There's nothing particularly captivating about the anything here. If you want a session beer that's an amber ale, you could choose far worse brews -- in both the craft and macro worlds -- than Levitation. You can also do much better.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 03:19:43 | More by brystmar

RussBecker1

3.13/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A- Fascinating layering of colors in this brew. Almost looks like a black and tan with a much darker juxtaposition of the top vs the bottom half of the pint. Very unique and intriguing.

S- Pretty much all malt and hops here. Balanced very well with maybe some refreshing melon and earthy undertones.

M- Frankly the mouth did not sit right with me and it proceeded to ruin the beer. the viscosity rushes towards the back of the throat and clings to your palate coating it to a good degree. This would be fine if the beer were a stout or even a porter, but in the case the ale contradicts itself as the feel masks a number of the flavors that the beer presumably has to offer.

T-Much like the nose there is a balance of darker caramel like malts with a smooth rush of hops to accompany it, but due to the mouth my palate was not really able to pick out many of the flavors that may be included.

O-One of my least favorite Stone's...that says a lot about the brewery, but not too much about the beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 13:17:49 | More by RussBecker1

rlee1390

Indiana

3.83/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-Clear ruby amber, not much carbonation, one finger head.

S-Caramel, grass, pine, malt, good deal of hops and balance in the nose.

T-Starts with caramel and other malts. Grass, citrus hops flavors take over and ends with mild bitterness.

M-Medium bodied, some carbonation, almost watery but not quite though.

O-Was expecting more from Stone, with Red Ales such as Nugget Nectar and Red Rye PA from Founders there are better examples out there.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 20:56:29 | More by rlee1390