Baird / Ishii / Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA - Stone Brewing Co.

womencantsail

California

2.63/5  rDev -32%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

A: The pour is a light orange color with a big white head.

S: The nose on this is just flat out unpleasant. There is a strong aroma of onions, vegetables, body odor, and feet. There is some tea, but it's not very strong. A bit of grapefruit peel and some fake lemon.

T: There is a lot of bready malt flavor to the beer with a decent amount of hops. The hop flavors aren't all that enjoyable, though. I pick up some lemons, onions, a mild pine, and just a bit of bitterness.

M: The body is medium with a medium to high carbonation.

O: I wanted to like this as it is for a good cause, but it just missed the mark.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2011 14:41:25 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at ChurchKey. Served in a snifter.

Pours a moderate orange-caramel color with a good off-white head and a bit of lacing on the way down. Nose brings hints of green tear, which was luckily less than I was expecting. Along with that was some light citrus hops with a bit of lemon ans spice. Flavor was a bit of tea, though had more in the hop department. Some tea dryness and quite a bit of bitterness in the finish. I was afraid that they would go over the top with the tea, but this turned out quite nice.

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2011 22:08:07 | More by Thorpe429

brentk56

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy amber color capped by a sturdy little head that leaves a few strands of lace

Smell: Soriachi Ace hops and Sencha tea both make an impact, bringing a lemony, green tea character to the aroma

Taste: A bit of a graham cracker malt flavor and then the hops and green tea make their impact, adding a tropical fruit blend of lemon and pineapple; after the swallow, the hoppy bitterness settles down and the green tea flavor, which is much more subtle, adds its unique character; rather herbal in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation and some warmth in the gullet

Overall: A very interesting concoction; really enjoyed the fifference the green tea adds to the brew though I wouldn't expect that adding green tea will become anywhere near as common as adding coffee

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 17:54:05 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

4.33/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy honey orange color with a 1/2 inch off-white head that fades to a thin film. Thin rings of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of spicy herbal and citrus zest hops. I do not really get any green tea aromas from this beer. Taste is of fresh herbal and citrus zest hops, green tea leaves, alcohol, and slight malt breaking through. There is a medium hop bitterness after each sip and the green tea shows up moreso on the aftertaste. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp and clean mouthfeel. Slight alcohol burn is present too. Overall, I am very impressed with this collaboration beer from Stone/Baird/Iishi. Great hop and green tea flavors combine very well for something different you don't find every day in a beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 16:49:35 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a cloudy dirty beige color ale with a great large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of strong floral hops is dominant and very enjoyable. Taste is also dominated by strong floral hoppy notes with light bitterness level and a bready malt backbone that is quite solid. Body is full with limited filtration and good carbonation. Very well brewed and very interesting to drink though I can’t say the tea really made much of a difference atste-wise.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 03:34:11 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

As complex with the spices and herbal elements of IPAs as any to be found. Any IPA lover would nestle comfortably to the table of this grassy, lemony, and bready lupulin blend.

Orange in color, the hazy hue carries particulates of yeast and herbs that contribute richer flavor to the beer. An initial froathy foam stance reduces to a delicate creme before holding firm through the duration of the session while leaving behind random patches of lace.

Very floral and herbal with a plethora of scents that include fresh cut grasses, lemons, orange zest, grapefruit, corriander, woody, and mustard seed. Very raw and spicy, even the acetone-like alcohols seem to contribute a complementary spice to the nose. Supported by malty-rich aromas of caramel, biscotti, and cookie dough, the malt character doesn't quite rival that of hops and herbs in aroma.

Flavors settle into a more IPA-like spread: medium malty flavors of caramel and English biscuits with soft confectioner's sugar and yeast that entertain the taste buds until the mid palate that's abundant of grassy, earthy, grapefruity, orangy, lemony, mangoy, pineappley, and approcoty (yea, I'm taking some liberties with the English language) flavors that quickly dictate the taste. Marmalade, green tea, and citrus juices are all apparent in this largely complex IPA. The alcohol flavor of 9+ strength gives a little bitterness to complement the hops that transition from the herbal and citrusy mid palate and into a resiny bite in finish. Delicious throughout, this beer has a lot going on.

Medium-rich in body, the early impression of malty weight, suspended carbonation, and a thin coat of sweetness give a soft weight to the beer. But the mid palate of hop and tea break apart the creaminess and sweetness and push the beer into a dry and very alcoholic warmth that's oddly advanced for an Imperial IPA!

An herbal and citrusy linger is all that's left from the malty-sweet start. The strength of alcohol that lingers on the mouth and throat delivers just the right amount of power to keep you going back for an immediate sip. It's a delicious IPA that without the obvious notation of tea additions, I would have presumed that all the herbal flavors were hop derived, just with a tea-like impression.

It's an honor to have this beer, from both the perspective of my living room analysis and to the benefit of the Japan tsunami relief efforts.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 04:26:34 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A beer for a real good cause,I had to buy a few.Poured into a standard pint a medium golden with a tinge of orange,a thinner but well sustained white head atop.Aromas are a little thin with citric hops predominant,not much malt presence there.Flavors are citric hops with the herbalness of green tea coming in late,a biscuit base holds up well into the finish.The green tea for me plays a bigger role than many others who reviewed this beer but its not something over the top,again Iam glad I grabbed a few.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 21:52:05 | More by oberon

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in a Gale Sayers shaker pint glass.

Having brewed my own version of a tea-infused pale ale, I'm interested to see how this one compares. (My guess is at least slightly better.) It pours a clear light bronze topped by a finger of white foam. Plenty o' floaties hangin' 'round in there. Herbal tea is definitely the centerpiece of the smell, which also features mint, balsa, grapefruit zest, and mild caramel. The taste also centers on the tea, but this time a harsh bitterness is the result. Also dancing across my tongue are notes of pine, grapefruit rind, light lemon zest, light mint, and kinda light caramel. The bitterness just ain't my bag, man. The body is a rather light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fairly dry finish. Overall, I like the idea behind this beer, but I just don't think it was meant for reality, as the tea and the hops just don't jive all that well together. Instead, my 'buds are caught in their crossfire as they battle for dominance, the bitter hatred dripping from their teeth pooling on my tongue. Not too much of a fan.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 00:43:15 | More by TMoney2591

drabmuh

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I was nervous to try this beer but I can't ever let a Stone IPA pass me by. Beer is dark yellow with a nice white head, small bubbles, nice lacing, moderate to low carbonation.

Aroma is sweet, citrusy, mild pine hops, some tea.

Beer is medium in body and pretty bitter, strongly bitter with a nice semi-dry finish, tea is present only in the back half, the front of the beer is piny, mildly malty, good beer all around.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2011 19:30:48 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a hazy yellow color with a white head. The aroma is full of orange citrus, biscuit malt, bread and some dryness that I associate with the green tea.

The flavor is very nice. I get a lot of orange and pine, as well as some nice green tea flavors. There is some biscuit malt and the bitterness is low to medium. There is also some ginger notes as the beer warms.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A very nice Double IPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 22:11:21 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

3.53/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured out a clear, golden color with a small, white head of foam. It was short lived and left minimal lacing.

S - It smelled of pine and herbs. Almost like a spice rack.

T - Very herbal flavor with some bitter hop spiciness. There was enough caramel sweetness to balance it out.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry finish.

O - This is a nice IPA but certainly not my favorite or one I'd stock up on.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 00:41:24 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is hazy yellowish amber in color and poured with a thin white head that quickly died down.
S: There are light to moderately strong aromas of citrus hops in the nose along with notes of green tea.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell and has light amount of accompanying bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied, smooth and somewhat crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: Unlike other Stone beers, this isn’t quite as aggressive from a hop perspective. The beer is quite good considering its strength because it doesn’t have much sweetness; the alcohol is very well masked.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 00:12:47 | More by metter98

emerge077

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Glowing sunset orange, hanging sediment in suspension. A ring of delicate lacing forms inside the glass, on the opposite side.

Smells a little sweet and fruity, also herbal and floral. As it warms there's a slight hint of alcohol sharpness.

Sorachi Ace big time. Lemony with a woody hop character, definitely compliments the lemongrass and green tea leaf flavors. Sweet fruit flashes on the palate before the dry herbal notes set in. Smooth and medium bodied. Nice showcase of Sorachi Ace hops, pleasant and unique. Medium bitterness, lingering notes of lemon and tea in the aftertaste. Soft feel, medium bodied. Pretty tasty and worth a try... will get a few more of these.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 23:58:09 | More by emerge077

Halcyondays

California

3.88/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a medium orange with a light white head, good retention, very light lace.

S: Lemon zest with a hint of grapefruit. Mainly a citrus nose, but there is a clear green tea aroma as well.

T: Has an etheral earthy quality I'm assuming is from the tea. Vegetal flavours with some romaine lettuce and a soupçon of asparagus. Still a lot of citrus, lemon heavy. Malt makes an appearance and stays in balance. Just a hint of booze in the finish.

M: Pretty full-bodied, with a light hint of acidity. Smooth, has a light aftertaste for the style.

O: Certainly not a hop bomb, the flavour is structured and has a good complexity. $2.99 for 12 oz. is nothing to sneeze at for DIPAs nowadays, certainly something to try to change it up.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2011 01:40:08 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: hazy orange color with a one inch head. Some light lace develops.

Smell: caramel and floral bitterness are up front, some citrus is a bit softer.

Taste: caramel, orange, a hint of tea, a nice floral bitterness, and a hint of alcohol are the main flavors.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Crisp throughout. Atertaste is short lived.

Overall: an interesting beer that has a bit of herbal quality to it. Easy to quaff and enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 20:19:27 | More by Gavage

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is an...unusual beer. It screams west coast ipa, but then, the green tea steps in. It quickly becomes a tug of war between very overt flavor patterns. The hops step up, but the green tea beats them back. The hops step up again, but the green tea wins again. Back and forth, back and forth. The green tea seems to win out, providing a very unique twist to a dipa. Doesn't quite mesh together here, but it's interesting. Glad to try it once. If it was on cask, I would probably try it again. But I doubt that will ever happen, so I think that's it for this beer as far as I'm concerned.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2012 16:42:54 | More by RblWthACoz

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a golden orange color with good carbonation and a nice white cap

S: Citrus, floral notes, little bit of green tea and lends a little booze

T: Floral, grass, citrus notes upfront, green tea slides in as does a little booze sting.

M: Light to medium body

O: Nice beer. The booze is well masked, very tasty, easy to drink

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 04:01:54 | More by barleywinefiend

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a tulip glass)

A- This beer pours a bright aged copper body with a thin head that is soon gone and a gentle carbonation of tiny bubbles. There is a planktonic swirling of micro-trub particles in the body.

S- The bright woody citrus hops is gentle but full with maybe a hint of green tea in the finish that quickly turns into a lemony sorachi ace aroma.

T- Green woody hops take on a grapefruit zest and then finishes with a bit more juicy fruity hop with some green herbal hop notes.

M- This beer has a light mouthfeel with a fizz that coats the mouth with each sip and no alcohol heat even when it warms a good bit.

O- This is a nice IPA with a good blend of new and old varieties of hops. I don't get any green tea flavor which I'm a bit disappointing in but it doesn't hurt the flavor not having it.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 21:13:28 | More by rhoadsrage

Billolick

New York

3.6/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle, no freshness info available.

Pours clouded orangy amber, moderate off white head, that quickly departs and leaves just a typical looking collar and some tongues of lace.

I get a heavy grapefruit juice and sweat tea infused nose.

Lots going on here, another load of grapefruit laden hops, more some what off putting tea notes and a fruity/sweat midsection. Complex, differant and interesting, but not all that pleasing to the senses in the grand scheme of things.

For a good cause, so glad I could help the effort-but not something I would likely seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2011 18:04:25 | More by Billolick

mdfb79

New York

3.68/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up a week ago or so at the Whole Foods in Clarendon. Poured from a 12 oz into a snifter.

a - Pours a murky hazy orange-brown color with one inch of white head and moderate carbonation evident. Some light lacing left on the glass and no retention.

s - Smells of some citrus hops, fruity malts, pine hops, very light tea and herbal notes to it. A little sweet and hoppy, which I like a lot.

t - Tastes of pine hops, fruity malts, herbal and floral notes, citrus hops. Again, light tea in those herbal notes, but not as sweet as the nose. A small step down for me.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Pretty easy to drink.

o - Overall an interesting, but enjoyable beer. Had the hops of an IPA, but the tea definitely comes through in smoe herbal notes. Not something I would want to drink a ton of or have all the time, but would be nice every now and than.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2011 01:20:21 | More by mdfb79

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Very light fizzy head fades almost instantly over hazy sediment filled orange honey colored beer.

Nose had nice hops, light grapefruit and citrus, bit floral, hints of earthy spicy and candy hops, then some sweet malts, hint if reddish crystal malts and hint if booze, slight fruit too like candied apple, and if i really try I get hints of an herbal green tea.

Taste is unique, a combination of ipa, fruit, and light iced green tea. Hops bring a decent bitterness, earthy almost chewy and candy hops, hints of citrus and grapefruit. Also sweet malts with light reddish caramel malt and slight sweetness. Light fruit, again slight apple and herbal green tea flavor in the background. Finishes still a bit bitter which gets stronger after the swallow is gone long bitterness, some light sticky malts, and light fruit and tea linger. Light hint of booze hidden well behind the hops and sweet malts.

Moth is a big bigger bodied, decent carb, slight hint of booze.

Overall interesting, not my fav, malts are a bit much, and hop flavor isn't as pronounced as the bitterness, bit bigger than I would want for a beer with tea esp in the summer. It would have been a lot better as a 6% lighter ipa where the tea can actually come out more and the hopflavor overpowers the malty sweetness and bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 00:41:05 | More by jlindros

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle purchased as a single from Yankee Spirits, Sturbridge, Ma. Says drink fresh, but no note of bottle date except a printed year of 2011.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/4" off-white head over the cloudy amber brew. Very chunky in the bottle, wasted at least a couple ounces of total chunkage at the bottom. Head is quickly down to a skim, with leggy slow-falling lace. Aroma is fruity with a smooth undercurrent of tea.

Taste starts fruity as well, coasts into a nice tea character, and then intensifies the tea, with a touch of graininess, and couples it with a fresh hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is a touch rocky, and drinkability is alright. Flavor just come together as well as I would have hoped, and I was looking for more here.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 02:28:30 | More by ppoitras

Zorro

California

3.53/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Chill hazed burnt orange with next to no head formation.

Smell is sweet and hoppy even from a distance. Hops are mostly pine with a fainter sweet tea aroma. A little bit woody and grassy, still mostly pine scented.

Starts out semi-dry with a green tea taste and a woody finish. This is almost sweet but the hop load keeps it tamed. Decently woody with a strong oak twang to it almost has a vanilla taste. Alcohol can't be tasted but it REALLY warms your chest up.

Mouthfeel is OK.

Overall it is good but not spectacular. When you drink a stone beer you expect great beers, this is OK but I expected more from Stone.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 01:53:19 | More by Zorro

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle in my Stone IPA flute.

The pour initially looks like a clear copper in the glass but holding it up to the light actually reveals a good bit of suspended solids floating throughout the liquid. The head on this consists of roughly 3 billowy fingers of bright white foam, which retains with a tight ½ finger of froth that then leaves some heavy swathes of lace sticking to the sides of the glass. That tea stands right out in the aroma, mingling with some more floral accents and then being cut through by notes of bitter citrus and a strong fresh piney feel. Some sweeter fruit character and malt pretty much gets relegated to the back here and I’m a bit bummed to find some stiff warmth emerge as this warms.

Like the nose, grapefruit and pine have some assertiveness on the palate, while some brighter fresh fruit flavors (I’m really getting some orange and lemon zest out of this) pushes out from the edges of the profile. That fruit works its way into the backend here, melding with the sweet sugars of the malt and then lingering with a final steady pithiness from the bitterness. The tea flavor is present throughout the taste and while it does have a somewhat general herbal texture to it, it’s not coming off as strong as what you would normally find being given off from hops and I’m therefore finding it a bit more quenching on the palate than I would have thought. The mouthfeel has some heft to it but it seems just shy of calling it full bodied. This does has a firmness to the carbonation, which is interwoven with a silky oiliness and herbal textures that at least help work the overall feel into more of a smooth crispness in the mouth. That over 9% ABV is the real WTF here for me, as it’s not necessarily hot or even overly warm but it just starts to wear on the palate after a while. I just don’t understand why it needs to be that high with this beer.

There definitely some things to like with this latest Stone Collaboration but then also some things that didn’t quite work for me as well. I really liked the use of the tea here. It worked well not only with the type of bitterness that was present but also the fruit flavors that those Pacifica and Sorachi Ace hops brought to the table as well, giving the flavor profile a well tuned and refreshing feel. Unfortunately, I don’t think that this translated nearly as well to the aroma, which I often struggled to really get any kind of robustness out of (which may have something to do with the age of this more than anything) and as mentioned before, that too-high ABV just kills any kind of thirst quenching drinkability that the flavor was trying so hard to bring to the table. Overall though, there was more to like than dislike here and I’d love to see more experimentation with tea-infused IPAs from all of the breweries involved. This one is one worth checking out if you see it on the shelf.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2011 18:56:09 | More by Kegatron

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very hazy golden orange color with a one finger frothy white head that slowly settles into a thin ring. Spotty lacing left behind.

Earthy, herbal aroma with lots of piny, grassy hops and green tea along with a pale malt character. Slightly spicy hop presence but mostly soily/earthy with pine needle and grass. The green tea adds an herbal/vegetal presence but never overpowers the hops.

Chewy medium body with a blast of dry, bitter hops up front that linger over the green tea character and pale malt backbone into a slightly sweet, dry finish. Strong alcohol heat in the back end hurts drinkability. Slightly spicy with lots of sticky, dry hops that give of a strong soil/pine character. This is countered by subtle sweetness and a herbal/medicinal/vegetal presence from the tea. Again, I was expecting the green tea to overpower bu it provides balance without taking away from the hops. Pale malt backbone with hints of toffee and biscuit. But this beer is all about the hops.

I was excited to try this one but was a little skeptical going in. Thankfully it was well balanced and the hops remained the star. A bit too hot in the finish fir my liking but still enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2011 04:31:03 | More by corby112