15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA - Stone Brewing Co.

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BA SCORE
94
exceptional
-
1,328 Ratings

rAvg: 4.23
pDev: 12.77%
Reviews: 705
Hads: 623

Ratings Help

Brewed by:
Stone Brewing Co.

California, United States

Style | ABV
American Black Ale | 10.80% ABV

Availability: Limited (brewed once). bottle (620), on-tap (76), growler (8), cask (1).

Notes:
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.

No notes at this time.

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Reviews

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Reviews by NickRivers:

NickRivers

California

3.95/5 rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A&S - Pours an opaque black with a huge brown and bubbly head. Tons of lacing on this one. Up front a lot of juicy citrus hops, then towards the end you get the oats, smokiness and bread chocolate, but not too much, this beer has a very hop dominant aroma that reminds me of a fresh bottle of Pliny.

T&M - Hits your mouth sweet and sticky that initially has sort of a bready dark malt flavor that gets covered up by tons of fruity hops. Lots of booze which at this point doesn't seem bad but then everything gets covered up by a blend of bitterness. Most of it the hops followed by smokiness then destroyed by oats, coffee and dark chocolate, this is where it took me by surprise. The bitterness has not been an issue everything was blending amazingly, it just ending up being a little too complex. I don't know if Stone overthinked this one and added a little too much character, but it definitely kept me from giving it a 4.5 across the board.

O - Overall a fantastic brew with a little blemishes. I'm very open minded about Black IPAs unlike a lot of BAs, some will tend to taste a few then drop them all together, this beer is definitely one for the lovers and haters of the style. Its a whole other look on the style with that huge juicy hop presence. Go pick up a few bottles of this, despite the "Drink Fresh" I plan on doing a vertical of this. I think with a little time the booziness with balance out the bitterness. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 06:32:54 | More by NickRivers

More User Reviews:

beernads

Florida

3.75/5 rDev -11.3%

05-18-2013 06:39:49 | More by beernads

OC_Beer_Fan

California

4/5 rDev -5.4%

05-17-2013 05:22:10 | More by OC_Beer_Fan

Zbeetleman

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4.5/5 rDev +6.4%

05-15-2013 03:05:13 | More by Zbeetleman

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4/5 rDev -5.4%

05-13-2013 22:24:50 | More by mikeincharleston

csfcmitchell

Texas

4.25/5 rDev +0.5%

05-13-2013 15:54:17 | More by csfcmitchell

Whiskeydeez

Kansas

4.25/5 rDev +0.5%

05-08-2013 17:19:02 | More by Whiskeydeez

cadaugherty

Illinois

4/5 rDev -5.4%

05-07-2013 23:01:09 | More by cadaugherty

Tom-Peters

California

4.5/5 rDev +6.4%

05-06-2013 19:43:12 | More by Tom-Peters

campfirebrew

New York

4/5 rDev -5.4%

04-04-2013 14:53:21 | More by campfirebrew

Obsidian

California

2.75/5 rDev -35%

04-03-2013 03:18:40 | More by Obsidian

Smurf2055

Washington

3.68/5 rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Reviewed Dec 2011

Poured from bottle into a pint glass.

Pours like a stout, with a nice tan head about a finger thick. Good lacing.

It’s got some coffee and licorice, but the pine and hops smell as well. Maybe a bit of caramel. An interesting mix.

Taste really confused me. It’s a light body, very smokey, almost ashy. Greets you with light coffee and finishes with a hop kick near the end. I couldn’t tell it was over 10%. Very powerful. Leaves a nice aftertaste.

Overall, it’s a very interesting beer to say the least. Very complex and very bold. Impressive.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 20:11:28 | More by Smurf2055