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 SWMeyer4141:

SWMeyer4141

Texas

4.88/5 rDev +15.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured into a Snifter..

Appearance-Pours a jet black body, looks like their RIS. Can't really see any carbonation bubles floating up. Head is a creamy beige head with nice litle bubbles and really nice lacing.

Smell-Hops really haven't faded quite yet which I was afraid of. Smells like citra hops. Grapefruit and orange, light floral and earthiness. Once you get past the hops I pulled out some roasted and chocolate malts. Really amazing, can't wait to finally take a sip.

Taste-This is absolutely outstanding. This is the first Black IPA that really tastes like a Big Stout and a Big Double IPA. I don't get different flavors at different points of the sip, they just all mesh perfectly together. Grapefruit, Floral hops. Not overly bitter. Roasty, Chocolate, Coffee with a drying finish that's bringing me back for more. Speechless, and this isn't even a super fresh bottle.

Mouthfeel-Creamy, Velvety, Smooth. Just perfect. Carbonation is medium and Body is pretty full. So smooth and really coats the mouth. This is amazing.

Overall-As you already know this is an OUSTANDING beer, one of the best that's ever touched my lips. I've liked other Black IPAs but some aspects of them just don't work for me. This works on so many levels. I'm sad this will probably never be brewed again,(they probably won't brew it again) but i'm glad they brewed it once.

My plans were to drink half this bottle now, cork it up, and bring it to a friends house later, but I don't think that's going to happen.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 18:08:25 | More by SWMeyer4141

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

California

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