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

mactrail

California

2.45/5  rDev -42.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

This is so sharply alcoholic. With the bitterness, it tastes like a Chinese medicinal wine. It also wins the prize for the weirdest, most unpleasant aroma for a non-spoiled beer. It's like a wet felt hat filled with the parsley silage from the back of the vegetable bin.

The stuff looks nice enough in the glass, though it's just black with a thin beige head. Not very drinkable overall. It just seems like some kind of hop joke. Mouthfeel is hard to tell. It makes my lips hurt.

Personally, I think they are toying with us. Or else it's a chemistry experiment from the Escondido High School science fair. At least Stone doesn't don't overcharge, so I sometimes lapse from better judgement to try one of their loopy brews. From the 22 oz bottle. Add a case of Olde English 800 for an excellent frat party. "Dude, see if you can keep this down!"

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 05:42:15 | More by mactrail

ShogoKawada

Rhode Island

2.38/5  rDev -43.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

on-tap, reviewed from notes.

A- Brown... dark dark brown/black body and a sticky icky tan head.

S- Intense hops- I do a double-take after sniffing this one. Piny, a bit fruity, very pungent.

T- Too much. There's roasty malt and some coffee notes for a second, and they're completely obliterated from the zippy, minty, herbal, piny hops. Yes, that's a lot of descriptors. They're all there. Orange peel, pine resin, and mint leaves. The hops are pulling my tongue all over the place and don't give me a chance to sit back and explore the beer. After my tongue recovers from the assault, some ashy flavors peek through. Not doing the beer any favors.

M- Abrasively hoppy, too much, too confusing. Good carbonation, though.

O- Meh. SSR is a much better beer- this one is just disorganized and a tough nut to crack. I won't be revisiting this one, no chance no way.

Serving type: on-tap

10-07-2011 13:56:57 | More by ShogoKawada

crossovert

Wisconsin

2.2/5  rDev -48%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Just a retarded idea imo to have a black ipa as your 15th anniversary brew. I bought this cause I found it for 6 bucks which isn't a bad deal on a brew of this "rarity" i guess.

It pours a nice color, a thick, inky blackish brown with a creamy tan head that leaves a thick coating of lacing.

It smells like a package of the tropical starburst mixed with tootsie rolls. Some might like it but i think it reeks of a poorly thought out recipe.

The flavor is really well, all over the place. There is some coffee notes, some indecipherable hop notes, odd sweetness, moderate bitterness.

This beer is just a mish mash of junk really. Re-do you recipe and actually think before you brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 02:38:30 | More by crossovert

dmatsui

2.2/5  rDev -48%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pitch black. 2 finger sticky, mud brown head. Lots of lacing.

Muddled blend of bitter hops, burnt cocoa, hazelnut and coffee. Not particularly inviting, an odd, unbalanced aroma that I found to be really off-putting.

Big hit of bittering hops forward, followed by dark roasty stout characteristics.

I really don't have much to say about this one. To me there's way too much going on, the hoppiness does not pair up well with the stout backbone, and it tastes like a mess. Stone always seems to want to take on huge hybrid beers, sometimes very successfully sometimes over-executed. This was honestly one of the worst beers I've had in a while.

Didn't finish the bottle.

I'm still scratching my head about this one; I thought I would've liked it.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 01:07:04 | More by dmatsui

champ103

Texas

1.98/5  rDev -53.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

A: Pours a dark black, almost opaque color. A one finger tan head forms, and recedes to a ring. Nice lace is left behind.
S: Oh man, the aroma is pungent. Herbal and soapy hops, citrus, grassy hops. That all intermingles with burnt sugar, tar, molasses, ash, wood. Just unpleasant in the nose.
T: The same here, it is just off putting. At first the hops are strong. Herbal, grassy, soapy. Charred wood, ash, and rubber comes next. Burnt sugar with way to much residual sweetness. Molasses and soy sauce. A lingering bitterness lasts forever. Not to mention the alcohol. Over barring in every way.
M/D: A full body that is thick and viscous. Overly so with a sticky adhesive quality that I don't like. I think tar is a good descriptor. To much alcohol and to much of everything else. I could not finish a glass.

Wow, I thought Stone could not get any more crase and over barring. Just an unbalanced mess. I wish brewers would think before releasing beers like this. Though I guess everyone else seems to like it for some reason, and I don't get it? I would say avoid, but that looks like I am in the minority.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 00:01:06 | More by champ103