16th Anniversary IPA - Stone Brewing Co.

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

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

Picked this up at ShopRite Liquors in Caldwell yesterday, since it was the only place I found this at. I was excited to try this since I enjoyed the other Anniversary beers from Stone but this was just a bit lacking. It was a good IPA with enough alcohol and taste to it but the lemon and spice detracted from the overall experience a bit. While this was aggressive and edgy, it was just a bit too much out of the norm for me and not up to par with most of their other offerings.

The pour to this was a strong almond color with a nice head and lacing to match. Lots of pine in the front with a bit of valencia-type orange underneath it. That was also present in the taste up-front which faded into a mix of grass and pepper, before the lemon just took over. Just a bit too much sourness to this as the spice lingered in the aftertaste. Quite aggressive, this was not a quick sipper and was not as thick in the body as I would have liked either.

Like most of the Stone beers, this was very strong in the booze department and it did detract from the beer. It almost reminded me of a hopped-up Saison except the hue to this was clear. It was a unique take on the style but the West Coast feel of this was overshadowed by the overpowering spiciness and the near-pucker that my face made at times. There's nothing out there like this but there's a good reason why this wasn't something attempted before. It didn't really work and it was only worth a try once, just to see what any fuss was about.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 23:59:31 | More by JerzDevl2000

Kadonny

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a snifter glass.

A: A medium to lighter orange color with a 2 finger white fluffy head.

S: I get the lemon right away. Some herbal smells, other citrus and some pine notes. Slight sweetness.

T: Subtle lemon? I get a little more than subtle lemon flavor. Lemon, peach, pineapple, herbal notes, some chamomile and grassy. Sweetness is biscuit like with some breadiness. I got some deeper pine flavors and bitterness towards the end with some resiny stickiness.

M: Full, coating, prickly, slight alcohol.

O: I really enjoyed this, but I like most of the Stone Anny IPAs that are different from the norm. Solid beer.

Overall another nice Anniversary beer that I enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 17:59:34 | More by Kadonny

rangerred

Tennessee

3.08/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Into a pint glass out of a 22oz bomber.

Pours a slightly hazy dark gold with a half finger white head. Head retention isn't great as can be expected from a 10% beer but lacing is pretty good.

Aroma is a little odd with lemon being quite noticeable. Pine and tropical citrus are present along with a slight bit of rye spicyness. This is the only malt really detectable as hops completely dominate.

The flavor is where things go pretty bad. Lemon cookies up front mixing with pine hops and it doesn't really work. It's almost like someone sprayed lemon Pledge or dumped a shot of gin into my beer. Bitterness is high with alcohol quite noticeable on the finish. Really no malt is detectable other than a thick mouthfeel.

Overall, probably the worst beer I have had from Stone. The lemon does nothing for me and removing that, it would just be an average IIPA. Poorly balanced and not very well though-out. Not one to seek out other than for curiosity's sake.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 03:23:06 | More by rangerred

travisdiener32

Florida

2.33/5  rDev -39%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Picked this up because I haven't sampled stone in awhile. Now I remember why.

Poured into delirium snifter, lots of head, decent retention, lighter amber than expected for a double. My initial smell was a familiar lemon pledge, pine-sol, lemon rind. Mouthfeel is difficult because its hard take your mind off the taste. I would say average feel for a DIPA. The taste is simply bad, the worst double I've ever had. It's as if they poured lemon oil on on top of each sip you take, as soon as any pine and resin comes in, waves of lemon oil stick to your tongue and emanate through your nostrils.

Overall, I don't know how a brewery releases this. The competition is so much better and more aware of it's consumers that releasing such a poorly constructed yearly flagship beer will force others to look elsewhere and be much more pleased.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 01:54:56 | More by travisdiener32

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - mostly clear bright bronze with a tower of light tan head that wasn't going anywhere, some random lacing
S - strong notes of wood, caramel, and spices up front, more subtle citrus, and a piney scent that is just a little abrasive almost like a cleaning product scent
T - spices, grass, and pine to start, then a lemon & pine soapiness that comes across a little artificial, finishes with an earl grey tea type flavour
M - medium body with healthy carbonation, slightly oily with big hop bitterness, alcohol masked well but still warm through the finish
O - I think this is just a case of trying to squeeze too much into a brew and the result is something that isn't quite sure of itself, unfocussed, and thus not great, not bad but not great as I was expecting

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 01:12:40 | More by joemcgrath27

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4.48/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Kickbacks in Jax. Poured into a snifter. Off white head, moderate retention. Soapy, sticky lacing. Light amber in color, high clarity. Aroma is very unique. Yes, its lemony. Sweet, sugary lemons. Kinda delicious smelling. Taste is mild, not overly hoppy, touch of lemons, low alcohol, mild malt sweetness. I suppose the most impressive part of this brew is that Stone has removed ALL of the alcohol taste with these unique flavors and made the beer dangerously drinkable in the process.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2012 06:12:35 | More by KickbacksSteve

kshizzle101

Washington

4.13/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured from 22oz bomber

A - dark golden brown. 2-inch head which lingers

S - scents of pine, booze, and of course, lemon

T - Sweet, piney hops at first followed by a very lemony and spicy after taste. for a 10% DIPA, booziness is rather sneaky.

M - fairly heavy mouthfeel

Overall - This beer screams 'Stone.' They always think outside the box and this beer is no exception. A solid effort with good execution.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 02:33:09 | More by kshizzle101

ILikeGoodCider

California

3.8/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed on 10.28.12 from a brown bomber into a Stone 14oz American pint glass.

A: Amber w/ an excellent clarity & a 1/4" cream-colored head.

S: LEMON VERBENA "icing" on a IPA cupcake.

T & M: Like drinking a lemon rind. Very resiny lemon flavors (think tree sap) along with grapefruit dominate the profile. Very powerful and on purpose (but a bit distracting). Medium carbs.

O: For a 10.0% ABV brew, my goodness it's drinkable, but it's a strong brew flavor-wise; suggested serving is splitting the bottle and pairing it with a nice juicy steak.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 01:21:12 | More by ILikeGoodCider

wedge

North Carolina

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

Hazy deep orange pour topped with a thick, tight, creamy head. Smooth, well-blended, and quite hoppy...a very Stone-like aroma. Highly fruity: peach, apple, and sweet lemon along with a little pine resin and some bread way in the back. First sip doesn't bring as much lemon as I was expecting. It's hoppy alright, but not brashly so. More sweet peach, melon, floral hops, and bright fruitiness all commingling into a smooth, interesting lupulin showcase. The lemon/citrus does seem to make itself more known the longer it sits in the glass, but the rye doesn't show much. Bitter and medium bodied. Less drinkable than anniversary beers in years past, but still a fairly unique take on the style and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 00:14:34 | More by wedge

tastybeer

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Dark murky orange, off white head with fine and fat bubbles. Lace is scattered and fun.

S: Fruit all over familiar stone maltiness. Sweet sugary lemon, melon, fresh juicy peaches, and to be general, tropically dank. Intense but smooth. Easy going but big.

T: Tastes great. Sweet, malty, fruity, piney, and floral. A lot going on in a somehow, almost confusingly harmonious way. Bread mashed up with pine cones and soaked in sweetened lemon and orange 'sauces'. Very bright and full of flavor.

M: Slick, heavy, well carbonated and tingly, not particularly dry, reasonably bitter, and straight up enjoyable. This beer is very tasty but its not consumable at a surprisingly fast rate like some other awesome concoctions out there. Instead this is more of an 'enjoy-gradually' brew. That's not bad, its just different.

O: An aroma and flavor extravaganza. All sorts of pleasantries piled into one situation. I do enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 00:07:00 | More by tastybeer

brystmar

New York

2.58/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

This was in our fridge far too long. On the darker side of a golden color, decent head. Smells like lemon pledge. Rye malt and stale hops join the fray. Bleh.

Hop resin and astringent household chemicals lead the way. Piney, kinda like the way you want your floor to smell after mopping it. Ok, it's not *that* bad, but it's far from being a good DIPA.

Stone can (and does) do much better. Avoid.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 00:26:19 | More by brystmar

DavoleBomb

Ohio

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

Poured into a perfect pint.

4.0 A: Clear light orange color. Two and a half fingers of frothy off-white head. Retention is pretty good given the ABV and a ton of lacing is left.

4.0 S: Surprisingly earthy. Usually Stone goes for floral and, while there is some of that, the hops are decidedly earthy. I'm loving the lemon components in this, which makes this come off somewhat like a hoppy saison. Though this is hop forward, the malts are quite potent as well. Plenty of caramel with just as much toastiness. This really isn't all that complex and I doubt many will think much of this nose, but I am just loving the lemon too much to not give it a good score.

3.5 T: The taste is good, but there isn't enough hops, which is something I rarely have to say about Stone's beers. To be fair, it does have a big earthy hoppiness, but I want some complexity from the hops. There is some floral and woody notes, but not enough. There is a good balance between hops and malts though. Caramel and toastiness sticks out quite well. Moderate to heavy moderate bitterness. Booze is just barely detectable. The lemon products give a nice earthy lemony vibe, but not much in terms of tartness. Still, I like what they bring.

3.5 M: Heavier medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Not a lot of creaminess given that this is an IPA, but it's not bad overall and it is quite smooth.

3.5 D: Decent effort. Doesn't "wow" me in any way, but it was worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 04:02:02 | More by DavoleBomb

bonkers

New Jersey

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

Poured deep orange withe a sticky white head into a snifter. NIce citrusy aroma, strong lemon notes with lighter notes of grapefruit and orange zest. The flavors of tropical fruit are prevalent, lots of lemon and grapefruit. I did not pick up much rye. It is easy drinking for such a big beer. I enjoyed it a different take on a DIPA

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 12:27:40 | More by bonkers

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle purchased as a single from somewhere localish.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/2" blonde head over the cloudy golden amber brew. Dense head holds on well, with plenty of lasting lace. Aroma is lime and spices.

Taste is bitter from top to bottom, as you would expect from the style and Stone. Amongst that, a sweet start, citrus in the middle, and tons of pine hops through and after the close. numbing alcohol aftereffects. Mouthfeel is reasonably smooth, but drinkability is somewhat limited for me due to the overpowering bitter. I realize that is the style, but still think it can be done with a bit more finesse, and allow more flavors to still come through.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2012 23:43:08 | More by ppoitras

womencantsail

California

3.25/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Beachwood Brewing

The beer is amber in color with a creamy off-white head. Candied citrus on the nose. Fairly sweet with some toffee notes, light herbal and pine aromas, and a fairly woody character to it as well. The hop profile on the palate is quite herbal. A bit too sweet for my tastes. Lots of toffee and brown sugar on the tongue. Candied citrus/grapefruit peel, a touch of candied ginger, and a mild bitterness on the back end.

Serving type: on-tap

10-24-2012 19:44:59 | More by womencantsail

Mosstrooper

California

3.45/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 22oz bottle into 16oz Widmer branded tumbler glass.

Appearance: Clear pale amber color with a large off-white head that dissipates slowly and leaves behind some spotty lace.

Smell: Lemon aromas dominate alongside grassy/leafy aromas. Slight spice as well as some breadiness in the background.

Taste: Begins with zesty citrus which rounds out to a tea-like flavor toward the middle. The finish has a good bit of herbal bitterness with more sweet citrus and a bit of tropical fruit. Also has a faint hint of spiciness. Lots of lemon throughout- it's not necessarily bad, but gives the beer a kind of soapy flavor which detracts a bit from the overall flavor.

Mouthfeel: Full, almost chewy body with light carbonation and a watery finish that slowly dries out.

Overall: Not Stone's best beer by a long shot, but still pretty good. Hides it's high ABV pretty well. This was nice to try, but I won't necessarily miss it when it's gone.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 23:46:47 | More by Mosstrooper

NumberNone

Maryland

3.8/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy golden amber color with a thick white bubbly head. Good evident carbonation. Great lacing.

S: Hops, lemon, slight pine, grapefruit, slight malt.

T: Strong bitter hops come to the forefront. Lemon, grapefruit, citrus notes prevalent. Alcohol taste comes through. Pine and malt notes. Nice and fresh.

M: Fairly dry. Flavors are well-balanced, with a good consistency of flavors from front to back. Some earthiness. Good lemonyness comes to the tongue (slight effect of sucking a lemon).

O: Solid tasting IPA with good dryness and an interesting profile of lemon that’s quite strong. Strong bitter hops at the front typical of a good IPA. The lemon, though, might be a bit too much for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 10:56:41 | More by NumberNone

kemoarps

Washington

3.63/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

It's a beautiful looking beer. A rich amber, moderately opaque, nicotine white head (not meant to be disparaging, just the best description of the colour I can think of right now)

The nose is fairly weak. some vineous hops. little citrus

Taste is primarily bitter citrus hops, with a sweet malt backboard. Solid but not exceptional.

Dry bitter hops. Smoothe enough going down, but the back of the tongue just keeps going.

meh. it's ok, has its moments, but not exceptional

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 04:20:58 | More by kemoarps

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

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

Appearance: Pours a gently hazed, orange-yellow body with a couple inches of nearingly white foam. Drips and drabs of lace on the way down.

Smell: Fresh fragrant herbs, florals, wafting resins, and citrus oils, but the toasty, sweetish notes of caramel from the malts are well represented, too, don't get me wrong (again). Hey, some rye. Hey, some booze.

Taste: Caramel and honey coated barley grains, moderately toasted bread, and crunchy rye malt. Fair sweetness upfront. Floral, lemony, tangerine-hinting hops with a sliver of herbal mintiness, too. Brightly bitter. The sweetness begins the falter on the the waves of bitter citrus oils, rye, alcohol, and herbaceousness. Bitter, citrus oil finish. Lingering Vicks Vapor-rub quality to the mouth, throat.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus. Medium carbonation. Slight noted creaminess present for fullishness to the mouthfeel..

Overall: Fairly good Stone Anniversary offering.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 03:32:07 | More by ChainGangGuy

rajendra82

Georgia

4.33/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The orange amber colored body showed slight cloudiness due to chill haze. The head was one to two ginger thick, and very durable. The smell was quite different than most other DIPAs I've sampled before. There were some piney hops on the nose, but they were showcased quite a bit less assertively than usual, and there was a sweet floral aroma coming through as well. The taste was also very balanced, with a lot more of the fruity and floral flavors, dare I say almost of a Belgian character, taking center stage, and then followed by pine, grapefruit, and spruce from the hops. The finish was more of a showcase of toasted malts. Medium dense in the mouthfeel, and I am absolutely shocked to find out that this is a 10% ABV beer, because it drinks much lighter. Stone is at the top of their craft here.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 03:46:01 | More by rajendra82

allengarvin

Texas

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a standard nonik pint glass, this beer is a clear amber color, with fine streaming bubbles from the bottom leading up to a densely packed quarter-inch of head. The nose offers a sweet orange scent of hops (not lemon, to my nose)... and lots of it. The flavor, though, I don't find all that interesting. The initial sweet, thick malt gives way to highly citrus hops, but there's an almost medicinal tinge to it that's not, I think, attributable to the high alcohol content. It's not unpleasant per se, but it is somewhat harsh, especially at the finish. It is a very warming beer, and might make a good closer after a meal of assertive flavors.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 01:14:56 | More by allengarvin

djbreezy

Washington

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

appearance - good transparency, good head and retention, on the amber side of things

smell - notes of hops, malts and lemon

taste - a very unique blend of lemon notes, bitter hops and a big malt back. the malt body is comparable to a dogfish head 120 min ipa i'd say.

mouthfeel - big body, slightly dry, well carbonated, similar to other Stone beers

overall - a really good beer, unique, Stone quality but not one of their best beers

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 21:36:11 | More by djbreezy

AndyAvalanche

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz. bomber poured into a large Same Adams perfect Pint glass. Liquid comes out a perfect golden yellow color. The SLIGHTest haze to the liquid it's nice looking. Crazy big creamsicle colored head. Lots of different sized bubbles with lots of different sized bubbles. Big and frothy, really a perfect representation of the style.

Smell is pretty awesome. Like most other Stone's take on an IPA, it's very hoppy. There are plenty of sharp citrus hops in this one. Plenty of citrus, pine, tropical fruits and a little bit of distinct lemon aromas stick around, nice though not overbearing in any way while at the same time sort of tickling your nose.

Taste is equally excellent. Reasonable amount of sweetness to get your attention right away. Nice pale malts and taste a little sweet roasted. Plenty of tropical fruits after that with some pine sap, grapefruit/orange citrus. After that again there is some lemon, almost like a lemon extract. It all blends pretty well together.

Mouthfeel is good, but not great. Full bodied and a good carbonation level. Bitterness to sweetness balance isn't bad for an IPA. It's very oily so it doesn't have a clean finish. Overall this is a very good, well above average DIPA, but it's not great. A pretty unique idea, yet it's very simple. I would have loved for it to come out earlier in the summer, but oh well, it's still good.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 05:21:52 | More by AndyAvalanche

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Blind Tiger in NYC.

Beer is amber in colour with a small white head. Retention is poor. Some lacing.

Smell is quite hoppy (how shocking), with orange scents. Also floral scents, and a surprising degree of spicy aromas. I didn't realize at the time of drinking this beer that there was rye in it, but I suppose that accounts for that. Certainly gave a twist to the DIPA scent- seemed like ginger to me.

Taste is somewhat unusual. Spicy malt flavours, lemon, citrus, caramel malt. The rye and lemon addition really dominate the attention of the beer, and make for a surprising flavour.

Full bodied, moderate carbonation level.

Overall, a pretty unusual beer, but an experiment that did not totally work for me.

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2012 02:04:05 | More by jrenihan

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle, 10% abv. Hazy copper color with some bright edges. Rocky white head provides a nice contrast. Excellent head retention and lace. Hard to imagine a double IPA looking much better.

Bright citrus notes, including lemon jump out first. Caramel malt backdrop, with hints of spices. Stone fruit comes through, as well as a herbal note. Slight earthy note in the back end.

Big malt character up front. Earthy and spicy notes of rye comes in at the beginning. Lemon oil next, with a lingering oily feel. Citrusy notes, and an herbal finish. Bitterness lingers long on the palate.

Medium body, with adequate carbonation. Some heat is felt. Very complex flavors here for the style. Nice stuff. Happy anniversary.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 00:32:09 | More by Bierguy5