Stone Pale Ale - Stone Brewing Co.

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.47/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Another new Stone Beer, my fourth now, this is becoming such a Chore!!
What a beautiful very deep radiant copper-amber color this beer pours. The head is robust at first, not quite white – but an inviting shade of Cream. The head leaves a slug-like trail of lace as the beer was consumed (rapidly I may add!). Unlike the IPA, the hop aromas in the Pale Ale are softer and more rounded, quite subdued almost, akin to those you get in an outside Herb Garden. A grainy malt is also prevalent in the after-nose. Fantastic smooth, creamy, mouth feel, that instantly advertises this beer as a Drinkers Ale…, a Session Beer…, Highly Quaffable…, a Gallon Beer…, whatever you want to call it socially, …formally, the Drinkability is a definite “5” for me, Exceptional !. A really fruity, smooth, introduction at first, introduces a very quick sweet-malt middle leading to some hop-bitterness in the end. I also get some sweet biscuity malt and grain in the middle, that I find really helps keep this beer on an even keel. Perfect balance for a Session Beer!!!
The Fourth Stone Beer I have reviewed, the 4 empty Bomber Bottles now take pride of place in my Kitchen. This is Stones best seller apparently – I can’t think why……

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2002 20:13:12 | More by TheLongBeachBum

hyuga

North Carolina

4.72/5  rDev +21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Beautiful off-white head that stays, and leaves a good amount of lace when it does go down. Orange/copper color. Fruity and citrus aromas take charge of the nose, specifically a tangerine-like aroma. With a taste comes more fruity hop bitterness that is just a notch above the biscuit-like malt flavors that accompany it. Fruity in the front and bitter in the back. Leaves the characteristic rind-like bitterness on the edges of your tongue. Definitely aimed at the hophead, but still well-balanced and extremely drinkable. This is becoming one of my favorite pale ales.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2002 23:03:40 | More by hyuga

stoutman

Michigan

4.65/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Great tasting beer, full of smooth flavor one would expect from a solid pale ale...Very well balanced between malt and hops (maybe a little more hop, but who cares?). If this were a mass-marketed beer, it would be a top five seller...

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2002 18:28:24 | More by stoutman

ZAP

Minnesota

4.55/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Soft spicy/husky hop aroma...orangish with a soft creamy lace..nice mellow creamy mouthfeel...some nice fruitiness...very drinkable...thirst quenching...sweet maltiness...one of, if not THE best tasting pale ales I've had...My first stone experience is a GRAND one!!

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2002 11:36:36 | More by ZAP

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.6/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A nice amber with orange highlights. A nice white head that dissipates fairly quickly. Very nice herbal and grapefruit tones in the aroma. Really nice maltiness in this pale ale. A caramel maltiness I think. A good bitterness too. I usually prefer highly hopped pale ales, but this doesn't seem overly hopped and I love it. This is probably the best balanced pale ale I've had. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2002 11:46:28 | More by Bighuge

Jason

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 22 oz brown bomber with a silk screen painted label of the "Stone Brewing Gargoyle" which wards off impurities that would otherwise taint the sanctity of the brew.

Appearance: Copper in colour with a very faint haze ... a crisp tiny bubbled lace fades a little yet retains to the bottom of the glass.

Smell: Ripe fruit with hints of citrus (from the hops), a little bit of veggie/floral hop and a touch of caramel in the nose.

Taste: Medium bodied and semi crisp up front, then an assertive somewhat coarse America hop bitterness shows that it is going to be the dominant one. The rustic hops play with the malt a bit letting them show malt sweetness and a hint of nutty/biscuity malt upon the tongue. A bit high with the fruity esters, perhaps the only flavour the hops don't dominate. Even in the after taste there is a lingering and dominant leafy/bitter hop flavour with a pinch of grain and residual sweetness which help to finish this brew off.

Notes: A richly hopped brew that takes pride in the west coast style ... definite good drinking here for a seasoned hop head, might be a bit too much for someone that wants a balanced pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2002 19:56:14 | More by Jason

Mark

California

3.05/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 1 | overall: 3

I thought I'd give this a try snce I had heard good things about this brewerys products. On the second sip the taste was empty, almost watery. I think I might have a bad batch although there was decent head retention and lace on my glass? I might take it back and exchange it. THE "good" sip featured a nice hoppy tang though it did taste similar to other west oast ales. All in all nothing special and a bit of a letdown

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2001 23:55:35 | More by Mark