IPA (India Pale Ale) - Stone Brewing Co.

jdhilt

New Hampshire

2.7/5  rDev -36.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a white, two finger-head that vanishes slowly leaving a good lace. Clear light amber color. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. Nose is a strong hop. Starts with hops, somewhere there are malts - there is a trace of sweetness but the hops dominate, bitter finish that lingers. $2.30 for a 12oz bottle from Julio's Liquors Westborough, Ma.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2005 23:30:39 | More by jdhilt

Bierschenker

Belgium

2.8/5  rDev -34.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Big thanks to Mzwolinski for bringing this one over.
I was really surprised to have a taste of this one. This is totally new to me.

Poured it in a robust Hoegaarden glass.
Smells very fruity: raspberry and peaches. Combined with spices and malty caramel.
It pours out a blond-amber coloured beer. Not a lot of head, but a good carbonation.
A very bitter fruit skin taste with rich hops, unripe citrus is very overpowering and lingers on into the aftertaste.
This is a full bodied beer, but totally not my taste.

Ut Vivat, Crescat, Floreat!

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2005 12:13:42 | More by Bierschenker

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

2.83/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Every bottle I've ever had of this has been near or past it's best by date. So I've never wanted to review it. Since Stone is leaving the state I'm forced to review what I can get. 10/6/10 is the latest date I could find.

A: Poured into my delerium tulip the beer is bright orange gold. A full finger of white head receded rather quick leaving soapy lace. No cap.

S: Huge pine blast that fades into a mild burnt rubber tone. Not much else going on here.

T: Very one note. I've had this on tap so I know it's not just a freshness thing. This beer is all bitter all the time. Piney, acrid and harsh. Again maybe a touch of burnt tires.

M: Medium body with modest carbonation.

D: Overall as always an absolute chore to drink. I love hop bombs but this is nowhere near that. I really don't see why this beer gets so much praise.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2010 13:01:54 | More by beerwolf77

drperm

Virginia

2.9/5  rDev -31.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Stone, what did you do? I'm disappointed in you.

Appearance: VERY cloudy, almost looks like a hefeweizen in my glass. It's got more dull-glow apricot than shiny pumpkin in the hue department.

Aroma: Syrupy up front, with a hit-over-the-head of grapefruit and tangerine hops.

Taste: Syrupy pine needles (or is that sap?) meet over-the-top dry (or is that raw?) hops of the extreme grapefruit variety. This is a dog with a loud bark. The bite, though, reveals it to be of the little-and-yappy variety.

Palate: How can a 6.9% ABV brew with a syrupy start be *thin*? I'm not sure, but this one certainly is. And the doggone grapefruit trope only contributes to the illusion that I'm actually drinking (thin) fresh-squeezed juice.

Overall: I love the Stone Brewery. Arrogant Bastard, Oaked AB, Levitation...but this one, not so much. You guys missed the mark here. I think it would go well with my breakfast tomorrow morning...in a juice glass.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2009 01:42:52 | More by drperm

johnnybgood1999

Virginia

2.93/5  rDev -31.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I went to Richmond and visited total wine witht the intention of tasting some brews I cannot get in Missouri-where I go to school. Anything from Stone was high on my list. This ale did not live up to its reputation. Apearance and smell were average. A nice hoppy aroma was very apparant signalling a good IPA. The taste was average as well. The ale seemed to possess no balance. The consistency was very light,which I did not like. It was hoppy enough for an IPA, but something did not click for me. Other IPA's, such as those put out by Great Divide and Avery, are more to my taste. I was excited about this ale and almost wonder if I got a bad bottle of the IPA and Smoked Porter, considering the rave reviews they recieve.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2009 04:31:31 | More by johnnybgood1999

jjamadorphd

Florida

2.93/5  rDev -31.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I heard so much about Stone IPA, now that I've had two different IPAs, I'm beginning to think IPAs are the brew for me...

Stone IPA pours out of the bottle an orange tinged amber, cloudy, but still appealing to the eyes. The head is small, has no staying power, but surprisingly laces all the way down the glass. The mouthfeel was very strong and overpowering on the carbonation - possibly the highest carbonation I've tried to date - it just detracted from the taste. The taste itself was IPA all the way - something I've come to terms with that I'm just not a fan of. Overall, it's a good beer, but not much better or worse than the other IPA I've tried.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 02:45:35 | More by jjamadorphd

Rastacouere

Quebec (Canada)

2.95/5  rDev -30.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

It pours a clear filtered? yellow with a small white head, this could be a pilsner and giving it 3 makes me wonder if I'm too kind just because it's Stone. Aroma is hop essence literally.. with a hint of fuel and quite salty as well together with the more traditional citrus, lemon and grapefruity profiles. A good sniffing which appeals me by its originality. Taste surprises right away being very citric. I simply don't understand how so many people can love it that much since it's so distracting? Neverthless, there's a touch of honey malt and it's very clean. Talking about balance is totally out of place though and it didn't seem particularly pleasant. The body is honest, a solid medium body, but not as mouth-filling as other Stones I've had. Basically, this was totally blown away by the Lost Coast Indica we've had just before. Just altogether way too citric sour for my liking, possibly the tartest IPA I've had to date and while it's a characteristic I truly love in many belgians, it didn't seem to fit here. Thanks Martin!

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2004 18:39:39 | More by Rastacouere

danielharper

Michigan

2.95/5  rDev -30.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Purchased from Woody's Smokes and Brews, Franklin, TN.

I drank this one a while back and took detailed notes, but never got around to inputting the data into BA. Mostly because, well, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to drive the review average down a bit for this beer.

This beer poured a dark yellow-orange hue with a thick white head. The head disappeared quickly, leaving but a tiny bit of "soap residue" at the top of the glass. A nice pour for an IPA, pleasant and inviting, but nothing overwhelmingly good.

The nose contains pretty much two things: a nice fruity grapefruit ester, with tons and tons of hops thrown in for good (?) measure. Hops dominated this nose more thoroughly than any other beer I've ever tasted.

Taste is very similar, with the fruit backbone completely overwhelmed by the overall hoppiness of the beer. To me, this beer was completely overdone with hops, with absolutely no attempt made to balance out the tasting experience with anything else. While tasting, I scribbled down a 3.0 for the taste, so that's what I'm giving it, but in my memory it stands a bit lower, more like a 2.0 or 2.5.

I found the mouthfeel here to be medium-bodied with a large dose of carbonation for good measure. About what I'd expect for an IPA, nothing special, nothing terrible.

I originally wrote down a 3.0 for the drinkability here, but I'm downgrading it a bit because I don't actively look forward to trying it again for awhile. I was expecting something really nice from this beer, but I was certainly underwhelmed by this one.

Just to be fair, I love, love, love Arrogant Bastard, find it to be one of the finest substances ever to touch my lips. That beer's just about as hoppy as this one, but it has such an invigorating mouthfeel and up-front splash of fruit that the hops seem balanced in comparison -- the extremes on both end mesh perfectly and create a brew that actually seems to strive to push the boundaries of what a perfectly-crafted beer can be. I'm not a hophead, so their IPA just seems to be, as another review put it, "liquid hop juice". Lovers of hop-bombs will love this one; I just happen to not be one of them.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2005 00:06:06 | More by danielharper

northaustin

Texas

2.98/5  rDev -30%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured into a schnifter. pours a light copper with about a finger of medium bodied white head which disappears quickly and leaves stringy lacing.

smells very yeasty, a bit of malt sweetness with an alright piney hop presence.

tastes only a tad piney. very well balanced malt and hop flavors. was hoping for more hop flavor in a ipa though. still not bad

this is one of the best beginner beers out there as it is readily available almost anywhere and is relatively inexpensive. not one of the best ipas but it certainly has earned its reputation.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2009 06:23:51 | More by northaustin

Offa

California

2.98/5  rDev -30%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

This is ok, slightly with some malty sweetness to round out the hoppiness. However, it is still rather simple, straightfoward in citrusy hops, and too rough on the hops, a sharp, rough hop bitterness with little real flavour taking over in the finish, drying out my mought and making my tongue and throat feel like someone energetically rubbed them with a terrycloth towel.

It orange gold, it has a thin, white head shrinking to a foamy ring and a little weak lace.

The aroma is mostly citrusy hops, especially grapefruit, with a hint of pine.

The taste is again mostly citrus - grapefruit - with pine and a light raisiny grain sweetness underneath, but not quite enough to carry it. It's far too bitter, with some malty sweetness to balance and a grain element in the finish, but too unbalanced and sharply bitter. Making a beer, even an IPA really bitter, simply does not to me equal good beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2009 00:07:12 | More by Offa

surfmeister

California

3/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Tough to review an interesting and very popular beer that you simply can't drink. In all the categories, smell, taste etc., I had the same reaction, "wow this is really interesting, even complex", but in the end I did not want another one. I am not a "hop head" so I don't relate to being hit over the head with the overbearing, piney, almost tree sap flavor of hops, which is what this beer is all about. I guess I'm one of those who appreciates the balance of flavors in beer and not too much of any one. Very hard to score this "interesting" beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2004 05:12:56 | More by surfmeister

JLShepard

Delaware

3/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Aroma: Slightly spicy, slightly sweet, but with no hop to it.

Appearance: Pours a translucent orange-yellow with a 1/4" head that quickly fades, leaving excellent lacing.

Taste: A slightly sweet start fades into a grassy hop taste that doesn't stick around long.

Mouthfeel: Thin, without being watery, with a nice crispness to it.

Overall, a decent IPA. There is some hop in the taste, though it's not as strong as I like and disappears too quickly. I was also disappointed by the lack of any hop in the nose. The mouthfeel isn't bad, though I think it could be a bit less thin.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2005 20:39:24 | More by JLShepard

TechMyst

Illinois

3/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I was expecting so much more. Run of the mill IPA for me. FFF pale ale had more hop character than this...gotta pad this...I didn't think much of arroagant bastard either, I've heard rave after rave for this BC...I must try more or another offering of this same brew, I wouldn't want to tarnish a good reputation.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2006 20:25:56 | More by TechMyst

vfgccp

New York

3/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

- Pardon the abbreviated review, this was sampled at a free Stone tasting. Special thanks to Big Z's in Huntington NY -

A - Light honey

S - Pine, resin, light citrus.

T - Piney, resiny. Touch of white bread.

M - Light. Moderate carbonation. Semi-sweet finish.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2011 02:58:09 | More by vfgccp

Schmittymack

Colorado

3/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served on tap into a pint shaker glass. Poured an orangeish/amberish color with a nice foamy 1/4 inch head that quickly disapated. Nice lacing, however. Aromas of malt, hops, and pine. Taste was bitter hops, malt, some pine, and some citrus. Overall, this is not my fav. I tend to like my IPAs more balanced; this one is the west coast hops in your face. Not bad but...

Serving type: on-tap

05-06-2011 08:03:18 | More by Schmittymack

skizziks

Kentucky

3.03/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into a nonic. Thick antique white head starts off around an inch and fades to a bare skim on the surface. The beer is a slightly cloudy gold. Head leaves just a little spotty lacing.

Aroma is predominantly hop, backed by a mixture of fruit, apple, banana, a little fresh baked white bread. It's nice but all pretty faint. I really have to stick my nose in and swirl to get it.

Taste is almost all hop, a little like sucking on a hop cone (and I really don't recommend sucking on hop cones). An astringent bitterness right up front. Again, a little apple and bread under the hops. Just enough malt to let you know that this isn't just a fizzy tincture of hop, but not nearly enough to provide any balance. Finish is dry with more bitterness sticking in the back of the throat. It'll be there for a long time. That's not necessarily a bad thing in my book, but I wish there were more malt to fill things out. The result is that it all comes across as harsh and thin. I think I like what their yeast is doing, it would be nice if it had more to do. There is some sense of the alcoholic strength near the end, but very understated, doesn't seem like a 6.9% ABV.

Mouthfeel is thin, a little watery. It helps drinkability, but is a little unsatisfying. I doubt I'll bother getting another one.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2006 22:59:54 | More by skizziks

heinekenike

New York

3.03/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I gave this low marks because the taste just was not there, but after reading other reviews, I realize I must have gotten a bad batch or something. NY is far from CA, I don't know...

Appearance seemed normal, smell very good. The aroma promised a nice, full hoppy taste. But the taste was lacking. A very light hint, and then a little stronger taste of hops on the aftertaste, but pretty weak for any beer.

Like I said, this was not the same beer that everyone else here tasted. I will definitely try this one again, and give a fairer review.

Serving type: on-tap

01-18-2009 14:07:15 | More by heinekenike

jrallen34

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

I drank this from a bottle into a chalice.

This beer pours a light gold semi clear with a big white and very good lacing.

Its aroma is very hoppy with light notes of honey and citrus.

The taste is just overwhelmingly hoppy. Thats all that dominates throughout the whole tasting instead of a very nice bite at the end. Just too bitter to be a great IPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2009 13:25:34 | More by jrallen34

HeightsEats

Ohio

3.03/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I generally like IPAs--Dogfish Head 60 minute, Great Divide Titan IPA, Bell's Two Hearted, Great Lakes Erie Monster--but this was just too hoppy for me. The appearance is nice, and the smell is very floral and complex with plenty of dry hopping. Unlike the aforementioned IPAs, though, there's no notable malt sweetness, perhaps just enough to make the beer palatable (but not enjoyable). While the bitterness doesn't dry out your mouth, it comes close. If you're totally obsessed with hops or just want something extreme, you might like this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2010 01:58:15 | More by HeightsEats

Hophead717

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Overall, I'm very unimpressed by this beer. Definitely disappointed.

A: The beer pours a very nice golden brown from a 12 oz bottle with a 1.5-2 finger head after a slightly vigorous pour. The head disappates fairly quickly, but leaves some lacing along the side of the glass.

S: The first smell you get is citrus, specifically grapefruit. A light grassy/piney smell follows and you can pick out some bitter hops.

T: Similar to the nose, only with a very bitter hop flavor coming across. Grapefruit and citrus notes pair with grassy hops before the taste is overwhelmed by bitter notes. If you like your IPAs bitter, you may enjoy this. There's a little malt underlying the beer, but you have to look to find it. Overall, the flavor is fairly weak, though a touch of bitterness sticks with you through the finish.

M: Very carbonated and light.

O: Meh. If you enjoy really bitter IPAs, you'll be a fan. I enjoy bitter hop tastes, but the thinness of the beer and overall light flavor is disappointed. I wanted a lot more from Stone and the beer did not deliver.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 00:05:46 | More by Hophead717

BeerAndBourbon

Ohio

3.08/5  rDev -27.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Reviewed from blinded tasting notes.

A. Yellow with a creamy head.

S. Odd hop aroma that is somewhat off-putting.

T. Piney

M. Bitting carbonation that nearly completely disappears half way through the session.

D. Eh - I'm not a fan of the flavor or aroma profile. I'll pass this up.

My lowest scored IPA of the night (under Jai Alai, Alesmith, Sculpin, Columbus, Furious, Two Hearted, Founders Centennial, and Red Racer)

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2010 03:12:37 | More by BeerAndBourbon

boyfromthenorth

Michigan

3.1/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

OK- what is it about this beer that people like so much? Ok, so was at the brewery and man is it cool. One of the coolest in America but this beer was just bitter at the finish. Not balanced, off aroma etc. And, normally when I am at a brewery everything just taste so much better. They have Gardens , FIRE, Water, Fire in Water you name it but I judge a brewery by their IPA and this didn't do it for me. Obviously, 2000 other reviewers disagree but I oh well.

Serving type: on-tap

01-29-2011 22:47:03 | More by boyfromthenorth

mmmbeer

Massachusetts

3.13/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12 oz. with no freshness date, but I've kept it for a several months to see what would happen. Served chilled in an enlarged flute. Pours an orangey color with a 1 finger tan head that leaves sticky lacing. Aroma consists of citric and piney hops with biscuity malts behind it. The flavor is the same but has an overpowering wet paper character that lets you know it is past its prime. It has a medium body and nice carbonation considering. When it was fresh it had a huge fluffy head and wonderful flavor - I will re-review when I get a fresh one.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2005 19:04:06 | More by mmmbeer

LucaBrasi

New York

3.13/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear golden amber color with a foamy white head. The head sticks around lacing the glass. The smell is sweet and strong with well.... hops and citrus. The taste is of.... hops and finishes with a grapefruit citrus. The mouthfeel is smooth and lightly carbonated. Drinkable.... yes.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2005 04:53:54 | More by LucaBrasi

PeatReek

California

3.13/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Very pale body, mostly yellow/amber with a hint of orange, and cloudy. Head is chunky and fizzy, looks to be dissolving pretty quickly down to 1/4". Aroma: Hops! Piney and spicy, very very grassy. First time a beer's aroma has ever actually reminded me of a freshly mowed lawn. A little bit of paprika, and salt? That's the kind of spicy I mean. Taste mostly the same. Moderately thin body somewhat overwhelmed by the hop flavor and bitterness, with a significant fusel-"hot" component. I'm a huge fan of Bell's Two Hearted so I thought I'd be all for a nice pale IPA, but... I'd have to pass on multiple pints of Stone IPA.

What is everyone else seeing here?? I'll have to give this another try at some point.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2006 04:20:18 | More by PeatReek