IPA (India Pale Ale) - Stone Brewing Co.

jtingue

New York

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On cask at Ashleys in Ann Arbor.

Appearance. Very cloudy with visible chucks of yeast floating around. Nice 2 fingers of off white head that retains extremely well.

Smell. Surprising presence of yeast. Dominated, though, by a nice floral hop aroma.

Taste. Starts with a nice sweetness and a slowly building hop bitterness, which takes over for a while. A candy like sweetness returns with some yeasty esters. This is accompanied by medicinal and herbal hops with a slight citrus as well. This lingers to the finish.

Mouthfeel. Simply amazing. Creamy body with a tight carbonation.

This is a completely different, and frankly better, beer on cask. So much complexity, that its almost not like an ipa.

Serving type: cask

10-07-2011 02:29:47 | More by jtingue

hooliganlife

Missouri

3.8/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

cask ipa dry hopped with simcoe

pour was light and hazy golden yellow with a ever slight hint of orange. little to no head.

nice light citrus on the nose. a pale malty biscuit undertone.

the malt and hop mix was balanced quite well. this was not overly hoppy at all. there was a nice light grapefruit and tangerine flavor.

light body with a light carbonation.

this was good, but was a bit lacking overall. i'd like to see a bit more hops with this being their IPA. still a treat though!

Serving type: cask

04-22-2011 17:31:07 | More by hooliganlife

augustgarage

California

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Hand pump cask at Blue Palms in Hollywood. Served in a nonic. This version on cask is "Stone IPA With Centennial Hops."

Hazy tangerine body with amber highlights. A thick dense sudsy ivory head with limitless retention and average lacing.

This is not at all the assertive hop-forward beverage I was expecting. Instead, the aroma is very clean and restrained, suggesting toasty malts and English digestive biscuits backed by a light fruitiness (citrus and melon) and an herbal/floral note from the hops. Very distinctive though difficult to verbalize.

Malt balanced, toasty, and spicy/herbal flavors dominate: fresh thyme, cardamom, and faint vanilla pods... The finish brings on a very well balanced citrus-kissed bitterness, but nothing like you would normally expect from Stone (Ruination this ain't).

Rich medium-light body with modest carbonation (as expected from cask).

A very different beer on cask with a superior drinkability.

Serving type: cask

02-10-2010 21:18:56 | More by augustgarage

DeathbySexyBT

Texas

4.58/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A: Bright gold with perfect lacing and a perfect head that remains throughout.

S: This cask had Amarillos added to it and even the most novice of beer drinkers can smell them immediately. Fruity notes as well as herbs.

T: Hop spice up front. The beautiful thing about this cask is that by adding the Amarillos another dimension was added without obliterating the other flavors.

M: Bubbly and happy. You will feel and taste the Amarillo hops for some time after this beer is finished.

D: I marked the drinkability down half a point on this because I am not sure if I would want to drink Amarillo hops all evening.

Serving type: cask

07-27-2009 14:43:29 | More by DeathbySexyBT

HalfFull

California

4.08/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From cask, pumped into a pint glass. This brew pours a hazy golden yellow in color with a full inch of head, reducing UP to a half inch of head as the beer settles. I say this as the froth of the beer engine did resemble a nitrogen pour initially. Offers strong retention and good lacing.

Smell is very clean and hoppy, with a touch of malt undertones. The Centennial hop seems well suited to the cask as I've had other, more citric/floral IPA's on cask which didn't fair as well and seem better suited to regular draft.

Taste follows suit and offers a wonderful texture on the feel. Any bitterness is put on the shelf per se and well masked behind the yeast and cask influence. Nice drinkability but limited a bit by the underlying beverage. I've found Stone IPA to whither out before the end of the glass in the past, but the cask version does seem to hold on just until the end, but not by much.

Quite nice and much preferred over the more available standard draft given the body of the beer.

Serving type: cask

01-09-2009 06:59:30 | More by HalfFull

chrisafari

California

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On Cask (hand-pump) @ Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens. Special release with Summit and Amarillo Hops. Pours light golden yellow, cloudy. Small clear white head. Sweet, orange aroma with a definite kick of hops. Starts off with sweet tangerine/lemon notes then becomes intensely hoppy with accompanying spice and Ting. Hops spread to the sides and back of the tongue. Cask gives the pallet a smooth rich texture with perfect carbonation. Lingers a long time on the back of the tongue. Great stuff!

Serving type: cask

09-11-2008 00:27:28 | More by chrisafari

nomad

Kansas

4.88/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Thank you to Stone and the Blind Tiger for making this twist on this beer happen:

Poured a softly opaque orange with a slight gold tone, real nice to look at. No lace but a soft tiny bubbled head. Nose was extremely fruity, yeasty, and grassy, but calmly so, as these scents were much more well blended than the bottled version. Fabulously brilliant smells, truly. Taste was perfectly grapefruity, even a little sweet fruity, and was paired with the most well-toned hops I’ve ever tasted. The biscuit flavor was perfectly between real chewy and real thin.

The cask conditioning took away the salty tastes, made the sour more complex (yeah for the magic of wood), and rounded all the other flavors and scents together. This casking brought the classic IPA characteristics to an astounding height and smoother blend, and turned my highly unfavorable view of IPAs around. This beer floored me like none other - this is what happens when you take a top (the top?) IPA and cask condition (oooh, aaah) it. BRAVO.

Serving type: cask

03-24-2003 13:53:57 | More by nomad

Dantes

New Jersey

4.7/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: ~10oz. of rare cask-conditioned IPA in a tulip glass at the Stone 12 event. Served a bit cold. Cost: $5.

Appearance: Typical casked-beer appearance. Thin, loose head that quickly resolved down to a thin, patchy skim. The amber-tinged yellow body was appropriately cloudy, warming my heart in anticipation. Very fine beading that suggested subtle carbonation. This was one of my early samples, so I was able to hold this to the daylight.

Smell: A very rich, hoppy, herbaceous aroma arose from the beer. Not resinously piney, but more like fresh, clean pine-scented mountain air.

Taste: Having been warned by Greg, I expected a palate-assaulting wave of hop bitterness. I was immediately impressed by how refreshing and delicious this beer actually was. I am constantly decrying the tendency of some beers to try and out-hop or out-ABV the competition. This beer never forgets that it is meant to be a pleasurable experience. As expected, the subtle, cask carbonation really lets the flavor of this beer fully express itself. Clean herbaceous flavors vie with the malt backbone, resulting in a wonderfully balanced, distinctive IPA. Has a yeastier, deeper flavor than the draught, which lasted long through the finish.

Mouthfeel: Delightfully smooth, cool, and satisfying. Compared to the “regular” draught IPA that followed, this was smoother and tastier and a bit less brittle.

Drinkability: Frightfully drinkable. This brew is the workhorse of the line; more complex and satisfying than the Pale Ale and less over the top than the Ruination. The alcohol is undetectable (although 6.9% ABV isn’t all that high). An ultra-high quality session beer I could drink all day.

Greg warned me not to have this as my first beer at the Stone/Blind Tiger event as I had planned because he thought it would be too hoppy and aggressive to start with; so I took his suggestion of the Pale Ale instead. Big mistake. Although the Pale Ale was good, it was a bit one-dimensional and thin. In contrast, I thought that the Ruination tried too hard. This beer is everything a great IPA should be, and on cask it is even better than draught. Now, I will have to seek out the bottles. Along with the Oaked Arrogant Bastard, the star of the tasting.

Bottom Line: As Goldilocks said after trying the Pale Ale and Ruination, “This is juuust right!”

Serving type: cask

03-19-2003 14:01:16 | More by Dantes

Arithmeticus

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured chilled in standard ale glass

A: dark orange; very little head; carb is good, but the bubbles are inert; little lacing
S: very hoppy, lively; aroma lasts quite a while; promises much in the way of hops
T: sweet, intense IPA; quite lively; strong in the finishing hops
M: viscous, thick mouthfeel

This is an amazing IPA, but to be had only on occasion, because of the intensity

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 02:32:05 | More by Arithmeticus

Roguer

Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A - Pours a surprisingly dark orange-copper color. Very small cream head. Nice amount of carbonation. Thick but translucent. Leaves nice lacing on the glass.

S - Has the fresh citrus, grapefruit scent I would expect. Not overpowering.

T - Hop-forward, with a surprisingly strong element of malts. Grapefruit peel on the backend. The malts give it a caramel feel, while the citrus is definitely not as pronounced as I would have expected. There's a little bit of citrus sweetness, separate from the notable maltiness.

M - Very nice, mouthy and thick, but drinkable. I don't see this as an all-day drink. The alcohol is very well-hid (granted, it's only 6.9% ABV), the flavors are well-blended, and the carbonation doesn't bother the tongue or palate at all.

O - This is very good, very drinkable, a good example of an IPA. It's neither as thick nor flavorful as a DIPA, but there's certainly no lack of hops, and it provides surprising balance and complexity.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 20:01:47 | More by Roguer

Connormick

Michigan

3.78/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The IPA from Stone Brewing Co. was poured from the bottle into a clean pint glass. It had a smaller head (1-1.5 inches) but it was nicely shaped.

The part of this IPA that bothered me the most was the appearance. It seems like a plain looking IPA, kind of a copper colored cloudy color. But it looked like there were solid particles hanging around. It may not be a big deal, but it bothered me just a bit.

The smell was my favorite part of the beer. It was incredible, an intensely strong hops smell, it practically cleared my sinuses.

The taste was a lot like the smell. A strong hoppy taste but refined with a citrus and pine-like backround. I am not really a fan of IPAs but I feel that for what this drink does, it does really really well.

Mouthfeel was fine. I could feel the carbonation but it wasn't crazy.

Overall, I'm not really a fan of IPAs. But this IPA makes such a strong identity for itself that I have to like it even if I wouldn't drink it regularly. If you REALLY like hops, it will make you happy.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 03:25:59 | More by Connormick

Bosoxfan20

Oklahoma

4.4/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A- Poured from 12oz bottle into a Speigelau IPA glass. Pours a copper color with a nice 1-1.5 finger white head. Average retention with sticky lacing. Nothing special, just looks like an IPA

S- Citrus with some floral, pine and grassy hops. Orange and grapefruit rind lead the charge to the charge to the olfactory sensors. Sweet base on the back end

T- Dynamite. Hop forward with the citrus the nose caught from the 3 Cs of hops. Maybe even a little more intense than the nose led me to believe. Just a touch of bready malts to keep the hop profile honest. It's not super balanced...and it's not trying to be. Delightfully bitter finish with a slight hint of acidity.

M- Mid body with nice carbonation. A lil slick with an oh so dry finish. Crisp, drinkable and refreshing.

O- The way an IPA should be. If I had to drink 1 IPA for the rest of my life, I certainly wouldn't be upset if this were the one. An overlooked classic here. Can't believe it took me this long to try it.

No bottled on date even though i know Stone is relentless with their dating.
Relatively inexpensive. Dont' remember what i paid for the 12oz, but i remember the bombers were only $3.99.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 21:40:10 | More by Bosoxfan20

pkalix

California

4.35/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

hazy gold with some head on top.
nice hop aroma, interesting nose impression.
lemon-y, slightly pine-y hop dominant taste. the lemon is something different than what i am accustomed to.
overall, this is a great hppy kind of brew. i get the malt that's in it, i like the abv volume, and i can do the hop flavor. the grassy kind of lemon-y is refreshing and perfect in its own right. a little bit of scotch this evening kind of pronounces the flavors a bit more, too . . . . . .

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 04:35:49 | More by pkalix

DenverHopHead

Colorado

4.41/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Very solid Cali IPA. This one makes me want to run out and get a Ruination; not sure what I'm waiting for. Stone has been consistently good for me and this IPA stamps high quality! For the price, drink this one on the beach or on the slopes, really can't go wrong!

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 22:01:06 | More by DenverHopHead

SanDNigel

California

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

What a great beer.
A- Fresh/clean looking SanDiegoIPA. Creamy off white head/bright golden body
S-Everything you want from the 3 C's absolutely mouthwatering straightforward piney/citrusy with just the right alcohol punch
T- Great. Perfect beer to drink any time/day/week/month/year in sunny San Diego. Crisp/clean/refreshing (yeah it's someone else's motto, but it is much more true of this selection)
Perfect bitter/sweet
M- Its good. Goes down easy. Pretty bubbly
This is such an undeniably good beer. Bottom line

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 01:02:04 | More by SanDNigel

EagleTalon

Arkansas

4.41/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours out to a creamy white head, concentric rings of lace, and hazy golden color. Aroma is "c" hops and sticky Carapils malt with notes of pine, citrus and cilantro. Flavor is a world class blend of pungent hops in your face, pale malt backdrop and lingering alpha acid bite. Mouthfeel is light to medium and carries the flavors well. On the whole, a damn fine American IPA made by people who stake thier rep on quality and craftsmanship.

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2013 18:49:30 | More by EagleTalon

JackMcAwesome

Florida

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Dated: 06/04/13

Poured into a mug.

Look: A hazy light gold is poured with a one finger head. The lacing is quite minimal, so I'm wondering if it's the glass. I'll edit if that changes. A constant flow of bubbles from the bottom keep feeding the head throughout.

Smell: HOPS. That's almost it for my nose. A bit of citrus. Perhaps on the grapefruit side. Everything I expected, and it lingered quite nicely.

Taste: Follows the nose completely. Upfront is all hops, which turns into citrus, and it seems to end on a honey note. Very interesting, and smooth.

Feel: Medium light carbonation. Mildly slick, but not a tipping point for me. (I'm personally not a fan of slick beers, but this one is balanced well enough, so it's not an issue.)

Overall: A great buy as pretty much everyone seems to already know, and well worth visiting again. For anyone who wants a punch in face with a hop glove, give this one a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 19:18:51 | More by JackMcAwesome

Hendry

Vermont

4.1/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Minimally hazy honey color that pours a two inch foamy head that is truly nice and hangs out for a good spell. The nose is that of a well crafted California IPA, which is hop forward and has an average citrus aroma for the style. Lacing is quite good.

Flavors are that of a well crafted West Coast IPA: punguent, piney, and slightly bitter. The aftertaste is on the bitter side and pleasant. Stone is widely available as I picked up mine at the local supermarket for a $5 bomber.

Overall, no letdowns here: a nice solid example of a Cali IPA, yet for an extra $1.50 AleSmith IPA scratches my itch in the pronounced citrus aromas/ lingering aftertaste arena for pocket change.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 03:46:25 | More by Hendry

dar482

New York

4.38/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The color is a light hazy orange.

The aroma has big hops, citrus, and grapefruit. Very expected from Stone.

The taste has a good upfront orange, then grapefruit, lemon juice, and then a big bitter dry finish that actually turns into huge tart grapefruit peel and sticks there. I wish there was more citrus punch in the front. It's a bit away from Ruination to my surprise.

The wonderful bitterness and fruity pop is great, but I don't care too much for the grassy lingering finish. Exceptional IPA, but I prefer Centennial and Union Jack. A good dry hoppy IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 02:45:46 | More by dar482

Dope

Massachusetts

4.16/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Best by 5/29/13, so quite fresh.

A: A clear medium amber pour. Big fluffy white head. Head fades very slowly.

S: Grapefruit with a little resin and caramel.

T: Lots of grapefruit and resin. Resinous hops quite strong in fact. A little bit of caramel sweetness but it gets overrun by the hops pretty easily. Waves of bitterness in the finish. Resinous, piney hops linger in the aftertaste.

M: Medium bodied, drying in the finish. Almost a little soapy in the finish too.

O: It's a pretty simple IPA but very nice. Huge on the hops with little malt backing it up - truly a west coast IPA and a standard of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 02:20:25 | More by Dope

GossageBrewery

Missouri

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured this 22 oz bottle into a pint glass. This American IPA poured a hazy golden color, produced a thick creamy head, excellent retention and excellent lacing. The aroma consisted of malted grain, citrus and pine. Medium in body, this AIPA has a foundation of malted grain, biscuit, fruity easter and dominant piney hops. Bitter and well balanced- Nice example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 20:42:38 | More by GossageBrewery

dougbassett

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

One of the "1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die" -- #20 of the ones I've reviewed here.

The paradigmatic American IPA. There are others I like better, but if I wanted to introduce a newcomer to the style, this is probably the one I would give them. It hits all the classic notes.

Pours an impressive golden brown/bronze color. The head disappears quickly but it's nice to see it while it's here. Classic nose of orange peel, lemon and dry Xmas spice -- flavors more or less the same with a terrific finish at the end -- the bitterness lasts a long, long time.

Like some other beers I've tried of it's type, I think it's only real fault is that the body/mouthfeel is really too light to support the flavors contained therein. This would've been even better at a heavier concentration.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 23:30:59 | More by dougbassett

gr0g

New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Amber in color, slightly hazy. Solid two-finger head that leaves a nice sudsy ring around the crown of my pint glass. Plentiful hop aromas, primarily of grapefruity citrus with a touch of pine. When I first got into IPAs, the aroma score would've been higher, but Stone's IPA lacks the tropical fruit notes present in other top-notch IPAs. Still, pleasantly floral and yet pungent, letting you know the hops are in charge of this beer.

Flavor is bitter from start to finish, and while it isn't balanced by any definition, there's still a solid malt profile. Grapefruit on the palate as in the nose, some resin follows, and some slightly sweet caramel notes finish it off. Spritzy carbonation and slightly oily texture give it a mouthfeel that's an ideal match for the flavor.

Overall score gets a bump because of ubiquity and consistent quality. For "old-school" C-hop IPAs, Stone's is hard to beat.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 22:42:48 | More by gr0g

capnamerica

Arkansas

4.93/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Stone Brewing IPA from San Diego

A - Hazy light golden with a nice white head.

S - Excessively hoppy with strong pine notes. Dank/pungent herbal aroma.

T - Extreme hops right away. Moderate bitterness with a dry yet refreshing finish.

O - One of the best beers I've had. Very anxious to try more Stone Brewing products.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 02:01:19 | More by capnamerica

CorvetteMike

Rhode Island

5/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

IPA has been my beer of choice for any years. I live close to Boston and have sampled many local IPS's. One local Eastcoast beer has been my favorite until now. This Stone IPA has received a 5 star rating because it is a superior beer.

a: Wonderful honey color.
s: Light hop/citrus smell.
t: Well balanced smooth taste.
m: Medium body with no after taste, smooth.
o: Best Westcoast IPA.

This beer does not need any improvement.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 19:24:34 | More by CorvetteMike