IPA (India Pale Ale) - Stone Brewing Co.

TastyTaste

Minnesota

4.93/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Medium to light gold color for an IPA, nice fluffy head slow fading with good lacing.

Smell: Sweet floral hops, careml, piney, citrusy, everything you'd want from an IPA, very good.

Taste: Excellent, lots of bitter citrus, like grapefruit, some carmel sweetness. Finishes a little minty, with lots of lingering bitterness. Very good.

Mouthfeel: Carbonated enhances the bitterness, leaves a sticky mouthfeel.

Drinkability: Wonderful brew, a world calss IPA, one of the best I have had in a while. Thanks to OldFrothingSlosh for the bottle, par of BIF 24.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2005 21:52:40 | More by TastyTaste

GregBrewski

Michigan

4.93/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Served in a wiezen glass, quite a sight...plenty of bubbles rushing to the top, nice clear golden color, with a head that maintains its retention through out its brief life in my glass, nice white, fluffy head, that left layers of lacing from the very top to the bottom of the glass. The aroma changes with temperature of the brew, starts very floral and just hints of spice and citrus, as it warms up and gains more character it looses its floral tones and becomes a complex mixture of citrus, malts, and chocolates or caramels. The taste is tantalizing, I keep searching for more. Its a well balanced mixture of smooth malts in the front to the lovely flavors of the hops in the finish. Perfect in carbonation, a good body, and well concealed alcohol.
This is an IPA that defines the style in my view, very well rounded, very hop-y, very tasty! Its not only a great session beer, but a beer that can be enjoyed at any time and moment (at least for us hop heads out there).
Now, the challenge lays, were can I find more, good thing they come in bombers.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2006 00:36:28 | More by GregBrewski

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

4.93/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Holy Hoppiness, Batman...
This is one Hoppy Beer!

I gave this a bunch of 5's because I think Stone has nailed it.

It pours a brassy/amber color with a thick rich white head that left a sheet of lacing.

It smells like delicious citrusy hops!

Upfront taste is strong citrus hops with a hint of malt to balance it out smoothly.

Medium bodied beer with a smooth mouthfeel.

I love drinking this beer, exeptional drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2007 23:18:32 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

eandolina

Pennsylvania

4.93/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The Stone IPA is simply an excellent embodiment of this beer style. The IPA is my favorite style and Stone perfectly nails it. You usually need to go to a brewpub to get an IPA of this quality. It has all the elements essential to an IPA.
A good beer is much like a good woman; simple, clean, hard-working, and affordable--that is the Stone IPA.

Simply sublime!!!

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2008 01:07:10 | More by eandolina

greenjeff4141

Florida

4.93/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a nice rich gold with not much head but good lacing. The smell is like being in a field of hops.

I took my first sip-- smooth as silk. Giant hop flavor, very mellow, and great balance. Not too bitter but tons of hops. Unnaturally easy to drink. Hands down my favorite IPA to date. If you don't like hops try a different brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2009 01:25:45 | More by greenjeff4141

quinlin

California

4.93/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - Pours a fresh golden color, with a lacy head and nice retention on the glass.

S - Smells of citrus and pine.

T - floral sweetness that gets outshined by bold and delicious hop bitter.

M - Crisp, light/med body, clean, good amount of carbonation.

D - An allround great IPA, ill definitely have another.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2009 20:21:03 | More by quinlin

greengorilla

Ohio

4.93/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I poured this from a 12 ounce bottle into a pint glass. It is a light golden color with a one finger thick white head with excellent lacing to the end of the glass.

The smell just knocked me out. It just makes my mouth water. The floral hops smell was incredible.

The taste followed the smell. It was hops from start to finish with a hint of pine in there somewhere.

The mouthfeel was very good too. This beer is incredibly drinkable period, but insane for a 6.9% abv. I was only planning on having one, but couldn't stop.

This is a great beer. I think it is the best IPA that I have had.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2009 14:07:51 | More by greengorilla

rwrk42

New Jersey

4.93/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Golden color that has a nice froth and lace

Smell: HOPS, HOPS and more Hops. Very nice smell of hops with a slight fruity undertone.

Taste: A great amount of hops at first taste. Incredible character of hops but very smooth at the same time. A bit of a bitter finish from all the hops but it is just perfect.

One of the best IPAs you can buy. Highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2010 05:21:20 | More by rwrk42

hopfacebrew

Colorado

4.93/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from brown 12oz bottle to pint glass. No dates.

A - The beer pours a nice amber color. Perfectly clear. A nice fluffy 2.5 finger white head with very good retention and lacing.

S - A great blend of pungent, spicy, herbal, fruity hops immediately on the pour! Very aromatic. Behind the hops is a hint of alcohol and toasted malt. Very good.

T - Very similar to the nose with a rush of hop presence on the palate. Piney, earthy, herbal tones immediately before expanding to a medium bitterness with herbal and fruity character. Very hop forward but a nice base toasted grain foundation.

M - Very smooth. Medium bodied and carbonated. Creamy almost.

O - Easily one of the best AIPA's out there. Great great beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 18:11:16 | More by hopfacebrew

nate714

California

4.93/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

served in a 22oz bottle.
A: a nice copper color. a finger and a half of white foam top. very nice.
S: hops and more hops! a hint of grapefruit is present. what all ipa's should smell like.
T: bitter and a lil fruity. more on the bitter side,but, very smooth.
M: very smooth and a great non lasting taste for an ipa.
O: not many ipa's can top this one. if im in the store and i want to have a good night, this is my go to beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 04:31:10 | More by nate714

C20Percent

Virginia

4.93/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

*Review taken from notes*

A: A hazy golden color with nice head retention.

S: I'm getting a hoppy pine aroma with a hint of sweetness.

T: Delicious hoppy flavor with a great finish.

M: Medium body. Gentle.

O: This is the IPA that set the standard for me. This is the beer that all other IPAs are compared to. A terrific smooth tasting IPA. So much flavor here. An A+ beer; one of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 19:40:36 | More by C20Percent

capnamerica

Arkansas

4.93/5  rDev +15.7%
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

Badger72

Louisiana

4.91/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

To me this beer is the benchmark for any good IPA. When I drink an IPA I always compare it to Stone because it is my favorite beer to drink. It's the beer that I always seem to come back to and always enjoy. It has a good ABV, but it is hidden well. The smell is fantastic and you can really smell the hops. The taste is very in your face like any IPA, but in a good way. The taste is very hoppy and with a hint of pine. This is a great beer and a staple for any craft beer drinker.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 13:52:03 | More by Badger72

MattBrooks

Massachusetts

4.9/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I had tried this brew in a 22 oz. bottle a while back, and recently bought a six pack to try at home. It was a little late at night when I got home from work, went to the fridge, grabbed a bottle-opened it and took a swig. I suddenly thought to myself "what am I doing?" I grabbed a pint glass and slowly poured this delicate libation in. I brought the glass to my nose and took in the aromas. "This must be what Bavaria smells like", I thought aloud. This beer has a golden hue and a nose of FRESH hops to it. I was once again, amazed by Stone, it smelled so fresh! The mouthfeel is heavy and the taste is quite strong, starting off hoppy and light like most IPA's but finishing with a little bit more bitterness than I was expecting. Which was a good thing. A perfect brew for anytime of year.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2005 12:24:06 | More by MattBrooks

hustlesworth

Ohio

4.9/5  rDev +15%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

i'm not gonna glorify this any more than i have to. the best IPA i've ever had.
'06 vintage.

A- 1 1/2in off white creamy chunky build-able foam has great retention settling to 1/4in disc leaving lots of sticky lace in waves and tabby cat spots and stripes over the hazy vibrant orange apricot colored elixir.

S- bready and sweet with spicy fruity citrus and tropical notes, starfruit, guava, mango, melon, and banana come to mind. the best part is the milky toffee cream marshmallow in the thick dense aroma. it's unlike anything i've ever imagined.

T- bittersweet citrus, grapefruit herbal pine, orange cream with a tropical tart cranberry splash, grains, cashew, aromatic wood, lightly toasted malt, earthy meaty spiced pork, pine sap, and a warm creamy fruity buttery bakery fresh yum. this is way too complex, i believe it exceeds that arrogant bastard. herbal lemon pineapple resinous hop aftertaste lingers for a while before transforming into a smooth cured tobacco dryness that doesn't go away. perfectly blended and full of character.

MF- soft and creamy and silky smooth, medium carbonation, like a beautiful goddess is making love to my face.

D- the only things that would stop me from drinking this exclusively are:
1) availability
2) i still wanna try everything possible
3) i wouldn't wanna "get used to" the subtleties and amazing nuances this shit has got goin on let's have a round of applause for STONE (again) everybody.

EDIT: i dug another one out of my secret stash, this one has the date 21.1.05 debossed into the bottle so that makes it 3 years old! math! head was less vigorous, made about 1/2in settles fast but left alot of lace. where's it come from? same marshmallow milky toffee fruity hop aroma, but in the taste hops are more subdued, but much more developed and complex. as are the malts but the hops are the star from start to the long dry finish. cocoa butter sandalwood tropical fruit and alcohol! i really hop i can find some more of this shit.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2007 22:35:52 | More by hustlesworth

billybob

Massachusetts

4.9/5  rDev +15%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

pours a honey golden color with a large white head and lots of sticky lace nice aromas of piney hops and fruit and spices. taste is fruity and sweet with hops from begining to finish. medium body good carbonation smooth and well balanced. great tasting beer will be looking for more.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2008 18:09:11 | More by billybob

SpencerSauce

Virginia

4.9/5  rDev +15%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Opened the bottle cap with the back of the blade on a machete like usual. haha seriously

A- looked golden with soo many bubbles. quite clear

S- like walking through a forrest of pine. Lots of pine and some citrus especially grapefruit. Hops are amazing

T- Grapefruit is most prominent. with pine and floral notes. The bitterness takes away alot of the taste at the end.

M- crisp and bitter.

D- easy, one of my favorite IPA's

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2009 14:42:44 | More by SpencerSauce

BobJustBob

New Mexico

4.9/5  rDev +15%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a bottle into a 16 Oz. dimpled mug.
Where do I start?!
From the immense delicious head and traditional strawberry blonde haze that typifies a classic IPA to the intense spicy hoppyness, this is one incredible American-style IPA. Probably the best one I've tried yet.
The lacing is worth a note. It covers the whole glass, right to the bottom.
One point I need to make about this Beer, is that it isn't Hopped to the point where the Malty character doesn't come through. It's there, sure enough and perfectly balances the brew.
Although the ABV is fairly low, a few of these at the bar would still warrant a designated driver. It hits the brain like liquid Marijuana! Be advised and drink (ir)responsibly. (and I'm no light-weight.)
This is a classic that nobody should go through a lifetime without trying.
Essential!

---Edit---
Every time I do an IPA tasting, this one still comes out on top.
If there was a higher rating than an A+ I would give it to this Beer. The bottled version is astounding. On tap, it's enough to provoke spontaneous combustion.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2010 17:58:54 | More by BobJustBob

politicsandbeer

Massachusetts

4.9/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Stone's IPA is the darling of hopheads far and wide. It's so adored I feel like I'm venturing into the lions den with this one. So here's my confession: I've tried it multiple times on draft at the beer wonderland Redbones in Davis Sq, Somerville and it totally failed to impress every single time, to the point where I'd had sworn off trying it anymore. Until now. I threw a 12oz into my 6-mix in a last ditch effort to find something endearing.

The pour was thick and with a solid head of foam. I can't even begin to describe the aroma. Well here goes: Fantastic! Deep green hops! Velvety sweet, soft and wonderful! If the beer stopped here I'd be happy. It smelled freaking awesome!

Ok, so I was damn impressed from the beginning. But the next hurdle was the taste. First sip was an assault of nasal filling hoppiness that zig-zagged all over my palette. Very hop oil heavy, some serious pine sap, grapefruit, minor citrus and it got greasy and a little leafy. Thankfully there was a solid amount of sweetness to back it up but it definitely didn't eclipse the hops.

Another attribute that really made this ale such a success was the thick, creamy mouthfeel while the carbonation kept it feeling a little frothy.

The aftertaste was full of little pinpricks of piney bitterness on the palette, like little electrical charges "fzzzting" and crackling. The oil left a really nice coating on the tongue. Visually, a heavy lacing clung to the glass the whole way down.

After I was done with this glass I was absolutely craving another one. I'll have to stick to bottles for this puppy from now on because this was one helluva great ale.

Speaking of bottles, they have very unique labels, or lack thereof. I looked into it since it's obvious they don't glue paper labels onto their bottles. Instead they use a process called Applied Ceramic Labeling which consists of silk screening their logo onto the bottle and then firing it at @ 1150 degrees so the color actually becomes part of the bottle. Über nifty!

politicsandbeer.com

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2010 17:31:13 | More by politicsandbeer

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.9/5  rDev +15%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The quintessential American IPA. Poured with a nice, large, off white, foamy, frothy, head that lasts a long time and lots of lace. Color is a clear amber with some bubble trails. Aroma is hop, malt, citrus, pine, fresh baked bread, grass. Flavor is huge hop/malt bittersweet thing with perfect carbonic tang. Body and carbonation are perfect. Finish has just the right length and is like flavor. This is beer baby.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 00:59:05 | More by drpimento

nomad

Kansas

4.88/5  rDev +14.6%
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

mwc115

Arizona

4.88/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I used to like crappy beers, or actually maybe I didn't even like them really... I just drank them. Until a friend got me trying some REAL beers and turned me onto Stone Brew. I've had their AB which is a treat, but recently decided to put Stone IPA on tap at my house because it's drinkability is better. This is a truely great beer. My most favorite part is the smell. After my first few glasses I can anticipate sniffing the hops and then getting a good taste of them afterward. If you want (with a tap anyway) you can make a nice head on the beer making quite attractive with a rich yellow/orange color. Has a nice smooth mouth feel as it slides down with a delicious hoppy flavor. Malt and alcohol are present but the hops mutes them. Definately has a bitter ending, which I've grown to like. It fades after half a glass, but can be quite aweful if you had anything sweet as it has a hint of grapefruit at the end. This is probably one of the first beers I take nice long draws from because it actually is that enjoyable. As a word of advice, I see this beer being hated by the average macrobrew beer drinker.

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2006 21:22:15 | More by mwc115

NolateM

Connecticut

4.88/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured into a pint glass. This beer pours shimmering clear-orange with a thick frothy white head, some decent lacing.

The aroma is citrusy and hoppy, bright with orange-zest.

The flavor is the definition of the IPA. Just the right amount of hops to put it a little bit over the top, just the right bitterness, just the right amount of more-than-subtle citrusy acidity, just a tiny bit of pine-like flavor. The mouthfeel is perfect, it goes down so incredibly smooth, finishes clean but still lingers just a tiny bit so you don't forget how great it is. It doesn't taste AT ALL like 6.9% alcohol.

This might be the smoothest IPA on the face of the earth. This is what it's all about. This is why I love India Pale Ale.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2006 17:59:38 | More by NolateM

blsfreak

Indiana

4.88/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Yet another outstanding brew from Stone. The color is great, the smell is hoppy without being overbearing, and this is one of the best IPA's I have had to date. I could drink way too many of these, they go down smoothly and taste wonderful. The brewmaster at Stone never stops amazing me.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2006 03:42:34 | More by blsfreak

mattgert

Ohio

4.88/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Excellent IPA. Nice citrus/hop smell, pours amber/gold with nice head and lacing to the end. Has a great bitter hop smack with refreshing citrus notes followed by a malt backbone to balance things out. For an IPA I think this is a little on the mild side for hop bitterness. Very well balanced and exceptional in every aspect. So glad to have found this one!... especially since Three Floyds is on standby in Cincy...

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2006 01:22:36 | More by mattgert