IPA (India Pale Ale) - Stone Brewing Co.

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

cgarviereg

United Kingdom (Scotland)

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

Bottle at home from my Great Brittish Beer Festival haul ... Colour is amber with pretty much no head ...light sweet hop nose ... Big malty front with a long juicy pine hop linger ... quite dry ... more like i expect froma pale ale than a IPA... Ok but not really hitting the spot for me

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2008 18:15:53 | More by cgarviereg

IMincedTheKing

New Jersey

3.13/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours the color of tea with a foamy, white, inch-tall head that dissipates slowly. Attractive lacing.

The nose is wonderful with a big smell of citrus and pine. Hoppy, sharp, and herbal. Not quite something I'd wear as a cologne, but oh-so-close.

The major flavor is of pine and citrus rinds, with a hop bitterness that I find slightly overbearing. Making everything worse is the thin, flat, and astringent mouthfeel; while it tastes okay, I can't get past the fact that I'd rather swallow it right quick and get rid of it (leaving a delicious aftertaste, by the way) than hold it in my mouth and pick apart the flavors.

Sadly, though it seemed promising, I don't see myself revisiting this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2009 11:31:49 | More by IMincedTheKing

Infamous7100

Ohio

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

Please be aware this review comes from a non Hop Head.

Had this one on tap from the Cock and Bull in Glendale, Ohio.

A: Amber in color, possible mahogany.
S: Very citrusy, a lot of grapefruit coming through. Some pine as well.
T: The hops are huge. The citrus/grapefruit hits at first and the grapefruit sticks around and turns to the hoppy bitterness.
M: The bitterness sticks around for a while and the beer packs a nice bite. The hops and citrus flavor mask the alcohol a bit, but the tongue feels the effects.
D: If you are a Hop Head, this is a great beer. If you are not, it's worth a shot. It does what a good, hoppy beer should do. Satisfies your taste buds and hangs around on your pallete a while.

Serving type: on-tap

04-15-2009 01:23:44 | More by Infamous7100

PartyBear

United Kingdom (England)

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

Poured from a 355ml/12oz bottle into a pint glass.

A - Pale (no surprise there) straw colour, with a decent head, however the head fades pretty sharpish. Mild carbonation with fine bubbles.

S - Clear hops, with light fruits. There is definite orange notes, and a lemony sharpness coming through.

T - The first flavours are fruity, predominantly lemon. Then it's all hops, providing a leveled bitterness to the end. The taste is quite earth, and the grassy hops add to this.

M - Quite light and fizzy on the tongue.

D - Far too hoppy for me, to the point of overpowering my taste buds. Not one of the best IPAs that I have tasted.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2009 21:03:46 | More by PartyBear

TheOtherMike

Michigan

3.13/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

As a fan of Stone's Pale Ale and IPAs in general, I thought this would be much better than what I found. It is sometimes available in my area.

I would not consider this offering to be "over-the-top" for an IPA as is Bell's "Two-Hearted". But it does somehow just miss the mark for what I prefer. I think the presence of PINE is overdone.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2010 01:25:42 | More by TheOtherMike

LarryV

Massachusetts

3.15/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a deep golden amber color with a nice head. Musty, citrusy aroma is inviting. Leaves a nice lacing down the side of the glass as you savor it. Nicely balanced with a creamy mouth feel. A nice IPA. However, I happened to do a side by side comparison with Wachusett's IPA, and the Wachusett comes pretty damn close to this in quality and taste, and is about 2/3 the price.

- Updated 12/16/2008 -

Maybe my palate has changed since my original review 11/01/2004, but I find it difficult to enjoy this beer these days. Aroma is a bit sour, reminds me of homebrew for lack of a better description. Huge hoppiness with a grapefruit like twang, but the problem is that it lacks balance. A more assertative malt backbone would make it less of a one dimensional brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2004 20:48:39 | More by LarryV

gatornation

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

stone ipa looks good out of the bottle great straw/orange color with good lacing... after that everything is just a bit above average the smell and taste is ok and drinkable.. it is smooth and a good beer ... but i think it is overrated. the hops are bitter/weak and the pine, grapefruit, and citrus aromas are just not there as i would expect from a" legendary" IPA. this is still a decent IPA...just not one i would keep on rotation.. but still try it if you can find it

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2009 23:53:01 | More by gatornation

AWolfAtTheDoor

California

3.15/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

What is it with me and Stone. I just can't wrap my head around their hop profiling. I love the RIS, Smoked Porter and Old Guardian, but I just don't like (m)any of their main offerings.

Poured into my pint glass. Nice foamy head, respectable lacing throughout the session.

Smell, typical stone hopped smell. Like this dysfunctional marriage of pine and citrus.

Taste is more of the same. Very piny, with some bastardized sour citrus thrown in.

Mouthfeel can best be described as "blech" as the sourness lingers from a relatively syrupy beer.

Got to be one of my least favorite IPAs. If you are forced to drink this against your will, I would suggest letting it warm way up. I drank the second half of the bomber at damn near room temperature, and it was much more palatable that way. I have had more than one of these, but I bought this bomber specifically to review it. Won't be buying anymore in the future. It's not all Stone's fault; there is some STEEP competition out here on the west coast. Just goes to show that any gorilla can dump a truck load of hops into the brewing vat. It takes an artist to carefully choreograph the delicate balance that makes a beer truly great.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2010 07:01:53 | More by AWolfAtTheDoor

Hoagie1973

New York

3.15/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Slightly hazy golden amber with a 1 & 1/2 finger foamy head. Plenty of sticky lacing.
Piney, citric hop nose with some underlying bready malt.
Starts sweet and fruity then transitions late into a overly strong acrid bitterness in the finish that continues to intensify long after the sip.
Creamy smooth mouthfeel.
Fresh and tasty to start, but too much straight bitterness way too long into the finish for my taste.
Not my favorite IPA.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 22:57:00 | More by Hoagie1973

woodske1

Pennsylvania

3.18/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Very powerful hop smell and aroma. It makes for a HopHead type of beer. One review sums it up best "Well attenuated and very bitter, yet still a little malt character to balance."

I can't say it any better so I will steal that line. It's prolly the Stone Brewings best offering.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2009 18:38:18 | More by woodske1

AleWatcher

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured into standard pint glass--

It is a darker golden color, with bone white head rising 3 fingers. Very thick sheets of lace.

Sweet malty smell and a piney/resin hop presence. Taste has sweet caramel malt with a pine hop bitterness. Huge abrasive bitterness. The hop oil really coats your mouth and teeth, leaving everything feeling dirty and gritty.

This has good carbonation, but overall, this just isn't my preferred take on an American IPA. There is really not a whole lot of "taste" or flavor to this, just huge bitterness. It feels like that was the intent though, so I'm not giving this a negative review. I would prefer a Bell's Two Hearted over this any day of the week.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2010 02:51:52 | More by AleWatcher

dvb

Washington

3.18/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - Golden, pilsner-like appearance, with a frothy, meringue-like head and great lacing all the way down.

S - Fresh Centennial hops. (glad I planted some rhizomes last spring!)

T - A pretty typical IPA offering. A little stronger than some, but by no means high ABV. A bit more floral/citrus than, say, a Bridgeport, but also a bit more bitter. Similar to Titan IPA from Great Divide, but a little less sweet. I do prefer Titan to the Stone offering, but I'm a malt freak.

M - Very nice. Perfect amount of carbonation, a little residual stickiness without being heavy.

D - For me, this is just a little too bitter to be a "session" beer, but I could easily have a second.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2010 20:39:41 | More by dvb

jmerloni

Massachusetts

3.18/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Orange/amber with nice sticky white head.

S - Hops, citrus, and more hops.

T - Surprisingly not much flavor. Citrus, hops, and a light brown sugar malt. There's some citrus rind in here as well.

M - Light to medium-boided. Almost watery, but swallows nice and even.

D - I don't really understand this beer. There's not much here. It's watery and there's hardly any mouthfeel at all. Don't think I'd get this again. Not impressed.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 05:44:21 | More by jmerloni

stouty1

Michigan

3.2/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Poured into my nonic tumbler with minimal head and no lacing. Retained a small fringe around the rim.
S: Flowery aromas gush at you immediately and then fade away to a hoppy smell.

T: Bland with a small hint of hops late in the drink. Not too much taste, probably due to the high carbonation washing away any flavor.

M: Fizzy with a left over dryness at the back of your mouth. Hard to swallow right away, this one needs to be dealt with by your taste buds first. Then the carbonation washes away everything.

D: Easy to drink if you can get past the carbonation. Did I say carbonation? My tongue feels numb and smooth. Not much warming from alcohol as one would expect.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2006 03:33:27 | More by stouty1

vickersspitfire

Texas

3.2/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Stone IPA has a nice fruity/malty aroma. It’s a nice golden copper color with some mild carbonation and a thin flat white head that look really tasty. It hits your tongue with a nice crisp taste that is followed up by a thick malty flavored aftertaste that has a hint of sweetness to it and goes down quite easily.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2007 23:47:29 | More by vickersspitfire