Stone Xocoveza

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Stone/Abnormal/Paul Bischeri & Patrick Martinez Neapolitan Dynamite

The Stats
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 8.5%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.8/5
- Untappd: 3.94/5
- RateBeer: N/A

"The beer from this year’s winners of Stone Brewing Co.’s annual Homebrew Competition & AHA Rally: As with past winners, the name is a mouthful: Paul Bischeri & Patrick Martinez/Abnormal Beer Co./Stone Neapolitan Dynamite. The beer itself is an 8.5 percent ABV imperial stout brewed with chocolate, vanilla, strawberries and coffee. It comes from Paul Bischeri and Patrick Martinez, who won last year’s competition. As part of their victory, the winners get to brew the beer at Stone’s facility and then it gets bottled and released. In addition to Bischeri and Martinez, Stone enlisted the help of Derek Gallanosa from Abnormal Beer Co. in San Diego to “bring this ice cream sundae of a beer to life in full scale."

Beautiful, Shane Diesel pour with a pitch black body and a dark brown head.

Some nice roasted coffee up front, but everything else is either lacking or incredibly subtle. I do detect a the ghosts of vanilla and strawberry past, but chocolate is a little harder to come by. It's more of the chocolate malt notes you get with a standard Imperial Stout rather than any added chocolate as an adjunct.

The taste is like a bad report card from elementary school: The flavors participate in class, but they do not follow directions. Everything is here, but it doesn't wow the palate.

I pick up the strawberry first and it leaves a fruity extract coating over everything. Lots of bitter, iced coffee seems to try and dominate and it has a creamy component to it, which I attribute to the vanilla. I will say that there is a fluffy milk chocolate taste that I am really enjoying and it is almost the beers saving grace. Imagine being a kid blowing bubbles in your chocolate milk and you will understand. Hidden deep in the back is almost a smoky flavor, which was unexpected, but welcome.

Mouthfeel is thick with no alcohol taste. Each sip leaves a sticky coating, but it isn't chewy.

While all the flavors were here for Neapolitan Dynamite, I just don't think they were big enough to push it over the edge. I give points for the thick, fluffy mouthfeel, but some of the flavors seemed too artificial to make it truly enjoyable. This was great in theory, but just missed on the execution.

Rating
8.1/10

Review #300: Stone Imperial Russian Stout (2009 Vintage)

The Stats
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.5%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.34/5
- RateBeer: 4.18/5 (Top 50: #49)

Time to drop the balloons, lock up your daughters, gather the troops, throw a load of clothing in the dryer, make room for dessert, tie a ribbon 'round the old oak tree, and prepare for takeoff because...

IT"S REVIEW #300!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe three centuries-worth of beer reviews have come and gone? Neither can I. I'll admit I've had a lot of fun passing off my alcohol dependency as a blog for the past 299 reviews and I always like to bust out something special for each centennial. Looking through my collection (more like a small gathering), this one caught my eye. It's not that Stone's Imperial Russian Stout is hard to get (far from it), but I recall picking this one up on a trip to Vermont years ago. It was a vintage bottle back that already had a few years on it, but I tucked it away for no good reason. So I figure, why not for #300? This could also be a nice little experience with aging a beer for a prolonged period of time. My most recent memories of Stone IRS is that it is a rich and velvety Imperial Stout, but I've never had one that is close to this eight-year vintage. It's been sitting in the bottle for eight years and it is just aching to get in my tummy. Cheers to all who have been here since review #1. Here's to 300 more!

"Stone Imperial Russian Stout is so thick, rich and, well, sinful, you might worry that you'll be doomed to the fiery pits just for thinking about a sip. Rest assured, however, that even though this seemingly pernicious brew is indeed as black as sin, we guarantee that no actual sin was committed in making it...you'll have to add that on your own. This massive and intensely aromatic beer abounds with notes of chocolate, coffee, black currants, anise and roastiness, and its heavy palate is nothing to be trifled with."

Have Mercy! It pours as black and thick as Jesse Katsopolis' hair. An inky black body is topped with less than half a finger of khaki-colored head.

The aroma has roasted malts and coffee with underlying chocolate syrup and some cherry and fluffy milk chocolate.

I gotta say, for having almost a full decade on it, my initial impression is that age did not produce a knee-buckling stout. That being said, it is still the great IRS we all know and love.

No, not that one!

More intense roasted notes are present on every inch of the palate with an almost smokey quality. More chocolate this time around, but now it's dark, rich, and bitter. The cherries are back which produce a sweet cordial flavor, but some dark fruits come to the party. I mean, they didn't bring any Chex Mix, but they're here to take up space. As it transitions, there's more coffee, but it's more like dark coffee grounds and there's even some tobacco and char. Near the end an unexpected pine or tree bark flavor comes into play, but it's not that big of a factor. Overall the roasted flavors dominate.

Mouthfeel is pretty on-point for a 10.5% Russian Imperial Stout. Despite the dominant roast, this is a smooth sipper and that abv is nowhere to be found.

So, does aging this for eight years being anything new to the table? I don't personally think so, but Stone's Imperial Russian Stout has been a staple in the market for so long and there's good reason. As a stout available at pretty much any store that sells craft beer, and is probably available any time you want it, this one packs in some robust roasted flavors with dessert-like chocolate and a kick of smoke and char. It isn't going out of style any time soon.

Rating
8.7/10

See you at #400!

Review #100
Review #200

Stone/Marbe/Odell Megawheat Double IPA

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.4%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.03/5
- RateBeer: 3.65/5

"Kick back and crank it up as we’ve done all the brewing…the we being us and the special guest appearances of two heavy hitters in the indie craft beer industry: New Mexico’s Marble and Colorado’s Odell. Credited with 58 years of brewing chops, our trio built their wheat ale foundation on the classic “C” hops. Then, we rocked a pure hop triad of “M” hops to achieve a supercharged succession of orange, tangerine, lemon, lime, spice and dankness. The undulating riffs of Motueka, Mosaic and Mandarina Bavaria hops slash through the wheat haze with equal footing, never playing over one another. The cacophony of flavor is what fans would expect with a name like Megawheat. So join us as we forge ahead on a path that directly leads to the main stage…and then off the front of it, into the crowd! If you feel the urge to smash the bottle afterward, don’t. That’s what guitars are for."

Pours a hazy, dark orange with over a finger of white head.

The biggest aroma that smacks me in the face reminds me of dry oatmeal and rustic bread. Mossy hop bitterness screams throughout each whiff with a dank ending and tons of spice.

I'm almost tempted to throw down a "Wheat Nuke" on this one, but I think I'll hold back. I have had a lot of examples of the so-called "Wheat IPA" in my time, but with this one, you might as well just drive a combine into it and harvest the ingredients. My mouth is being assaulted (not the first time I've said that) by whole grains and toasted bread. That's not to say the hops don't get their chance to show off. Some refreshing lemon and citrus are becoming more prominent as the beer warms up and I think the mossy/earthy notes from the aroma have been scaled back to more of a fresh-cut grass flavor. Actually, now that we dive deeper into this, the back end picks up a surprising dessert-like orange sherbet which was completely unexpected. The aftertaste contains delicious dank qualities and medium hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel is medium with its occasional patches of a syrupy body. No alcohol or warming to be found.

Overall this one was all wheat and bread on the aroma, but the taste had so, so much more to offer your palate. This one is nowhere near the New England style of hazy juice bombs, nor is it the classic West Coast onion and garlic. It is it's own thing and very much worthy of the name Megawheat.

To quote the late Harris Wittels: "Wheat Thins? Call me when they're "Wheat Thicks". Gimmee that wheat!"

Rating
8.1/10

Stone Enjoy After 7.4.16

The Stats
Style: American IPA
ABV: 7%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.9/5
- RateBeer: 3.66/5

"What you hold in your hands is an experiment. This IPA is spiked at bottling with Brettanomyces, a wild yeast that, over time, brings about charmingly unpredictable complexities of spice, funk, acidity, and more. The operative words in our beer-cellaring thesis are "over time." For those of you who are impatient or like to experiment, the earliest we recommend sampling this beer is 10.31.14. The beer won’t be fully carbonated until that date. Ideally, you’ll want to cellar the beer up to--or beyond--the Enjoy After date to help it reach its full evolutionary potential. At that point, some facets of the Brett characteristics will have mellowed, while others will have become more profound; it all matures into a fascinating and delicious culmination. Individual results will vary...and that’s both the beauty and the intent behind this beer."

Pours to a hazy, light orange, effervescent body with a hefty three fingers of pillowy, white head.

That Brett is just dominating the aroma and leaving little room for anything else. Strong tartness is present as is some lemon zest and a touch of sawdust. Not a lot here in terms of hops or bitterness as they are masked by the Brett.

The nose had a nice acidic, tart component, but the tastes seems to not have retained it at all. It does have a faint sour quality, but the bacteria in this case didn't do as good of a job as it should have. Thankfully, the IPA qualities which were M.I.A. on the aroma have shown up a bit here on the taste. Lemongrass and classic West Coast garlic and onion are noticeable, but as they get to the back of the mouth, they turn into a mossy, wet grass flavor which isn't my cup of tea. All throughout, the bacteria and yeast cast a funky cloud over everything, but again, it's doesn't have the same pop as a lot of other beers with Brett.

Mouthfeel is light, but I expected more carbonation. It drinks a little lighter than a 7% IPA, but some of the less-than-stellar Brett characteristics hinder it from being as enjoyable as it should be.

Overall, Enjoy After didn't merge Brettanomyces and IPA's into a perfect marriage. I think the base IPA itself isn't exactly a home run and the addition of the wild yeast didn't automatically bump the base beer up to another level. It was a nice experiment, but not executed all that well.

Rating
7.2/10

The Top 10 Beers of 2016

It's time for the 3rd installment of the Top 10 Beers list and 2016 was a pretty darn good year (pardon my French).

Admittedly, I did not review as many beers as I wanted, but I guess my resolution for 2017 would be to buckle down and produce more content. In spite of that, I still have put together a top-notch Top 10 and have had fun going back and reminiscing about so many good beers.

As with the years past, I did set some parameters for compiling this list...

• The beer had to be reviewed on the blog in 2016. If I had it at a bar, a bottle share, fest, etc, then it doesn't qualify.
• No re-reviews. I typically don't re-review beers, but sometimes an occasion calls for it. So sorry, Trillium Headroom, you do not qualify for the list.
• Multiple beers from one brewery are allowed. Frankly, if the brewery makes that many good beers (in my opinion) then I'm not going to fault them for it.

 As with last year, I will do Class-B categories before counting down the 10 best of the year. Thank you for your continued support and I hope to entertain you more in 2017.

Let's Go!

Most Disappointing Beers of 2016

Like last year, the following entries weren't necessarily bad, but to me, they fell below my expectations. We won't get into a philosophical argument over whether or not I (or anyone else) am entitled to expect nothing less than a great beer, but we all have those moments where you buy a beer and say "Oh, this sounds good", but then it doesn't knock your socks off. Again, not bad, but not what I personally expected.

3. Other Half 2nd Anniversary IPA

Other Half Brewing and I don't have a solid relationship. I have found almost all of their offerings to be middle-of-the-road, but I have remained hopeful. When I landed a can of their 2nd Anniversary IPA way back in February, I was hoping this would be the one to change my mind, but it didn't.

Like most of the others I have tried, this had a strong West Coast taste that leaned heavily on spicy, onion hops. The East Coast has built a reputation for hazy, juice bombs, but Other Half doesn't follow that lead. Granted, there's nothing wrong with trying to pay homage to classic West coast IPA's, but OH doesn't seem to please either side of the country.


2. Kern River Citra

 I got serious about craft beer about five years ago and one of the most sought-after DIPA's on the planet was Kern River Citra. I may be remembering this incorrectly, but back then (2012), this was a Top 10 beer on Beer Advocate (if not that, then a Top 20). Today the rating still holds steady thanks to years of high scores, but in a world today where everyone is producing hazy juice nukes, this West Coast offering doesn't stand out.

Those classic garlic and onion notes dominate throughout. I think with this all Citra DIPA, I was expecting pure juice, but this stayed true to its roots, which caught me off guard. It wasn't a bad beer, but its reputation preceded itself.

1. Lawson's Finest Liquids Double Sunshine

Now here's one I did not like (but not enough to get on the "Worst of" list).

I had this beer for the first time years and years ago and loved it...LOVED it. It was years ahead of a lot of the current Massachusetts breweries that have defined the typical "New England IPA". When I got my latest bottle this year, I was severely let down.

Gone were the tropical fruits and instead they were replaced with an odd assortment of butterscotch and burnt popcorn to go with dirty, grassy hops. The bottle I got was only a couple of weeks old, so freshness was not the issue. I don't know if the recipe had changed or something, but this was not the beer I once loved. It cost an arm and a leg to trade for, but I think I would have given them my other appendages (including "Death Proof") to take it back.

The Worst Beers of 2016

I've said it before, but I usually don't go out of my way to purposely review "bad" beers. I buy what I want and hope for the best with each beer review. Sadly, not everything goes as planned.

3. Ballast Point Pineapple Sculpin

I love me the standard Sculpin (though I've never reviewed it). The variations out there on the market are all okay for the most part. I enjoy the Grapefruit Sculpin, and the Habanero, while not my ideal flavor, was okay. Pineapple on the other hand was a different story.

As opposed to the others, this one tasted particularly artificial. More reminiscent of a pineapple shandy with a metallic aftertaste, Pineapple Sculpin was easily the least favorite of the series.



2. Samuel Adams Nitro White Ale

Earlier this year, Sam Adams released a series of Nitro beers. I reviewed all three and found their Coffee Stout to be a decent offering, but the other two were nearly undrinkable.

The Nitro White, while bad, still had touches of familiar macro brews like Miller Lite, which still helped the beer maintain some form of drinkability. This one at least started off with subtle (VERY subtle) orange and lemon, but they still disappeared in a flash. This was basically Nitro Same Summer, and that's not something I'd dive back into.


1. Samuel Adams Nitro IPA

As opposed to it's Nitro White brother, the Nitro IPA had no redeeming qualities.

I think a forest fire had burned inside the can because the taste was heavy on roasted everything. Caramelized malts, wet tree bark, metal, and dirty dishwater were the best adjectives I could bestow upon this.

Leave it to Sam Adam to try and get in on a trend and just produce something most people don't want to drink.

Honorable Mentions

Compiling these lists is never easy and some unfortunate (but deserving) souls must be left behind. So, here are a few that JUST missed the cut for the Top 10 list.

3. Trillium Double Dry Hopped Scaled

Trillium seems to be a sure bet to produce a fantastic IPA and this was no different.

A one-two punch of El Dorado (a personal favorite) and Citra hops made for an explosion of peaches, oranges, sherbet, and even some dank hops. Trillium likes to put out DDH versions of all their IPA's and it wouldn't suck if they brewed this one more often.

2. Monkish Relax Your Mind

If you're heavy into the craft beer world, then you know Monkish has become as sought-after as Tree House beers. I was lucky enough to get a variety of Monkish beers in a trade, and they did not let me down.

Relax Your Mind was a near perfect combo of both juice and hop nuke with tropical goodness and hop flavors joining forces to combat evil. The creamy mouthfeel and familiar milkshake appearance were all gravy on this mound of mashed potatoes. I really hope I get to try more Monkish beers in 2017.


1. Bissell Brothers Swish

Much like the previously mentioned Relax Your Mind, BB Swish was another sublime combo of dankness and tropical fruits.

Swish is hard to come by in trade. As a MA resident, anything I usually have to trade is something that people from Maine buying the Swish have already had. So, I personally had to make the trip up North to wait in line and get this. It was actually a nice time talking beer with the other people and in the end I got a world class DIPA.

So, does that mean that personal touch elevated this above the Monkish beer? Maybe so, but those intangibles are what push it over the edge.

Now for the big show...

No, not that one!

As you read over the Top 10 list, you may find that they aren't necessarily ranked by overall rating. Beer A might be rated lower than Beer B, but Beer A is ranked higher on the list. When I went back and looked through all of my reviews, I had to not only take into account rating, but also whether or not the beer was memorable. Scrolling through page after page, some beers had me going "Oh, that one was good" and other outbursts of joy. So while some beers may have scored higher at the time, the lasting impression they left on me was also a huge factor. But hey, they were all great and that's why we're here.

Now here is what we've all been waiting for...The Top 10 Best Beers of 2016. Thank you for visiting the blog, the Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter, and Untappd and showing your support (FYI...please like and share all of these!). Here's to a 2017 full of great beer. Cheers!

10. Small Town Not Your Father's Root Beer (10.7%)

Ok, Ok, Ok, OKAY!!!! I can hear all of you screaming at your computer screens right now. What would a good list be without a little controversy? Yes, I get it. It's not technically a beer, but you need to hear me out.

While NYFRB isn't a beer in  your typical sense and might as well be lumped in with your Smirnoff Ice and Twisted Tea, the fact is I can't deny how delicious this really is.

I've ranted about this before, but in short, everyone loved NYFRB before it hit nation-wide distribution. Only when you were able to find it at every store that sold PBR, people revolted. Well, motherf***ers, I don't care because the 10.7% bigger brother is an accomplishment. With such a high gravity beverage being able to make the alcohol smell and taste and tasting exactly like god damn root beer, this was as pleasant to drink as it was impressively made. You can lie to yourself when you say you don't like the series, but I know the truth.

9. Cigar City Hunahpu

It seems like everyone is getting on this Mexican Hot Chocolate or Mole craze. Chances are, even the casual consumer has come across a stout on their local shelves that was brewed with chili peppers, cinnamon, vanilla, and cacao. Hunahpu was one of the first and it has not gone out of style just yet.

I used to never like the style, but this vintage was delicious in all aspects. Hot chocolate, fudge, cinnamon, and a lot of chili flavor (without the heat) all blended perfectly to add a kick in the pants to an already superb imperial stout.

It's hyped for a reason. If only I could get my hands on the barrel aged variants.

8. Carton Regular Coffee

I'll be the first to admit that I am in no way, shape, or form an expert on beer. When it comes to Cream Ales, I am even more clueless as it is not a particular type of beer that I have regularly had in my fridge. When it comes to the Cream Ales, Carton Brewing seems to have dialed it in and Regular Coffee is easily the best I've had of the style.

While not only a great coffee beer, this also had unexpected notes of vanilla, cream, and chocolate to make for a complex offering from a style not known for its world class library. At an unbelievable 12%, this is dangerously drinkable and it's really just a fun beer to experience.

7. Trillium Double Dry Hopped Congress Street

Congress St is already a Galaxy hop overload and one my favorite Trillium IPA's. The DDH version is beloved by fans and tends to sell out quickly. So quickly in fact that the most recent release last month saw Trillium put a limit on 4-packs just to make sure they could spread it around and frankly, I can see the hype.

I keep saying that I prefer my IPA's to have a balance between the tropical juices and dank hops. Some of the other beers mentioned had that great combo, but DDH did it slightly better with the marriage of pure hop juice and wave after wave of peaches, lemons, apricots, and grapefruit. It truly is one of the best uses of Galaxy hops that I have ever experienced.

6. Barrel House Z Sunny & 79 (Tequila Barrel Aged)

Pilsner? Barely knew her!

Still here? Thank you.

Have I ever reviewed a pilsner before this? I'm too lazy to check, but my gut feeling is a big, fat no. BHZ is a new brewery to Massachusetts and they barrel age everything. A truly unique operation, but I don't think I could have expected to be blown away by their very first offering.

A pilsner aged in tequila barrels? Yes, it works, and does so masterfully. The crisp pilsner base followed by some awesome lime, salt, and oak from the barrel, but without any heat, made for a truly memorable beer. I actually pounded two full crowlers in one night it was so good. I paid for it the next morning at work, but it was worth it.

5. Stone Enjoy By Unfiltered 2/14/16

I think I say this every year, but I'm not a big fan of Stone IPA's. Their generic West Coast style has been a constant in their hoppy beers and I didn't think I'd see them attempt to change. Now with the "New England IPA" taking the country by storm, even Stone had to give it a shot by releasing an unfiltered version of their Enjoy By series. Again, I was not a big fan of that series and couldn't expect leaving the beer unfiltered to have that big of an effect. I was pleasantly disappointed.

Tangerines and peaches swimming in pure hop juice made for an orgasm in a glass (which I'll never try again). Some nice dank qualities and incredible drinkability for a near Triple IPA, and this was easily my favorite IPA made by Stone.

4. Alchemist Heady Topper

As I said in my review: What else needs to be said about Heady Topper?

A can full of hop juice, pine needles, grapefruit, and it's all encased in this wonderful bitter, dank quality. So many IPA's try to be either juice bombs or hop bombs, but Heady is an example of perfectly balancing out the two worlds. It's influence on the beer scene is undeniable and it still holds up to every new brewery that tries to imitate it.




3. Fremont Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Star

Easily the best BA Imperial Stout I had in 2016, Fremont BA Dark Star had everything you know and love about the style, but was also ahead of the competition.

Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, oak, vanilla, marshmallow, creme brulee, and the list goes on and on. Barrel complexity plus all of the dessert-like flavors made for a massive sipper that was a pleasure to imbibe on for hours and hours.

I recently reviewed the coffee version, but the straight BA Dark Star wins out big time and does so without needing any further flavors.


2. Tree House Very Hazy

I celebrated my birthday in 2016 with a trip to Tree House Brewing. Standing outside in line in the cold, February winter, I think the world imploded into itself when the employees announced that Very Hazy would be on the menu. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time to enjoy what is considered one of the best beers on the planet.

Taking the original Haze and cranking everything up 12 notches, Very Hazy is essentially a glass of orange juice and sherbet with a perfect bitter hop finish and no resinous aftertaste. Everything from the look, aroma, and taste was almost worthy of perfection. I'm not one to buy into hype, but one sip in and I understood why it had the reputation it did.

1. Castle Island Swipe Ripe

You can call it a homer pick all you want, but to that I will kindly say "Merry Christmas to all and to all shut the f**k up".

Beer trends come and go and 2016 saw an emergence of IPA's aged on or brewed with fruit. Seriously, I don't think a week goes by where you won't see a brewery's Facebook post that says something along the lines of: "Brewed with Galaxy, Citra (etc)...and a heapin' shitload of peaches, mangoes, apricots, etc etc etc" Instead of letting the hops do their work, we are seeing so many IPA's infused with tropical or stone fruits. A lot of the time the beer ends up more of a shandy than an IPA, but holy crap, when a beer comes along that uses the fruit to enhance rather than overpower, then you have found a gem. Swipe Ripe did it the best in 2016, and may stand alone for the foreseeable future.

One of my biggest factors in a great beer is: Would I buy it again? In this case, I bought my 4-pack, destroyed it, and went back to the brewery on three different occasions to get more. The sheer amount of apricots in this can was ludicrous, but not to be outdone, the overload of juicy and dank hops just added to the complexity. Swipe Ripe was part of Castle Island's rotating Imperial IPA series which produced so many complex DIPA's, but swipe Ripe was the clear winner for me not just for Castle Island beers, but for the best beer of 2016.

See you next time. Thank you for your support.

Memory Lane

2014 Top 10
2015 Top 10

Stone Pataskala Red X IPA

The Stats
Style: American Amber, Red Ale
ABV: 7.3%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.12/5
- RateBeer: 3.83/5 (mean)

"Pat-ASK-ala? Pata-SKALA? Pa-TASK-a-la? While those in the know favor the third pronunciation, no matter how you say it, this is a unique red IPA. The beer was first brewed in September 2015 to support music and arts education programs in Pataskala, Ohio, where Stone co-founder Greg Koch grew up. People there loved it, so we added the beer to our seasonal lineup. The deep crimson hue is courtesy of a fairly new special German malt variety by BESTMALZ called Red X. Dry-hopped with Mosaic, Cascade and Amarillo hops, this beer is incredibly citrus-forward, rounded out with biscuit and toffee notes. We think you’ll find this red IPA to be quite deliciously satisfying, no matter how you choose to pronounce it."

Pours a clear, gorgeous, dark ruby red with three fingers of a fluffy, eggshell, almost yellowish head.

The aroma has an interesting mix of grassy hops and toast or even Cheerios.

West Coast garlic and onion hops hit you up front first followed by a sweet caramel and toffee combination which levels out the hop intensity. As it heads towards the back, the malts come forward with almost a multi-grain bread or burnt toast flavor. It's almost like the aforementioned Cheerios taste, but it's soggy cereal: still good, but wet and grainy. As it warms a nice kick of pine and spruce add complexity. The aftertaste has no unpleasant lingering flavors, but it might be a tad too clean.

Mouthfeel is medium with less carbonation than I expected, but not flat. It's dry on the finish, but not a dessert in your mouth and has no alcohol presence.

The Red Ale isn't know for many (if any) examples that are considered world class load blowers, and Pataskala is no exception. That's not a knock against Stone, it's a criticism of the style itself. Still, this does have a bit more complexity than other examples as the hops weren't drowned out by the malts and the burnt toast added some light roast to a sweet caramel tone. At the end of the day, it's a slightly better Red Ale than most.

Rating
7.7/10

Stone Enjoy By 2.14.16 Unfiltered IPA

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 9.4%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.5/5
- RateBeer: 3.85/5 (mean)

Ok, Stone Brewing, you have my attention. As I have documented, Stone IPA's and I get along as well as Donald Trump and Mexican immigrants (See? I can keep make this shit topical). My previous review of Stone Enjoy By was met with a less than lukewarm reception. When it comes to IPA's, the East Coast is just lapping the West Coast in every aspect. It seems like every brewery not in New England has adopted the unfiltered approach to IPA's, but I never thought Stone would join the crowd. Whenever I bought Enjoy By, it was never a consistent experience, but the best I could ever say about it was that it was "pretty good". So, when I heard they were releasing an unfiltered version, I knew I had to try it. I mean, how much could not filtering your IPA actually affect the smell and taste? As it turns out, the difference is night and day.

Oh, now isn't that a beautiful pour? I know people on my side of the country are used to the unfiltered appearance of New England IPA's, but I'm glad to see Stone make an attempt at it, and it looks gorgeous. A glowing, hazy orange with no visibility to the other side of the glass and it produced a finger of pure white head.

Looks better than usual, right?

The aroma has a big, resinous presence with peach, tangerine, and some garlic/onion. Nice wet, dank hop aroma too.

The Enjoy By series has been plagued by an overabundance of garlic and onion, but with this version there is more fruit stepping forward with ripe peaches being at the front of the line. However, leaving the beer unfiltered has left in all of the hop oils and resins and they are just swimming around the glass without letting up. The hops used are leaving behind pure hop juice and biting resin as opposed to the East Coast which tends to leave behind all tropical juice. But you know what? This tastes great! An incredible amount of bitterness is present from front-to-back which even has attributes of dankness. The more it warms, the middle of the mouth picks up some more fruity notes of blood orange and even some mango. The finish contains a resinous bite that lingers for a few seconds, but doesn't leave behind a copper penny aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is tame for a massive 9.4% DIPA, but still has a slight (SLIGHT) syrupy body, but there is plenty of carbonation in this to move that along. The alcohol is masked beautifully and I don't pick up any heat or warming at all. It is noticeably dry, but given the abv and unfiltered status, this is forgivable.

Stone really impressed me when they said they were offering an unfiltered IPA and they nailed it. It's the same recipe as the standard Enjoy By that I did not think very highly of and apparently the only tweak they made was to leave it unfiltered. If that's all it took to convert me to a Stone IPA lover, then they need to do that to al of their IPA's ASAP. With such a big resinous bite, and an abv bordering on Triple IPA territory, this was still a delicious and complex DIPA that combined tropical juices and hop juices in perfect harmony. Easily my favorite IPA from Stone. If you want an alternative to the fruit juice-tasting IPA's out there and want more of a pure hop juice and hop resin taste, then this might arguably be the head of the class.

Rating
9.4/10

Stone Enjoy By 01.01.16 Black IPA

The Stats
Style: Black IPA
ABV: 9.4%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.20/5
- RateBeer: 3.9/5 (mean)

If you know me, then you know Stone IPA's and I don't get along. Maybe living on the East Coast with the abundance of delicious, unfiltered hop nukes has spoiled me, but I can't ever get behind most of the filtered, clear-bodied garlic/onion bombs coming from out West. Accordingly, the highly-regarded Stone Enjoy By series has also failed to impress me, but when I heard the Enjoy By series was going to step into Black IPA territory, my faith was renewed. To be able to strike the balance between hop juices and flavor with the roasty notes of a stout is an art. I really need Stone to deliver on this in order for them to keep me interested in their hoppy beers.

Sits pitch black in the glass and glows mahogany red when held up to the light. The pour produced two fingers of eggsehll-colored head.

Fruity hops on the nose with roasted malts. Reminds me of orange rind and dark coffee grounds.

Pretty much every Black IPA that I've ever had tended to lean more heavily on the roasted notes with supporting roles by hop juices. This on the other hand has switched the two as this is probably the juiciest Black IPA I've ever comes across while still maintaining the stout-like qualities of the style.

While orange on the nose, the fruits I get from the taste are peach and grapefruit, but the hops are still an hommage to the west coast with garlic and onion dankness, but not as overpowering.  As it warms, the roasted notes and dark coffee (especially some dark iced coffee) come front and center and are bigger than they were on the aroma. On the taste each side shares equal screen time where as the aroma had fruit juices at the front of the line. A lot of hop bitterness is present in the middle and on the finish, so in retrospect, the hops, bitterness, fruits, and roasted malts are all here and contribute at different stages. Good job all around.

With such a big fruit presence, I have to say the burnt coffee ground taste sticks to the back of my tongue and lingers for days. At times that kind of bitterness has me reaching for a sip of water, but I won't be writing a complaint to Stone Brewing any time soon. The beer itself is full-bodied for a big black double IPA (a BBDIPA if you will...*rimshot*). The 9.4% is nowhere to be found in the taste or the body as this isn't syrupy or even showing hints of a thick mouthfeel.

The standard Stone Enjoy By series has been met by me with mostly negative reactions. It depends on the batch, but most of the time I come away unsatisfied. When I head they were giving the same "Enjoy By" treatment to a Black IPA, I was fully on board and they did not disappoint. It's the fruitiest Black IPA I have ever had and it still reminds you of its dark roots with dark coffee and roasted malt presence. It's only in 22oz bombers now, but this, just like its standard Enjoy By brother, can easily sell just as well as a 6-pack and I would get it every time it came around my part of town.

Rating
9.1/10

Stone Xocoveza Charred

The Stats
Style: Milk/Sweet Stout
ABV: 8.90%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.5/5
- RateBeer: 4.23/5 (mean)

In 2014, Stone released a beer from their famed collaboration series which was a take on the "Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout" that a lot of breweries have been trying over the past couple of years. The beer was "Xocoveza": a milk stout infused with chocolate, coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chili pepper. It seemed to receive mostly universal acclaim and was seen as one of the best of its style. Naturally Stone wanted to take it to another level, so they took Xocoveza and subjected it to their barrel program (The "Quingenti Millilire" program). Stone released two variants on Xocoveza and I have in my possession the bourbon barrel-aged version (the other being a tequila/red wine version) known as Xocoveza Charred which was aged for seven months in Kentucky Bourbon barrels. This was a brewery-only release, so a big thanks to Rick for doing a trade with me for this one.

Pours pitch black with ruby red on the edges. Practically no head, maybe a quarter of a finger which was tan. It looks like flat coke.

Cinnamon, pepper skin, and nutmeg come first on the aroma. Then there's a slight lactose strain and nothing much else as I don't get bourbon, but there is some oak and char from the barrel.

The taste has much more vanilla, especially right at the front of my tongue. Some more of that pepper skin and heat from said peppers is all over the inside of my mouth. Bourbon is much more noticeable here, but it is still underwhelming and might be the 4th or 5th strongest flavor in this beer. A little bit of lactose emerges on the finish as does a little bit of nutmeg. Overall, the flavors are pretty bland and nothing stands out. Seven months in a bourbon barrel? I have my doubts.

Mouthfeel is a little light, but it is a milk stout, so it is understandable. Surprisingly this finishes clean, but maybe a little too clean, which is disappointing considering this is a BA stout with so many spices.There is a slight warmth and a miniscule alcohol taste which is a bummer for a 8.90% stout. No carbonation is to be found at all.

Maybe the base beer allowed the flavors to shine better before being mellowed out by barrel-aging because I can't help but be let down by Xocoveza Charred. I really don't think the barrel brought anything to the table on this one. If anything it took away from all of the spices, vanilla, and chocolate that people raved about a year ago. It's not a repulsive beer to drink, it's just meh.

Rating
7.3/10

Stone 19th Anniversary: Thunderstruck IPA

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.70%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.06/5
- RateBeer: 3.72/5

When the name of a beer is a tribute to AC/DC, then you know you are starting off on the right foot. Made with 100% Australian hops (Topaz, Galaxy, Vic Secret, and Ella) and Australian Fairview malt, this is a big 8.40% Double IPA and the final anniversary beer before the big 2-0. The Stone Anniversary IPA's are always different and interesting. Last year's was almost a hybrid "Brown IPA" which I really liked, so I am excited to try an all-Australian IPA (if you want to call it that).

It poured dark yellow out of the bottle, but once rested in the glass, it was a transparent, glowing orange with less than two fingers of white head.

Aroma is dank and earthy with hints of peach and lemon.

Incredibly dank and hop-loaded bitterness at the front of my tongue. It has a surprisingly strong spicy hop presence to it which reminds me of Noble or Summit hops. A lot of garlic and onion that I associate with Stone IPA's is here too. On the transition in the middle and back there is a kick of peach juice which adds a nice balance to the dankness.

As a Double IPA, this doesn't have the mouthfeel. It doesn't feel like an almost 9.00% IPA as it tends to be slightly thin. Nothing lingers here as the finish might be too clean and you don't get a chance to savor anything. On the plus side, there's no alcohol taste at all.

At the end of the day, Thunderstruck is a Stone IPA at heart. Big dank qualities, west coast garlic, and a transparent body all scream Stone Brewing. If blindfolded, I don't think I'd be able to definitively say this was the product of Australian ingredients as California has planted its flag with authority on this one. Maybe a redeeming stone fruit quality is here to be appreciated, but this to me is just a run-of-the-mill Stone beer. Not bad, not amazing, just exactly what you'd expect.

Rating
7.4/10

Stone RuinTen IPA

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 10.80%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.31/5
- RateBeer: 4/5

Back in 2012, Stone released a 10th anniversary edition of their Ruination IPA. It was met with much acclaim and made numerous "Best of" lists for 2012. Naturally, with demand sky high, Stone made the beer a yearly release and renamed it "RuinTen". I never got my hands on the original 2012 batch, but I've had it every year since and am usually disappointed as I think it is nothing more than a glass of sticky resin. So here we are once again with the newest batch for 2015 to see if I can still be persuaded. 

Pours a dark orange or even copper color. I got maybe half a finger of off-white, eggshell-colored head

The aroma is overpowering resin, but also rather sweet as well.

I remember the last time I had RuinTen and it was an unpleasant resin nuke of a beer. This time around, what appears to be a larger malt presence has added a significant amount of sweetness to balance out the obscene amount of hops. When I say obscene amount of hops, I do mean you are practically scraping them off your teeth as dank bitterness is here in the beginning, middle, and end. Hop resin and oil are also combined with pine and tree sap to give an East Coast kick to this beer. What sets it apart from previous incarnations of RuinTen is how sweet is it. An almost sugary, sticky sweetness is not cloying or all that syrupy as I was expecting, but instead it has brought a zen-like balance to this massive IPA. As a 10.80% "Triple IPA", I'm amazed that there isn't even the slightest hint of alcohol.

When you venture into the "Triple IPA" category (an IPA 10% or higher), you expect the body to get syrupy or thick, but RuinTen drinks more like an 8.0% Double rather than a double-digit IPA. Some nice carbonation moves everything along. There is a noticeable lingering resin on the finish, but it's not that bad considering how big the beer is. As I said before, no alcohol taste, but even pushing 11.0%, there isn't even any warmth on each swallow and I am easily killing my entire bomber. It isn't even that dry on the finish. I'm impressed.

Coming into the 2015 RuinTen, I will admit that I had a bias against not just this beer, but Stone IPA's as a whole. I'm not sure if they re-worked the recipe (even though they said they didn't) or if I just have several more years of drinking under my belt and can approach this from a new state of mind, but this is an incredible "Triple IPA". With IPA's this big, drinkability is arguably the #1 concern, and this has passed that test with flying colors. The amount of hops in this is absurd, but it's not a challenge to put down thanks in large part to the equally sweet malt presence. This one is most definitely a palate destroyer in every sense, but it's also smooth going down and flavorful. I know "Triple IPA" is not an official style, but this is definitely at the top of that class.

Rating
9.2/10

Stone Stochasticity Project Master of Disguise

The Stats
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 9.70%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.67/5
- RateBeer: 3.54/5

A golden stout? Only Stone. Yeah, so right off the bat this beer is meant to screw with your head. What looks like a typical Double IPA is actually a big Imperial Stout brewed with coffee and cocoa. To say I'm intrigued is an understatement.

Pours a transparent dark orange with no carbonation bubbles. Gave off less than a finger of white head which didn't stick around at all.

Aromas of coffee and roasted malt hit me first. Maybe more burnt coffee grounds than anything else. Can't say the cocoa is too present. It really just smells like a standard stout with hints of coffee.

Just when I think I have this beer figured out it throws a wrench into my opinion. Immediately I am hit with a big hop presence much like a Double IPA. Those typical garlic notes that are a staple in Stone IPA's are once again here, but not as strong. The middle of my tongue catches the stout characteristics with some bitter coffee and some significant roasted notes. The finish is all barley and roasted malt.

Considering this is pegged as an Imperial Stout, the mouthfeel isn't exactly a thick and luscious coating to your tongue, but rather more along the lines of a Triple IPA with it's syrupy feel. There's no carbonation to speak of and its syrupy consistency can come off as a bit chewy, but at the same time it is a watered down chewiness similar to cough syrup or NyQuil. It's weird to describe, but just something you need to experience for yourself to understand.

If nothing else, Master of Disguise is an experimental attempt at something different. While it does blend some Imperial IPA characteristics into your everyday stout, in the end this feels more like a beer that doesn't know what it wants to be rather than a hybrid of two different styles of beer.

Rating
6.5/10

Stone Enjoy By 12.26.14

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 9.40%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.43/5 (#101 on the Top 250)
- RateBeer: 4.08/5

For those unfamiliar with Stone's Enjoy By series, all you need to know is that this is a Double IPA they brew several times a year and release to specific markets that people vote on. Also, it is made to be consumed as soon as humanly possible (hence the enjoy by date in the name).

Pours a transparent, glowing orange with very little carbonation and a finger of thin, bright white head. This is one of the cleanest-looking IPA's I have ever seen.

The aroma is all dank, earthy hops with tons of West Coast garlic and onion.

I can only describe the taste as biting into a raw onion. This kind of flavor is typical (to me anyway) of a lot of West Coast IPA's, but I find it to be a turn-off. Along with that is a significant herbal hop bitterness with tons of bite. I pick up something similar to an artificial lemon candy which is kind of disappointing. The finish has just the faintest hint of grapefruit, but it does little to save you from bulbs of garlic.

The mouthfeel, at 9.40%, is rather thick, but not syrupy. Luckily, you can't detect any alcohol presence either. As clean as this looks, it is just as clean on the palate. There's little-to-no carbonation to speak of, but I'm happy to say the off-putting garlic/onion doesn't linger. While dry on the finish, I wouldn't say this is like the Sahara in your mouth.

The Enjoy By series isn't my cup of tea. I don't think the hop bitterness is strong enough to combat the unpleasant garlic/onion flavor. The taste is reminiscent of most West Coast IPA's, but just dropped into 4th gear. The positive is that the flavors don't stick around to annoy me for too long. I'm also not a fan of how clean and filtered this beer is. Maybe letting some of the hop oils and resins stick around would have helped create a more unique bitter quality, but alas, such is not the case.

Rating
6.5/10

Stone 18th Anniversary IPA

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.50%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.91/5
- RateBeer: 3.57/5

The latest release in Stone's Anniversary series is what they are calling "The hoppiest golden brown IPA on Earth". It's an imperial IPA brewed exclusively with El Dorado hops along with English brown malts.

Pours a dark amber, almost burgundy color with a finger's worth of an off-white, khaki head.

A huge aroma of dark malts up front, almost nutty like an English brown ale. Then after that it is a dry, floral scent that reminds you of fresh potpourri. Some nice, bitter, fresh hops and lemon zest too. Smells excellent!

The taste has an abundance of dank, garlic flavor combined with an underlying citrus note. Much like the aroma, there are big floral components with what I can only describe as a mossy, wet grass taste - very earthy indeed. As hoppy as it is, those English malts are just as present, maybe even more, making for a nice brown ale feel to go hand-in-hand with the hoppy IPA.

The malts and huge earthy/floral hops don't exactly make this an easy-drinking experience, but there's no alcohol taste or warming sensation for a big 8.5% IPA. In fact, those who like brown ales will enjoy this beer.

This was a pleasant surprise from Stone. While I can't say this will be accepted by all (especially if brown ales and HUGE grassy/herbal hops aren't your thing), the 18th Anniversary offering is one of the best in recent memory. Very flavorful and different, but it works.

Rating
9.0/10

Stone Farking Wheaton W00t Stout

The Stats
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 13.00%
Current Beer Advocate Rating: 4.07/5

Another Stone Collaboration today as we look at the Farking Wheaton W00t Stout. Bringing together the collective minds of actor Will Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Big Bang Theory), Drew Curtis (creator of Fark.com) and Stone CEO Greg Koch yields a 13% Imperial Stout brewed with pecans, wheat & rye with 1/4 of it aged in bourbon barrels. This is "Version 1.0" since they recently released "W00t Stout 2.0" not too long ago. It has been sitting in my cellar for over a year and with the latest version just released, what better time than now to review batch one?

Pitch black pour with a small mocha head. If I tilt the glass and hold it up to the light I can get some dark, ruby red on the edges.

The first smell I pick up is an initial sweet, pecan aroma. This beer may have only been 1/4 aged in bourbon barrels, but I definitely pick up the barrel character. There's a lot of roasty flavor to the aroma along with some coffee and wood.

Unexpectedly, but with arms wide open (not a Creed reference) I welcome a huge blast of vanilla up front. Despite not being 100% barrel-aged, I taste significant bourbon, which is great. A lot of oak, coffee, maybe an espresso bitterness too. Not so much pecan on the taste, but it is there and subdued taking a backseat to all of the other flavors. It goes down so smooth for 13%. It's thick on the mouthfeel, but dangerously drinkable at the same time. I've nearly killed the whole bomber writing this review. Considering the high abv, you do get a warming sensation on the finish. It's not burning or "hot" and it actually moves this big beer along nicely.

Stone knows how to make an Imperial Stout and this is just another feather in their cap. Taking the greatness of the style and amping it up with the pecans, wheat, rye, and barrel-aging has made this a delectable, easy-drinking 13% brew. Ensign Wesley Crusher has helped make a fantastic beer. Can't wait to try W00t Stout 2.0!

Rating
9.4/10

Stone Unapologetic IPA

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.80%
Current Beer Advocate Rating: 3.8/5

"Who says the world needs another IPA?"

From you, Stone? I never said we did. Granted I don't speak for the world, but if the survey was just down to this guy, then I would have voted an emphatic NOBODY!

Stone Brewing and I have a history of not getting along when it comes to their IPA's. I personally think they must brew with whole bulbs of garlic and onion because that's all I ever get. That's not to say I dislike all of their brews. Not at all. I love the Arrogant Bastard, Double Bastard, Lucky Bastard, etc. as well as their Sublimely Self-Righteous and any variation on the Stone IRS. It's just when it comes to IPA's, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth (literally and figuratively).

Ruination isn't bad, but the "Enjoy By" series I can live without. I've had the last two batches of "RuinTen" and it is always a disappointment. Wow, enough with the ranting!

So, here we are today with their latest offering...ANOTHER IPA. This collaboration was done with Heretic Brewing and Beachwood BBQ and Brewing (on my list of places to visit). All of which are out of California. It uses all experimental hops each with different tastes and aroma, but promises to be a hop monster.

I can tell you right now, I can't bitch and moan about the appearance because this is a beautiful golden orange. You would want to light up your room with it.

As we dip into the aroma, I am bombarded with the usual onion that I've come to expect from Stone Brewing. In addition, I am oddly getting a substantial breadiness quality, almost like a KFC biscuit. It's also acidic like a fresh grapefruit with hints of resin.

As promised, it's pretty hoppy on the taste and that's obviously what they were going for with all of these experimental hop varieties. In addition to that garlic/onion, I am getting subtle hints of strawberry. It's a dry finish with a heavier than usual body. Not syrupy, but thicker than I had anticipated.

When all is said and done, I actually prefer to this other Stone IPA's. The taste isn't off-putting and it's got a nice dry, fruity finish without absolutely assaulting your taste buds with hop resin and onions.

RATING
7.3/10