Saturday, November 13, 2010

Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA


Here is what the Brewer Says:
We went to England this past spring as self-styled “IPA Hunters” on a mission to learn more about the confusing and often contradictory history of India Pale Ale – to look for some certainty where those before us have found mostly mystery and mercantilism. While our success in this pursuit is open to debate, there can be no question that we returned home inspired by the ghosts of Burton and by the experience of poring over 150-year old brewer’s logs handwritten in (India?) ink. Stone Brewing Co., after all, traces its lineage back to the British Empire’s brewing history: we make ales, and all of our original offerings used traditional British styles as a jumping-off point. If this seems a roundabout way of letting you know that, yes, we are in fact brewing another IPA to mark our Anniversary, well, so be it. 
This one however, promises to be different! From the imported white malt to the “Burtonised” water to the rare yeast strain to the most pungent hops Kent has to offer, we used all British ingredients to brew our “Emperial” IPA.* While we may have brewed Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA with our own distinctively modern, San Diego-style touch, what good is history if you can’t rewrite it to suit your tastes?
In this case, our tastes called for highly intemperate quantities of Target, East Kent Goldings, and Boadicea hops, bestowing upon this dry-bodied ale a powerfully spicy, earthy aroma. On the palate, peppery hops assert themselves early and often, with malt sweetness making a brief appearance before being beaten back by a long, complex, and decisively bitter finish. What better way to contemplate the fate of empires past, present, and future?
100IBU, 8.9%Abv
 
My Thoughts: The beer poured a hazy light orange in color with a decent head out of the big 22oz bottle.   The smell is all hops and I loved it.  Citrus and floral hops dominate your nose!   Then I tasted it....It has a bitter start, a quick malt taste and a quick, wonderful bitter finish.   The grapefruit and citrus flavors are abundant in this brew.   The body was medium and the carbonation was a little above average which really played nicely with the hops!  It really is hard to put in words just how good this Emperial IPA was, so if you are a hop-head you must go out and find a bottle for yourself before it is too late!  This beer was released for sale on June 21st, 2010 and will be off shelves before you know it!  


Serving Type: Bottle

My Rating: Overall 93/100
look: 4.25| smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | drink: 4.75

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