Category Archives: Stone Brewing Co.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Amber / Red Ale, Beer Reviews, Stone Brewing Co., USA

Stone Pataskala Red X IPA

Saturday, 12 March 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 7.3%
Style: American Amber Ale
Other Notes: 75 IBUs. Malts – Red X. Hops – Amarillo, Cascade and Mosaic.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) 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, and the Pataskala name stuck. The deep crimson hue is courtesy of a fairly new special German malt variety by BESTMALZ called Red X. Appearances, however, only tell so much. Heavily dry-hopped with Mosaic, Cascade and Amarillo hops, the beer is incredibly citrus-forward, rounded out by notes of biscuit and toffee from the malt bill. The result is evocative of red IPAs yet different. And as luck – or perhaps skill is the more appropriate word, to give our brewing team their due – would have it, it’s quite wonderful. We think you’ll find this unusual red IPA to be quite deliciously satisfying, no matter how you choose to pronounce it.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.64
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with a bottled on date of 1st December 2016 and enjoy by date of 10th September 2016. Poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear deep ruby crimson red colour with a big three finger puffy tanned head that had pretty good retention and nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: Strong tropical fruit aromas with mango, passion fruit and peach leading the way. Some orange, pine and lemon creep in towards the end.
Taste: Wow, sweet sweet candy orange (think orange gummy bears), followed by some biscuit malt before finishing with bitter grapefruit, citrus zest and pine.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied and medium carbonation.
Overall: I really liked its appearance and aroma, but taste wise, it was too sweet for me at the beginning. The bitter finish was nice but could not cover the over sweetness at the start.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Stone Brewing Co., USA

Stone Winter Harvest

Sunday, 15 November 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 11.3%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
Other Notes: Unfiltered and aged 27 months in white wine barrels w/stone farms merlot grapes. 36 IBUs. Malt – Pilsner. Hops – Hallertau.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This golden beauty was created solely for barrel experimentation – you won’t find an unaged “2012 Stone Belgian-Style Golden Ale” in bottles anywhere (you can stop looking now).

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.23
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 500ml corked and caged bottle from the Quingenti Millilitre 2014 Series, Batch No. 07 brewed on 28th April, 2012 and bottled on December 2014.
Appearance: It poured a cloudy, dark golden honey/straw colour with a light half finger white head which dissipated fairly quickly.
Aroma: Grapes, oak, chardonnay, vanilla, light caramel and banana.
Taste: Oak, chardonnay, champagne, grape, white wine.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: This was nice and easy to drink considering its at 11.3% ABV. Basically its like drinking a highly carbonated chardonnay.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Smoked Beer, Stone Brewing Co., USA

Stone Smoked Porter

Wednesday, 28 October 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 5.9%
Style: Smoked Beer
Other Notes: 53 IBUs. Hops – Magnum and Mt. Hood.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) So you want something dark do you? We’ve got you pegged. You are the type who saddles up to the bar, scanning the tap handles for something beyond the pale, fizzy pabulum whose all too familiar neon advertisements garishly adorn the windows of taverns and bottle shops across the land. Or perchance you are one of those forlorn souls who think they don’t like dark beer. Either way, prepare to be enchanted. Deep mahogany around the edges and approaching pitch black in the center, Stone Smoked Porter is mysterious, smoky and verging on utterly decadent. Connivingly complex, this polished ebony gem is excellent with BBQ’d meats; amazing with fine chocolates, cheesecake and other rich desserts; and even pretty damn good with a well-crafted PB&J sandwich. With each sip you’ll discover a seamless meld of subtle chocolate overtones, subdued coffee and light smoky licorice, dark fruit, roastiness and perhaps even caramel.

Our Philosophy: We at Stone Brewing Co. pride ourselves in creating ales of world-class distinction and innovative character. We feel that every beer we make should reflect the honesty, integrity and craftsmanship with which we joyfully approach our work. We also feel that it’s OK to brew styles of beer that not everyone appreciates – yet that some people absolutely LOVE – because if you make it your goal to try and please everyone all of the time, you’ve got a sure-fire formula for ordinariness and mediocrity. That’s not who we are. Oh, and for all you devoted lovers of Stone Smoked Porter, don’t worry if you turn somebody new on to this beer. We’ll keep brewing enough of it. After all, WE love it too.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.52
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 22 fl oz bomber with a bottled on date of 17th July 2015 and an enjoy by date of 14th November 2015. Poured into a Spiegelau stout glass.
Appearance: Poured a dark dark brown colour with a light amber hue and a nice two fingered tan head that dissipates slowly leaving stringy lacing.
Aroma: Smokey, roasted malts with some light chocolate and cream.
Taste: Roasted malts and bittersweet chocolate. There is also some light smoke which is ashy and hints of licorice and milk coffee.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, medium bodied with light to medium carbonation.
Overall: The smoke taste was a bit ashy for me, but otherwise this was a nice smoked porter.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgian IPA, Stone Brewing Co., USA

Stone Cali-Belgique IPA

Tuesday, 27 October 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 6.9%
Style: Belgian IPA
Other Notes: A California-style IPA with a Belgian twist.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The term “Cali” hints that this is a California-style IPA, and “Belgique”/”Belgie” highlights its undeniable Belgian influence. We carefully selected a Belgian yeast strain that presents a delicious twist but keeps the beer recognisable as a relative of its very American predecessor. Think of it as Stone IPA’s otherwise identical twin that was raised in a Belgian culture. Literally.

This beer looks the same as Stone IPA, yet there is something unmistakably transformed. The aromas of Stone IPA and this beer have some similarities, but Stone Cali-Belgique IPA is decidedly a bit more, shall we say, different. A gentle sweetness joins the fold; you might even pick up hints of bubblegum. All in all, we find it fascinating and delicious the way the Belgian yeast expresses itself. And so we proudly say, “C’est avec le grand plaisir que nous le presentons vous!” or “Het is met geweldig genoegen dat wij het naar u voorstellen!”

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.27
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with a bottled on date of 14th July 2015 and an enjoy by date of 11th November 2015. Poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly leaving thin sticky lacing.
Aroma: Belgian yeasts, bready malt, honey, citrus lemon and orange.
Taste: Starts sweetish with honey, banana and bubblegum followed by biscuit and some light citrus orange, lemon and grapefruit giving it a light bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: The Belgian yeast really shows in both the aromas and taste and is a decently made Belgian IPA.

4 - Good (buy), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Stone Brewing Co., USA

Stone Ruination Double IPA 2.0

Wednesday, 7 October 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 8.5%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: 100+ IBUs. Hops – Magnum, Nugget, Centennial, Simcoe, Citra and Azacca.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) When this double IPA first hit the scene in 2002, the hoppy beer landscape was far different that it is today. Ales offering an onslaught of resinous humulus lupulus were virtually unknown. Thankfully that is no longer the case. Terms such as “lupulin” and “IBU” are well established in the craft beer lexicon. And with the knowledge of all that hops have to offer comes the desire to go beyond bracing bitterness. Fortunately, Stone Ruination IPA has always been crafted to celebrate all facets of the hop – its beauty and poetry, its boldness and might. As craft beer has evolved, so too have techniques for extracting the best and the most out of hops. So we modernized Stone Ruination IPA, coaxing every last drop of piney, citrusy, tropical essence from the Centennial, Citra, Simcoe and Azacca hops that give this beer its incredible character. Join us in cheering this, the second stanza in our “Liquid Poem to the Glory of the Hop.”

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.2
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 22 fl oz bomber bottled on 17th July 2015 and with an enjoy by date of 15th October 2015. It was poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear golden orange colour with a two finger white head which dissipates quite quickly but leaves lots of sticky lacing.
Aroma: Clear tropical fruit aromas to start mainly of mango, papaya, peach and pineapple before settling on pine hop and some citrus orange peel.
Taste: Starts with citrus orange, orange peel, sweet mandarin, maybe even a little soapy. Towards the middle there is a hint of tropical fruits but not much before it quickly finishes with a lasting grapefruit bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: Great aromas coming from this beer and although I prefer less citrus orangeyness and more tropical fruit, this was still a very good DIPA that I would continue to drink.

words of another dreamy traveller