The Stats:
ABV 6.90%
IBU 77
This is a beer that I have often but have never really noted its characteristics.It pours a hazy golden brown and layers an almost bright white head a little thicker than two fingers but quickly dissipates to a less than one finger head with full lacing.
On the nose you get the typical IPA notes of citrus but with a hint of lemon zest. Stone uses west coast citrus hops and this in apparent on the nose.
The taste is a hop bomb for your tongue, but over done surprisingly, you have to enjoy hops to have this beer. The bitterness on the tongue is almost stingy, in a good way, and a nice undertone of malt helps balance this out on the back end. I get notes of grass, and sourdough as well. Very interesting. It is a bit sweet which tones down the distinctive IPA bite.
In my opinion this represents the American IPA style rather well, it would make a great entry level IPA because of the dominant characteristics of the style. This is like the training wheels for the style.
Stone Brewing Co. is Based out of Escondido CA, they are a clean brewery adding no additives or preservatives to their products.The are famous for their Arrogant Bastard Ale, which I plan on reviewing in the future.
