Beer Review: Stone – 14th Anniversary Imperial IPA
Jul0
A mighty fine IPA
Amount of brew in bottle: 22 fluid ounces
ABV: 8.9%
Type of brew: Imperial IPA
Price: ~$8
The very first sip I took of this beer it had a really skunky hop flavor but an awesome floral smell. However, the taste was only because I took a drink of it while the beer was still cold and had not properly warmed up. Thankfully, once the beer had warmed up the hop taste matched the smell of this beer. The taste was what you would expect from any quality IPA, slightly bitter initial taste with a nice dry finish at the end.
When I first saw this bottle I was a bit reluctant to purchase it. Stone isn’t always my favorite brewer and they usually try and go over the top with their beers. However, this beer is rather tasty and not over the top. Granted this is a strong beer alcohol wise but it is on par with many of the other Imperial IPAs I have had.
The beer as you can see from the picture pours a light golden color with a decent white head. The beer looks very approachable and could catch you by surprise if you were just handed a glass of it…hmm, that gives me an idea 
. Anyways, this beer matched perfectly with a hot July night down here in Texas or if you are lucky to not be in the heat some spicy BBQ should probably do the trick.
Overall this beer is a pretty damn good IPA. I am not sure if it would be my #1 choice for an IPA but it is still a damn good IPA and something I would suggest anyone try.
The good: A very tasty IPA especially on a hot summer day/night
The bad: Probably won’t be around for too long 
Stone 08.08.08 Vertical Epic
Mar0
Let's get vertical
Recently I had Stone’s 08/08/08 vertical epic. I couldn’t wait till 12.12.12 which is how long the beer was supposed to sit before drinking it.Some background on the epic series, it started on 01.01.01 and is brewed in increments for each year. The idea behind it was to try all of the beers in a vertical tasting on 12.12.12. Which sounds awesome but there are two problems for me related to that idea:
1) I am not that patient
2) When they started this I wasn’t even able to buy beer and I was ignorant on the ways of beer
Let’s get back to the review shall we? The beer initially tastes like a mix between a sour and a Belgian beer. This beer is incredibly easy to drink and is very light. One of the most interesting things I find about this beer is that even though it seems like a light beer it is packing a powerful punch! This beer weighs in at 8.5% ABV meaning this is no light easy going beer if you drank this one on an empty stomach get ready to feel something . This beer is so light some people might mistake it for a lager but is like no lager I have ever tasted. As this beer warms up it becomes slightly more bitter and sharper tasting.
The good: easy to drink light beer, won’t fill you up but will make you feel warm inside.
The bad: if someone wanted to do it correctly they would have to hold off till 12.12.12 to drink this dang thing!
Overall taste: 
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Stone – Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
Feb0
When I first poured the Stone bitter chocolate oatmeal stoat I said “that is one dark beer” my fiance said “that looks delicious.” Even though we have different tastes if you combine our two statements it becomes a great summary for this beer. While the beer was cold I could definitely taste the chocolate flavors but as the beer warmed up those flavors went away. The chocolate taste wasn’t overbearing but was noticeable. One thing I noticed about this beer is that it was incredibly rich and thick, however, it wasn’t so thick that it felt like you were swallowing 10w30 motor oil.
Since this beer is a chocolate oatmeal stoat it has a hint of bitterness which more than likely comes from the oats. However, the bitterness is not over powering and once the beer warms up it mellows out even more. The beer is also incredibly smooth and easy to drink which can be really dangerous since this beer is rated at 9.2% ABV. According to Stone there is actually cocoa in the brew which is a bit different than the majority of other chocolate stouts which usually use a chocolate malt (a malt toasted to a chocolaty color). The smell of the beer is sweet with a hint of malty goodness. I enjoyed drinking this beer and found that it was easy to drink and I thought the logo on the beer bottle was awesome.
The Good: A great tasting and smooth stout
The Bad: The beer is a bit strong for weekday drinking (at least for me).
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Stone – Imperial Russian Stout
Jan5
Like the bottle says it pours like crude oil!
This is the second time I have had this beer and point blank I would have to say I love it. Many of the brews coming out of Stone don’t float my boat but this one had me thinking about buying a case and seeing how well it ages (it is supposed to age well). As you might be able to ascertain from the picture there is no head on this beer and it is dark…very dark. It has a strong lasting taste but is not overly bitter. The initial taste is very smooth but if left to sit in your mouth the bitterness will hit you and a hint of coffee will leak through. The smell of the beer has no prominent scent except for alcohol. The pour of this beer is thick and is almost too easy to pour .
The website for this beer describes the beer as having hints of “anise, black currants, coffee, roastiness and alcohol.” Since I am not exactly sure what anise and black currants are I will have to take their word on that. I can taste a very, very faint hint of coffee but the roastiness and alcohol are definitely there! This beer has an ABV at 10.8% which makes it a decently strong beer, although not the strongest I have ever tried. The taste of the beer changes as it warms up, becoming more mellow, less bitter, and the flavors more distinctive.
The Good: Delicious taste in an utterly dark beer, this beer truly could be chewed.
The Bad: I am not sure what type of food would go with it, that would be the one down side I could think of, it would probably kick the living shit out of any food you had.
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Cheers!