Beer of the Weekend #286: Stone IPA

Frankly, I have no gut feeling about the Hawkeyes’ game tomorrow against Michigan. Ol’ Shoelace could very well have the Iowa defense guessing all game, and it may be unbearable to watch. That may be inevitable given our defense, but I want to believe the Hawks are looking to bounce back after another uninspired performance at Minnesota. We will see. But regardless of the outcome, I will be tipping back a number of brews.

The beer of the weekend may be a little out of season, but there is no way I am saving it for spring: Stone IPA, brewed by the Stone Brewing Company of Escondido, California.


I wonder: why are the best breweries in SoCal located in San Diego County?

Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. No freshness date.

Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is hazy light bronze with small particulates of yeast (?) hovering in the liquid; it is no doubt from the sedimentation that developed at the bottom of the bottle, which I thought was a little weird. Two fingers of eggshell-colored head dissipated to leave trails along the glass, a spotted lacing, and a thick ring of foam around the edge.

Smell: Dominant grapefruit and metallic hoppiness, a little bit of sweet malts, and lemon zest.

Taste: Much like the smell, it offers a nice, dominant, metallic and grapefruit hop bite, which really tickles the tonsils. It is loaded with hops, and it is beyond evident to me that I have not had anything this hoppy in a long time; each sip provides a massive dose of bitterness. Lemon zest and a little orange is also noticeable, but it obviously gets overshadowed by the massive hop characteristics. Toward the end, my taste buds finally adjusted and I was able enjoy it without the intense bitterness getting in the way.

Drinkability: It lacks complexity, but it packs a hoppy punch and offers major grapefruit flavor. It is now the definitive IPA in my book.

Fun facts about Stone IPA:

-Style: India Pale Ale.

-Price: $10.99/sixer at the Binny’s Beverage Depot on Illinois State Highway 83 in Willowbrook, Illinois.

-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF.

-Alcohol content: 6.9 percent ABV.

-Food pairings: BA recommends curried cuisine (Thai), peppery cheese (Monterey/Pepper Jack), sharp cheeses (Blue, Cheddar), pungent cheeses (Gorgonzola, Limburger), poultry, fish, shellfish, and salmon.

-IBU: 77.

-Here is some nerdiness from the beer’s webpage:

An "India Pale Ale" by definition is highly hopped and high in alcohol - you'll find our Stone India Pale Ale to be true to style with a huge hop aroma, flavor and bitterness throughout. If you're a hop-head like us, then you'll love our Stone India Pale Ale! Medium malt character with a heavy dose of over the top hops! Generous "dry hopping" gives this beer its abundant hop aroma and crisp hop flavor.

-Here is some nerdiness from the back of the bottle:

Gar•goyle (gär’goil’) n.

…a fearsome figure carved from stone that has powers to ward off evil spirits. Our Stone gargoyle wards off modern day evil spirits such as chemical preservatives, additives & adjuncts. One taste, and you can tell he does his job very well.

Stone India Pale Ale: To say that this gem of an IPA is “hoppy” would be putting it modestly — and modesty is definitely not one of our strong suits. Big hop flavor and big hop aroma. What about hp bitterness you ask? You bet! We loaded glorious amounts of crips and refreshing hop bitterness into this brew. First the aroma delights, then the flavor moves us to rejoice aloud! In fact in makes us feel downright poetic. We hope it does for you too!

Our Philosophy: We hardly keep it a secret that we revel in our love for big character ales. We have way too much fun creating our brews to even think for a moment about brewing anything that’s less than truly unique and outstanding. (We know you love them as much as we do.) Enjoy!

-Stone IPA is “100% natural” with “No Additives, No Chemical Preservatives, No Pasteurization, No Adjuncts.”

The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.