Soaring Dragon
Stone Brewing in Escondido, California, United States 🇺🇸
IPA - Imperial / Double Rotating|
Score
7.10
|
|
At Stone Brewing, we have been fascinated by brewing with tea for a long time. A fan favorite over the years has been our 2011 collaboration: Baird/Ishii/Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA (a “one-off” that was so popular we re-brewed it in 2015). Over the last few years, we have continued our obsession with tea, brewing different versions with different types of tea on our pilot system in Escondido as well as at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station and Stone Brewing – Napa. We visited the Tianshan Tea City market in Shanghai, China in search of the perfect tea for this IPA that we had in mind. Of all the types of tea we experimented with, White Tea kept coming up as our favorite. The challenge then was to get the perfect amount of tea in the beer to achieve harmony and balance, which we have done in this Imperial White Tea IPA.
A few of our brewers took a side trip to the famous Tianshan Tea City market to experience the legend themselves. They were blown away. Inspired, they began experimenting back home, learning how well the delicate, floral qualities of these teas worked in combination with certain hop varieties. This imperial IPA loaded with White Tea is the result of that bountiful trip and the resulting experimentation. The amazing aromas and flavor profile of this beer are witness to the joy of experimentation and a testament to making time for side trips.
A few of our brewers took a side trip to the famous Tianshan Tea City market to experience the legend themselves. They were blown away. Inspired, they began experimenting back home, learning how well the delicate, floral qualities of these teas worked in combination with certain hop varieties. This imperial IPA loaded with White Tea is the result of that bountiful trip and the resulting experimentation. The amazing aromas and flavor profile of this beer are witness to the joy of experimentation and a testament to making time for side trips.
Sign up to add a tick or review
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
12 oz can from Hops and Bottles. Cloudy golden with small foamy head, streaky lacing. Aroma is citrus, grassy, floral. Not getting any dank notes mentioned by other reviewers, a bit of a funky edge though. Taste is mildly sweet, malty, floral and a dry tea presence. Does not come across as a DIPA.
Tried
from Can
on 19 May 2020
at 03:34
6.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Canned April 1st 2020.
It pours a clear pale gold with heaps of foam, lacing is fine.
Smells dank as hell. Tropical fruit, grapefruit, onions. Bitter nose overall.
Dank taste as well though the onion factor is somewhat dialed down. Grapefruit, tropical fruit, some sweetness, actually not that bitter.
High end of medium bodied, pretty good mouthfeel.
Oops, more of that onion flavour coming through the more sips I take.
Not the easiest beer to drink for me.
It pours a clear pale gold with heaps of foam, lacing is fine.
Smells dank as hell. Tropical fruit, grapefruit, onions. Bitter nose overall.
Dank taste as well though the onion factor is somewhat dialed down. Grapefruit, tropical fruit, some sweetness, actually not that bitter.
High end of medium bodied, pretty good mouthfeel.
Oops, more of that onion flavour coming through the more sips I take.
Not the easiest beer to drink for me.
Tried
from Can
on 18 May 2020
at 22:49
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
12oz can pours with a clear copper body that has golden hues and supports a nice light tan head of foam that leaves behind some spotty lacing. The aroma offers up citrusy tangelo and orange as well as mango and guava leading into an herbal kind of white grape like sensation. The taste delivers similar notes of tangy juicy citrus lined with grapefruit like hop bitterness. To midway it becomes softer with sweet soft mango and guava. Toward the finish a mild degree of herbal sort of floral tea bubbles to the surface. Pretty nice.
Tried
from Can
on 12 May 2020
at 03:43
6/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5
Interesting idea, underwhelming results. Seems somewhat off, with a heavy floral component never quite meshing with the more traditional IPA elements. Creates a medicine-like undertone, leafy and a tad saccharine, and while the piney bitterness is a nice addition, it grows a bit overwhelming when added to the flowery tea elements. Fairly harsh for an 8% pint. Not Stone's best.
Tried
on 08 May 2020
at 01:07
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
12 ounce can from Woodman's Appleton, 5/2/20. Hazy orange, large frothy white head, good retention. Aroma of melon, marmalade, floral, pale malt. Taste is marmalade, orange, tropical fruit, pale malt. Some resin. Medium bodied, moderate bitterness. No real tea notes but I guess they add the citrusy flavors.
Tried
from Can
on 03 May 2020
at 01:34
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 8
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Can from Beer Baron. Pours a clear straw gold with a finger of white foam that dissipates. Light peach aromas with faint whit peach, kaffir lime leaf and faint floral notes. More peach and lime on the palate with some light tropical fruit flavors. Mild bitterness with some tea, citrus and herbal bitterness that lingers. Very enjoyable.
Tried
from Can
at
Beer Baron
on 02 May 2020
at 02:05