A Massively Dry-Hopped Deep Crimson IPA

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 crimson hue is courtesy of a 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 with 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 more the 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.

I learned about Red X malt through a homebrewer friend, who happened to share one of his brews with me and also mentioned a local brewery in my hometown that was using it to brew a red ale. Intrigued by the balanced flavor and the deep red color after tasting his beers, I sent Liberty Station Brewing Manager Kris Ketcham a recipe for a red IPA. He brewed a great beer, and after tasting it, we decided it was the perfect candidate to replace Stone Delicious IPA in our seasonal lineup (Stone Delicious IPA is now available year-round). Red X is an interesting malt. It looks like pale malt, but produces brilliant red color in beer and balanced flavor, not cloying or too sweet. The flavor is mild, not intense like other red malts, but unique and adds a great component to a hoppy beer.