Subsidiaries
8.2/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
AOBF 04. Bottle. Light gold, with some light green hints, yellow straw and a good firm white head. Mostly hazy, bottle conditioned. Smells of sweet pears, wheat, honey, and yeast. Nice and zesty. Flavor is thick, lightly syrupy and sweet. Honey, citrus (lemon-lime), and a decent hops kick near the end. This beer was unique in that it had mostly lighter, softer qualities to the flavors, yet when you drank it, it didnt seem light bodied or thin and there was plenty of flavor. No alcohol apparency, and a good thick body, but I can’t honestly say I’m not concerned for this thing when you think about the 8 more years it is supposed to cellar. We shall see, hopefully my worries are in vain. I can definitely see this stuff aging well for at least 3 or 4 years though.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 May 2004
at 12:48
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Wow- the bottle mentions lime leaf and that flavor and aroma is certainly front-and-center in this beer. Pours disturbingly like a Budweiser, with a clear golden body and a minimal off-white head. Aroma of lime leaf (especially after pouring the beer in a glass), banana, and clove. Flavor is consistent with the aroma- beginning with a very strong lime flavor leading to banana and clove notes. Other than those three flavors, complexity is minimal at this time. A refreshing change from the usual Stone fare, but not something I would drink on a regular basis, as the lime aftertaste gets to be a bit much.
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 May 2004
at 01:28
7.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
This used to be one of my favorite IIPAs - a 4.5 in the old days, but it is a shell of it’s former self.+++ This beer poured an orange amber color with a large creamy orange-white head that lingered and left good lacing. The aroma was dryish and spicy with moderate notes of vague floral and herbal hops. The flavor was bitter, dryish and somewhat tart with notes of vague floral, perfumey and herbal hosp and light undertones of pine, grapefruit and pepper. The finish was long and dry with lingering pine, pepper and floral/herbal hops. Moderately full bodied. This beer used to be a sweet grapefruit bomb but they have ruined an old favorite and I doubt I would bother to get it again after what they have done to it.
Tried
on 01 May 2004
at 21:50
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
2004 bottle. Orange-amber-yellow with some very light reds. Decent off-white head, quite foamy, lots of lacing. Clear. Smells very dry of hops, paper, biscuits, white bread. Flavor is hugely dry, not overly bitter, but just so dry you wonder where the malt is. Definitely strong for the style, though I really like that. Flavor is certainly crisp and clean, I just can’t seem to get used to the huge dryness of the malt and hops.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Apr 2004
at 09:57
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9.5
2004 12 oz bottle. Pours a surprisingly colorful pale copper, lots of orange hues with bright golds and rosy reds. Amazing, creamy head stays with the beer almost to the end of the glass and provides an incredible amount of lacing. Aroma is very dry. Light dry, almost astringent hops with buttery yeast notes, and plenty of nutty dryness. Peppery almost and lightly spicy. Flavor starts out dry and hoppy with a light citrus spice, but not juicy or wet. Little bit of malt sweetness lurks (caramel, honey brown bread) and it has a very creamy consistency. Surprising medium body, no wateriness, just a solid bitterness throughout, to the last drop. Does not bore, nor does it comprimise quality for easy drinking. This is THE best session ale I have tried to date. Moderate carbonation, balanced finish. Light toasty and bready notes remind me of a subtle EPA.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Apr 2004
at 09:06
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Bottle. Amber colored beer with an off-white head. Toffee aroma with a hop backing. Flavor of hops, then a strong alcohol presence, followed by a toffee/coffee malt that lingers in your mouth. It's balanced between the hops and malt, but the alcohol presence is much higher than I'd like (yes, it's a barley wine, but in this one the alcohol is too much in the forefront). Leaves a nice hop bitterness in your mouth.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Apr 2004
at 22:17
8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Draft, Golden colored beer. Hops dominate the aroma and flavor. But I was surprised by the malt backbone in this one (I know it's Stone, but I thought I remembered less malt). There's also a little creaminess to this. Very good.
Tried
from Draft
on 19 Apr 2004
at 21:17
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Burnt orange, nearly copper pour with medium lacing - heavy hop aroma, with touches of grapefruit and caramel - flavor is like a wonderful mix of SN Bigfoot and Old Horizontal - bigfoot hoppiness (with corresponding citrus aspects) and the sweat malt profile (with all the caramel and fruity esters) of the Old Ho mix in near perfect harmony - tasty but slightly out of balance - I'm sure aging will work out the kinks.
Tried
on 05 Apr 2004
at 20:39
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Golden ale with a nice white head. Hops kisses the malt in the nose. Sweet malt with resinous hops, very intense, with lots of big chunks of citrus and grapefruit. Well balanced beer with a good body.
Tried
on 07 Mar 2004
at 18:44
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Nice brown coulour with a nice bubbly foam. Spices and alcool aroma with some light hops. Banana, pinenapple, and sweet malts marry well together, with alcool warmth and rich body....very pleasant beer.
Tried
on 07 Mar 2004
at 13:11