Orangey-amber colour. Chewy smelling - very Stone - with too much crystal/dark malt character. Woody, toasty, citrus-hoppy palate with caramel and a slight bit of alcohol.

Cheers to Kimchee for getting this rarity! Pale, bright yellow. Fruity aroma (apricot, peach, pear) with marshmallow. Sweet palate is fruity (pear, peach), vibrant textures and flowery esters. Well-hidden alcohol. Slightly tart in the finish, with lemony notes.

Copper colour with a thin white head. Strong hoppy aroma with a bit of alcohol and some pears. Medium to Heavy-bodied; Sweet taste with a mild fruit flavour and some complex spiceyness noticeable. Overall, decent but really not the best APA i've had. I had this bottle at the Winter Party at Oakes' place in Toronto, Canada on 05-December-2003. Many thanks go out to KimChee for bringing this one to the party as it turned out to be one of the best from the show!

Crystal clear golden colour with a thin white head. Aroma of coriander seed, curacao and strong sugars. Medium to full-bodied; Sweet flavourful-fruity (peaches, pears, apricots and grapes) with some normal curacao and coriander seed. Aftertaste was sweet and clean-fairly nice. Very good for the style and fairly nice from Stone (Which always is NOT the case!). I had this bottle at the Winter Party at Oakes' place in Toronto, Canada on 05-December-2003. Many thanks to KimChee for bringing up this beer-one of the highlights from the night! Even though I only had a few centilitres of this to sample, I did take my time and make it a one hour (or so) sampling!

December 2003: Very nice resinous, floral hops aroma. In my mouth there is a marriage of hops and ,malts, with some citrus dancing around.... very good! 7-3-8-4-15

Double Dry Hopped version on tap at Oregon Brewer’s Fest, July 31 2011: An orange amber IPA with a thin off white head. In aroma, pungent and fragrant floral hops, resinous, with a bit of catnip. In outh, a good biscuitty malt with very resinous pungent hops, mentol, coniferous, quite nice and challenging. 8-3-8-4-15

2003 Bottle fresh. Great color! Black and completely opaque. Good dark brown/almost black olive colored head. Big barley-wineish aroma, alcohol perceptible, in a good way. Begins with lots of dark roasted barley, dark bitter chocolate and a resinous, maybe vinous hops flavor that is lush and slightly syrupy. Good clean brown sugar flavor as well. Noticeable acidity suggests this is quite young and has plenty aging potential. Slight saltiness, but more of a cognac flavor in the background (though sweeter than cognac). Quite delicious. Some licorice detectable in the aftertaste and a good thick body creates a very distinct and memorable beer. Beer is not overdone. Texture is rich and smooth. Salty at times, but well defined and has no problem with carbonation. 2003 bottle aged almost 18 months Starting to show signs of wear. Not nearly as thick and creamy a palate as I remember, though it still is delightfully smooth and oily, I couldnt help thinking that after only 18 months, this was really showing more oxidation than I would expect. I’m torn between liking this better fresh or aged because fresh, it is thicker, which I like, but aged, the huge hops bitterness is much more under control and smoothed out. Alcohol a bit too perceptible on the finish. More of an oaty flavor than I remember as well. Tried at about 64 degrees.2004 draught fresh Very roasty, salty, bitter and has a good deal of licorice and molasses. Maybe a bit lighter body than the 2003.

2004 bottle Pours a tranluscent deep deep brown with some dark violet/red tinges, black colors and a medium tan head. Bittersweet aroma, some nuttiness actually, a bit of sweet coffee. Immediately upon sipping, the smoothness and balance are felt. Big flavors, subtle smokiness that lingers in the background and is actually barely perceptible. More up front is a fairly large saltiness, with a touch of chocolate, lots of bittersweet malt. Finish is pleasingly coffeeish, a touch of syrup, maple, coffee, salted beef.(ok not as bad as salted beef sounds). Alcohol no where to be found. Flavor is subtle, not hugely complex with twists and turns along the way, but a solid drinkable porter. Could use some more hops.
late 2004 bottle Much less body and a more neutral, even, light chocolate malt taste. Little to no smoke, if any, and a lightly nutty/sweet body. Not as flavorful as I remember.