Subsidiaries
9/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Completely black in colour, with a frothy brown head which seems to last and last. The pour made the beer look like motor oil going into the glass. Smells of chocolate (bittersweet-70+%), coffee and roasted malt. A very thick mouthful leads to a nice soft taste filled with coffee and chocolate. Some berries do linger on the palate which is really an odd kick, thinking this should be purely roasty and toasty flavours. Definately a good beer, and one of the better IS's i've had, from a pretty darn good brewery, no matter how much I saw about their Imperial IPAs (all 400 of them). Alas, one more top 50 under my belt. I've been waiting for this one for quite a while, and had a good friend (JonR888710) pick it up for me. This was from the 22 ounce bottle purchased at Whole Foods market in Vienna, Virginia.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Jul 2003
at 13:56
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Dark brown in colour, almost completely opaque, but when stretched at the sides...some lighter brown shows through. A nice large-bubbled brown head tops the beer, with adequate lacing on the sides. The smell is typically that of a normal Porter, a small amount of smoke and tobacco, but pretty subtle. The mouthful is nice, not too thin, not too thick and the carbonation is not overwhelming. The flavour is pretty good, definately smokey and some chocolate and roasted malt tones are picked up. A pretty good beer, but thats really what you come to expect from Stone. I've been looking forward to trying this, and I wasn't disapointed.
Tried
on 03 Jul 2003
at 11:46
7.8/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
Rerate from Bottle. Cocoa aroma, Lightish body, strawberry dirt, burned bread, blueberry. Oxidized malt finish. Old rating: 8 5 9 4 14 Aroma: Coffee, burned sourdough bread, slight lactic acidity and a slight earthy smell. Color like a black hole. Acidic tastenotes: Coffee, strawberries (with some dirt clinging on them). Medium bodied, alcohol does not show. Rounds of ok, but somehow something is missing... I guess it misses the last velvety touch.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Jun 2003
at 00:44
8.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Well I couldn't wait around until 2012 to sample this, but I think I'd like to give it a shot, this could age nicely. Nevertheless, its ready to drink now! Garnet brown with medium head and strong carbonation. Funky aroma with smoky and chili notes, some toffeeish malts, various herbal qualities, possible fruit (apricot). Surprisingly dry presentation with a mild sweetness up front and a long dry finish with lingering spicy bitterness. Some bubblegum notes appear in the nose and mouth. Soft mouthfeel. I definitely agree with the commercial description, its a dubbel gone wild, look for it on DVD.
Tried
on 09 Jun 2003
at 10:24
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottled. Reddish brown. Restrained aroma of malt and grapefruit. Soft and intensely malty with huge hopbitterness setting in early and dominating the finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Jun 2003
at 01:52
7.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottled. Nut brown with rich head. Cookie aroma. Softly malty with notes of chocolate, cinnamon and syrup. Clean, short finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Jun 2003
at 01:44
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
An IPA, you say? I tried Ruination back-to-back with Stone IPA, and Ruination is more similar to the barleywines I've tasted than it is to the other IPAs I've tasted (which is not a bad thing in my book). Ruination is still dominated by floral hops, but I found it to be richly complex, and caramely, as opposed to bitter. 'Tis interesting to see how different styles are interpreted by different brewers. Both thumbs up; Ruination is one to look for at your favorite ale shop.
Tried
on 19 May 2003
at 20:06
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Nicely, crisply hoppy but balanced by malt presence. I tried the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA recently, and Stone IPA holds up well. Smooth and refreshing, Stone IPA is a nice example of the style. Although, for the record, I do believe diversity and original interpretation is tough to come by in an IPA.
Tried
on 19 May 2003
at 20:02
8.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 10
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9.5
Well, for me a hop-lover living on the east coast, this was one that I really needed to try and isn't always readily available. I bought two bottles, a 12 ounce and the normal 22 ounce large bottle. This rating is from the Large bottle. Pours a orange colour with golden highlights at the bottom. Little head, but it was poured from the first half of the bottle, so an adequate head couldn't be formedd. The aroma is purely hops. If you continually smell this beer ever thirty seconds, your mouth will literally water. The taste is purely hoppy as well. A great mouthful, not too much, not too little. The aftertaste and palate of this beer is great as well...lingering hoppiness and subtle floral elements as well. This is truly an IPA winner and should be sampled by everyone regardless of their beer preference. One of those beers where 'hop heads' go crazy for.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 May 2003
at 10:44
9/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
(new 2003 release) Poured jet black (always a good sign) with a quickly dissipating tan head. Aroma dominated by roasted and chocolate notes. Nice, thick, viscous mouthfeel. Flavor is dominated by roasted chocolate, with a sweet malty backbone. Well-done. I place this a couple notches above Victory Storm King (which has a hoppier essence with a thinner body) but below the ridiculous Bells Expedition. I have to give Stone credit though: their malty, viscous beast is at least carbonated (Note to Bells...)! My experience with Stone suggests that this brewer deserves all the hype it receives. The IPA and Ruination IPA are waiting...for another day, alas. Does this deserve a poem?
Stone Imperial, thick succulent jelly
Warms my throat, mouth and young belly
Reaches my brain and causes a smile
Nice to drink an Imperial, it's been awhile.
Your chocolate notes and malt sweetness entice me it's true
Emptying the bottle, I'm afraid, will leave me quite blue.
Warming, smooth, succulent beast
My wallet thanks you, bank account not upset in the least.
Lucky me, when you're gone, another bottle's in store
A wise decision I must say, and a satisfying score.
There's still half of you left in my glass I do see
Before you're gone I bet I'll go pee!
For Stone Imperial Stout is a delectable brew
My mind has been made, my desire anew
To seek out the stout and drink of its glory
Dark, malty it's true, always good for a story.
My poem draws to a close, my pen runs dry
A warm welcome to you, stout, a tear in my eye.
Stone Imperial, thick succulent jelly
Warms my throat, mouth and young belly
Reaches my brain and causes a smile
Nice to drink an Imperial, it's been awhile.
Your chocolate notes and malt sweetness entice me it's true
Emptying the bottle, I'm afraid, will leave me quite blue.
Warming, smooth, succulent beast
My wallet thanks you, bank account not upset in the least.
Lucky me, when you're gone, another bottle's in store
A wise decision I must say, and a satisfying score.
There's still half of you left in my glass I do see
Before you're gone I bet I'll go pee!
For Stone Imperial Stout is a delectable brew
My mind has been made, my desire anew
To seek out the stout and drink of its glory
Dark, malty it's true, always good for a story.
My poem draws to a close, my pen runs dry
A warm welcome to you, stout, a tear in my eye.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 May 2003
at 18:29