Enjoy By 12-21-12

Tasted Friday night hanging at Jen's parent at their new basement bar. Jen found this bottle at Hy-vee by asking for it as it was hidden behind the counter. We broke it out around 10 pm on 12.21.12.

Appearance: Golden and pristinely bright. A nice frothy white head is well sustained. Lacing is cascaded and wet. A gorgeous appearance.
Aroma: Clean, fresh and very aromatic. Reminiscent of pine, and fresh tropical fruit, specifically melon and zesty orange
Taste: Mango and papaya erupt in a strong citrus and tropical citrus. This dominates the majority of the fore flavor. The middle is nicely balanced by a light fruity complexity. To finish is a faint note of ester and alcohol. Finally the aftertaste holds a brief element of pine, but ever so slight.
Mouthfeel: Minimal carbonation, but the way it is incorporated into the beer adds a different sensation. It seems, how ever so slight, the carbonation stands apart. Light body and very refreshing.
Overall Impression: Yup, everything the bottle says is true. I like the change up from the typical expectation from Stone which is the huge west coast citrus. The melon character definitely was noticeable and well balanced. As fresh as it gets.

Cali-Belgique IPA

Ribco hosted a tapping party last night for Stone Brewery finally being distributed to the area. Jen and I went around 7:45 and secured a table. I was surprised how many people I recognized there from the Brew club, festivals, etc. Found out from Justen Parris that we could keep the glass from every pint we bought, so it ended up being rather a great deal! We tried the Belgian IPA, Arrogant Bastard (I still concur, 6 months later that it deserves a 95/00), Vanilla smoked Porter and Levitation Session ale. Unfortunately I was only able to write up a review for the first one..

Appearance: Clarity is exceptional. Golden color with a brief white film caressing the surface which later dissipates into a thin ring within the glass. No carbonation or activity occurring inside. No lacing present either.

Aroma: Pine with a subtle yeast character, particularly originating from the Belgian yeast. A bouquet of citrus and tropical smells braces the malt backbone which is brief and biscuity with a scent of honey sweetness. Phenols are minimal underneath the fresh hops and floral undertones.

Taste: Immediate spicey flavor. Pale malt foundation present with a note of biscuit malt sweetness noted from the aroma. I pick up a fresh blast of oranges both citrus and zest in character. The remainder leaves a back taste of grassy bitterness and fruity phenols (less estery). Again very crisp and spicy. Some tropical fruit husk permeates through under the complexity of alpha acid bitterness. Clove is present, as well as a boost from Cascade hops. Mildly peppery to the finish.
Mouthfeel: Light body with a bubbly crisp mouthfeel. Carbonation is mid level with a foaming bite that is interestingly unique to the beer. Not in the slightest aggressive and finishes relatively clean. Very drinkable and refreshing.
Overall Impression: Not overly hoppy relative to their normal IPA, but still maintains a nice fruit and bitter complexity. The hop profile provides a balanced aftertaste while encouraging a light and drinkable texture.


88/100

Stone Pale Ale

Following almost 4 hours sitting in Panera logging upwards of 8 posts from previous tastings and in order to set a scheduled auto-posting while I'll be in Cancun for spring break, we headed over to Plainfield Binny's and picked up a six pack of individual bottles. I was happy to dig up some Stone Pale ale and IPA, none of which I've tasted before

Appearance: Coppered bronze with a dash of orange. What started with a foamy off-white head, quickly dissipated into nothing. Quite clear with visible carbonation that reminds me of the consistency of snow, falling...upwards?. Some wet bubbled lacing against the side of the glass.
Aroma: Malted biscuits and toast with somewhat of a honey character to it as well as perhaps brown sugar. Following is a very mellow but
Taste: The taste is very fruitful by way of sweetness in the form of brown sugar and biscuit malted barley. This beer maintains a large malt backbone and is only then completely balanced by the best complement of hops. The hops themselves don't dominate, they take a very paralleled position with the malt, but exhibit mild tones of pine and spicing as well as fruity tannins and light grapefruit hulls. Some of the hops are reminiscent of lemon zest and orange rinds with a bit of spicy rye flavor to finish. There is a fresh pine element as well as a lingering grassiness to complement. Overall the bready, caramel, toasted malt is replied well by an evenly balanced hop complexity. Aftertaste is nice and short lived. A touch of fig and raisin emerges.
Mouthfeel: Bubbly and refreshing with a lighter mouthfeel but still maintaining a smooth and enjoyable texture. Though carbonation is high, it is directed in the right way with a micro-bubble foaming tone. The finish is dry, but not resinous at all.
Overall Impression: This is an extremely well crafted pale ale that emphasizes both balance but more predominantly complexity on both end of the malt and hops. I also enjoy that this beer is only 5.4% ABV, though I'd probably even like it better if it were lower. Extremely drinkable. Stone is rightly known for their strong malt character but easy drinking body and complex hops, and this is yet another spectacular example.


Tim: 93/100
Jen: 93/100

Stone IPA

Found at the Binny's in Plainfield in there single bottle bin for $1.89. A steal for what a 6'er costs. Tasted the night prior to leaving at 6:00 AM Sunday morning for Cancun for a week with the Misewicz family.

Appearance: Completely clouded golden orange with hardly any head in existence, which is surprising to a Stone. Though, when poured improperly I can get a short lived micro-bubbled fizz to float atop for a minute or so. The beer doesn't really even boast any activity by way of visible carbonation or hop flocculent.

Aroma: A very clean and fresh outdoorsy smell. It reminds me of a conifer/pine forest (perhaps completely cut down by loggers....for the imaginative reader). The beer also has notes of orange and other pine sweet zest fruits.
Taste: The taste starts hardly sweet from some biscuit and mild barley malt. The remainder (and 95%) of the rest of the beer to the palate is consistently a developing pine taste. It tastes as if an entire pine tree was logged, chopped into small pieces, ground up, made into a tea, and then concentrated into a syrup and poured over a granola bar (for the imaginative reader). AKA the pine is ridiculously strong! It leaves a very dry resined aftertaste that is short lived but when the tongue is pressed to the roof of the mouth, one can still draw a mild grassy bitterness. Some grapefruit may be drawn from this beer, but more underneath the pine citrus and hops.
Mouthfeel: Medium body with somewhat of a sticky feel primarily from the hop resins making a drying sticky bitter texture. Carbonation is perfect to complement the overall structure of the beer.
Overall Impression: I couldn't really draw much else from the beer besides the pine. The resins from the enormous amounts of hops truly defines all elements of the beer, from flavor to mouthfeel and aroma. Decent, but a strange way to conduct a beer recipe... Literally, like I said, like drinking a pine tree. Not much balance in this one, but I appreciate the


86/100

Levitation Ale

100th Post! Tasted this with Jen for the start of the new term following my first class of Parasitology. We tried it in the new six 5 Oz. glass tasting flight with fitted places for the tasting glasses within a varnished wooden paddle that she got me for my birthday.

Appearance: Rich bronzed amber with a finger and a half worth of thick foamy off white head. Clarity is optimal making carbonation fully visible within the glass. Thick webbed lacing follows the head down the glass the deeper one gets.

Aroma: Robust choked full of caramel roasted malt with an over toned biscuit smell at the nose. Hop profile is minimal in the smell

Taste: Alternatively, the hop bitterness reveals itself in the end taste with a grassy but floral finish that completely balances out this beer. The dry hop finish tastes similarly along the lines of a traditional red ale, just with more malt flavors. The initial sweetness shows exactly what the aroma exhibited. This roasted malt is lighter, but more pronounced and similar to toasted caramel with a pale malt base. Generally, it starts sweet and transforms to a grassy dry finish with a fine line between the two.

Mouthfeel: The body is very light for the amount of flavor and low alcohol packed into this beer. Mouthfeel is forgiving from the minimal micro-bubble carbonation that carries through the bitterness. It's dry finish is from the hopping and not the alcohol which was a measly 4.4%

Overall Impression: A perfectly balanced ale transgressing a truly complex flavor and aroma in an easily describable manner. I even appreciate the low alcohol because you can just drink more!


91/100

Saison du Buff

Tasted after a 7 mile morning run and after a curried vegetable omelet. But interestingly, as I sit here tasting this beer, there is a line-up of spices sitting in front of me, inclusive of Sage, Rosemary, Parsley flakes, and Thyme. I want to make sure I get a full sense of the herbs used so I don't miss a beat. In fact I bought this 12 Oz bottle by itself from Binny's early on Saturday. Felt kind of funny purchasing this bottle for only $2.99, but my original purpose there was to create a shopping list for later in the week to bring back to school. Anyway, this is what I think:

Appearance: Incredible white soapy foam head that stands 3 fingers strong within the large wine glass by which it was poured. Well sustained. Hardly dissipates by the 5 minute mark. Color takes on a strong straw color with an ever apparent chill haze that took hold the moment it was placed in the fridge. Micro-bubbly carbonation is evident as well. Clarity is minimal, yet evenly distributed.

Aroma: Aroma takes a strong herbal smell with distinct notes of pine, particularly from the rosemary. Malt sweetness complements this subtle smell quite well. The other spices take a far background status within this category. In combination, this beer is well balanced with its earthy, herbaceous aroma.
Taste: The taste is quite interesting. The aftertaste is of salad greens, reminiscent of the thyme leaves. The sweetness isn't necessarily of malt, but of an interesting combination of sugar adjuncts and still spicy tropical fruit hops. The earthy sensations felt on the palate are very complex. Gradually the sage accompanies the thyme in the aftertaste, where the rosemary and hops take hold the sweet combination in the foretaste. I'm not sensing the parsley anywhere (good). Finally grapefruit peel and citrus are a continually emerging flavor within the sweetness. Alcohol begins to creep up towards the end of the glass.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a perfect carbonation. Mouthfeel is heavier. Alcohol makes little impression to the texture. Nevertheless this beer has a creamy feeling on the back of the tongue.

Overall Impression: As much as I don't want to say it, this is a pretty special ale (what am I saying, Of course I want to say that!).  Enjoy the combinations of spices that are hardly overwhelming to taste, but just enough to be palatable in between the normal wheat/pale malt and the citrus tastes of the hops. This is totally a beer to try -- just to try. It really epitomizes the experimentation with beer if people would just be more open minded to the vast potential of different flavors compatible with today's beer. I'm fascinated by this one. I would like to try those other two that were brewed at the other breweries to taste the flavors resulting from the difference in water and technique and how they differ.

Note: I found an interesting document online (http://www.stonebrew.com/news/100225pr/BUFF.pdf)

and I found the "Buff" part of Saison du Buff to mean Brewers United for the Freedom of Flavor (BUFF).

This beer was made three times, once at each brewery. I bought the one made at Dogfish Head's Brewery in Milton, Delaware.

Arrogant Bastard Ale

Enjoyed early yesterday evening (Sunday) while watching Rounders with Jen. It was the first time this term I've had time to really sit down and watch a movie without the stress of school hanging over my head.

Appearance: Pint glass. Poured thick with a robust creamy yellow/tan head it resembled a sustained, almost soapy appearance. Color of brown cloudy maple syrup.

Aroma: Strong herbaceous honey-like smell. Caramel overtones assimilated with toffee and sauteed dark fruit. Floral and aromatic smells permeate the nostrils.

Taste: Slight butterscotch midtaste. First impression is overwhelmingly bitter! I taste the very apparent aromatic and bittering hops which are both very distinguishable. It takes a nutty, barrel/cask aftertaste. After my palate got used to the initial bitter slap in the face, I could taste what resembled subtle undertones of chocolate and cocoa nibs, still bitter, but nevertheless contributing to the complex flavor. There remained a bitterness of fruit and caramel, accompanied with a toasted pumpernickel choco-flavored deliciousness!

Mouthfeel: Body is thick and tacky with a heavy unforgiving texture. Perfect carbonation. Leaves a coated bitter aftertaste that hardly dissipates long after the beer goes down.

Overall Impression: Hardly boozy. Amazingly balanced in its complexity revealing each distinguishable flavor and smell in its own, but working together as it metamorphosizes from start to finish



95/100