Re-Review – Japanese Green Tea IPA from Stone Brewing

Heading back to the BSP blog vault to see what I thought of the Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA collaboration back in 2011.

Stone has gone into their vaults to un-retire beers and this was the one that I wanted to try again the most, so let’s see what I think of this re-release ten years later.

Getting a matcha type nose to this initially, then that first sip is a punch of it and a punch of alcohol. I can sense that their are hops underneath but the ABV is covering it well. The tea is solidly second place throughout. I get a tiny squeeze of lemon as well to add another dimension. Glad this is in a 12oz can for sure.

In the TapLines for April 2022

header_attractions

One quarter of the year gone by in a flash.  Now it is time for spring-y beers or as they should be called in SoCal, early summer ales.

~ e-visits to (3) breweries that will be pouring at the return of the Firestone Walker Invitational
~ special featured reviews of press review beers from Figueroa Mountain, Stone and Firestone Walker
~Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ A Book & A Beer reads South to America by Imani Perry
~ A Podcast & A Beer listens to History Hit with Dan Snow
~ Great Beer names and Best Beers of the Month
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world.

Woot Ten

Can you believe that the big bad pecan beer Woot Stout or the full name Stone Farking Wheaton W00t Stout is ten years old? It is back with new comic art for 2022 from Stone Brewing.

I like the art better than the Star Wars theme from last year. This is much more Stone feeling to me and I am sure the beer will be just as luxurious.

Scotchpine

Stone Brewing has a One Batch Dispatch for you. Jason Dunn / Stone Pineapple Dunn Upside Down Wee Heavy which is out this very day.

“The recipe comes from Jason Dunn’s winning submission in the 2020 American Homebrewers Association Rally. As the name implies, the beer is inspired by pineapple upside down cake. He wanted to create an in-depth malt profile, so it was decided to use a wee heavy base, boil it for an extended time to bring forth the rich caramel flavors, then incorporate pineapple to help cut through the sweetness of the malts and create a delicious decadent dessert beer.”

Stone is Bringing Them Back

Stone Brewing will be resurrecting past beers that were voted on social media, so, without further ado, here are the beers making a triumphant return…

First out of the gate will be Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA for another re-return followed by my personal choice…

Baird / Ishii / Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA (Late February) 

  • “It’s hard to find such a perfect blend of IPA hop flavor and herbal tea qualities. Strong tea attributes combine with hop elements of peach, apricot and mango.”

Stone RuinTen Triple IPA (Late April) 

  • “Hugely hoppy, an indelicate beer. There are five pounds of hops packed into each barrel and the ABV is cranked up to withstand the onslaught of hops.”

Stone Peak Conditions Double Hazy IPA (June) 

  • “This beer offers all the hops and bravado of a double IPA along with real fruit additions of passion fruit, orange and guava. Expect West Coast hops and East Coast haze.”

Stone 25th + 1 Anniversary Triple IPA (August) 

  • “Although not an archive rebrew (yet!), Stone’s anniversary salute audaciously reserves a spot in the Stone Fan Favorites lineup. This year’s triple IPA will extend the 25th anniversary for a bonus year of celebration.”  

Stone Imperial Russian Stout (October) 

  • “One of the foremost examples of this Old-World style in the American craft beer market. Rich and sinful, this massive and intensely aromatic beer abounds with notes of chocolate, coffee, black currants, anise and roastiness.”

3 Milks

As the wind whips in Los Angeles, so too do the anti-pumpkin fall seasonals. One that I am seeing more of is Tres Leches. Two that you should look for in SoCal come from Five Threads (below) Quite the ABV, so share that one. Or head to Stone for their Xocoveza variant which also adds in Mexican hot chocolate.

Brewchive

We need to keep our eye on history in order to not repeat mistakes or be able to re-create a tasty beer recipe from years past. Which leads us to this news item…

Stone Society

Or should I say Stone and Societe.

I am kind of surprised that the old school and new school San Diego breweries hadn’t collaborated before. But since they are, I am glad they are going the West Coast IPA route.