Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
You can supply your own words to match up with the F and the B but for Stone it means Features and Benefits. In this case, the health conscious drinker. This new IPA is under 100 calories and finishes at a mere 4% ABV AND is gluten reduced as well.
It is a pretty safe bet to say that a Stone anniversary beer will be in the IPA family and number 24, well, it follows that trend.
The name DidgeriDoom might make you lean towards Southern Hemisphere hops. But no matter the theme of the hop list, it will be a big blast of the green stuff.
There are 12 guest designs for Stone IPA. The brewery kindly sent me 3 to see up close. I thought that I would declare a Best in Show for the ones that I received as well as the full set.
The three in my ‘fridge came from Logan Moore, Ben Fellowes and Emma Atterbury.
The process for the middle one was involved but it is clearly my least favorite. If you have to wonder if it was drawn by a child, then that is not a good sign. That leave some Fellowes and his dapper gargoyle and Atterbury’s decaying skull and I choose the latter because it just seems more scary and in line with the Stone Enjoy By series of drink fresh before the hops decay.
Overall, my favorite though is a simpler one, the big bold font and then a 3-D modeled gargoyle head like you would see from an archaeological dig. Again, scary but with a nice modern computerized twist. After that, there is the mostly green can, with the lettering turned vertically with a bull meets gargoyle animation rough sketch.
A cool idea to get consumers to take a second look at an old-school IPA.
An all California list this month to celebrate staying inside for even more time than initially thought. You can also find Odell’s and Great Notion here in L.A. if you need more sheltering in place beverages.
Lightest
Almanac The Future is Fluid IPA/ 6% – “A West Coast IPA dry-hopped with Mosaic, Sabro, Simcoe and Glacier brewed by the women of Almanac in support of the Pink Boots Society.”
Medium
Common Space Cocoa Stout/ 7% – “This rich chocolate cocoa stout is a mouthful of deliciousness. Mmmmm. It will take you back o your childhood. It’s like chocolate milk for adults. Smooth, luscious, rich cocoa drink.”
Biggest
Stone Brewing Ruined Again IPA/ 10.8% – “In 2002, we introduced Stone Ruination IPA (and its imposing100+ IBUs) as the first year-round West Coast double IPA on the planet. Then in 2012, in commemoration of its 10th anniversary, we introduced a new beer that would grow to be known as Stone RuinTen Triple IPA. Now, we’re bringing that back in all its over-the-top, cranked-to-11, maximum hoppy splendor, using every brewing technique in our arsenal to squeeze every last bit of magic out of a truly staggering amount of hops. It’s been 18 years of beautifully bitter evolution, and this stage dive into a mosh pit of hops is bigger and bitter-er than ever.”
Give an artist their tools and the word “gargoyle” and you will get a spectrum of interpretations. And Stone has given that remit and as you can see from the above, the look varies just a bit. My favorite is the bottom right. It has the strong pose down.
Rumvergnugen or Pampepato? Rum, hazelnut and molasses or fruitcake?
Of these two new barrel aged beers, I would go with the latter. Wouldn’t touch an actual fruitcake but I have had some surprisingly good fruitcake inspired beer. Besides, rum and then molasses on top of a dunker might become to sweet too fast for me.
This damn virus has stolen St. Patrick’s Day from us and now unless you are daring with your life (I.E. Georgia or Tennessee), Cinco de Mayo will go by without the typical fanfare.
I have posted many a time about how I spend those nights safe at home away from packed bars and packed police checkpoints but I thought I would give three recommendations for tomorrow’s Cinco de Solo.
Stone Buenaveza Salt & Lime Lager is a great place to start. Light and refreshing and with enough citrus to make it a fun way to start the night.
Boomtown Bad Hombre is a Mexican Lager with a spicy kick from Hallertauer hops.
Los Angeles Ale Works Dead Cowboy – labeled as a rustic red lager. This amber beer uses puffed rice.
April’s best starts off soaring with Stone Brewing and their…
This combo of Stone’s imperial strength and white tea works way better than it should. I equate white tea with softness but boy,this tea is not cowed by the hops at all. The tea adds a layer of floral complexity to a strong beer that really makes this IPA different from the herd. That herbal note works wonders.
Number 1 for April comes from a Portland brewery that I have visited twice, Wayfinder, with my Mom in tow. V of their beers made the journey to Southern California and the first one that I tried was fantastic, Terrifica Italian Style Pilsner.
Nothing at all horrifying about this pilsner. It was light and perky. Very floral and just one of those beers that you wish you could buy by the cause.
A big Imperial IPA from Stone is not unusual but this also has peony white tea added to Citra and Loral hops. Now at 8%, I hope the gentle notes of the tea will still show through and if that hop combo accentuates the tea.
For those of the THC and CBD persuasion, this year is 30 days of dankness. Which means the Enjoy By 4/20/20 is not just one day. And after the excellent Peak Conditions fruited IPA, I will watch to see how this new (or not) recipe will taste likel