Brewery: Stone/Ballast Point/Kelsey McNair
Location: Escondido, CA
Style: Pale Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: B+
The good folks at Stone and Ballast Point have gotten together with homebrewer Kelsey McNair with the noble goal of creating a session beer (i.e., a beer with a low enough alcohol content that it can be consumed all day long - generally in the vicinity of 4%) that has the big hoppiness that is generally reserved for big double-IPA's. The San Diego County Session Ale pours up hazy gold/amber in color with a foamy white head and some dark swirls of sediment floating. The nose has huge grapefruit and pine hoppiness.
On the palate you are first hit with the telltale grapefruit citrus notes of West Coast hops. There are some toasted grain notes as well as a dry wood/oak note. There is a really big bitter bite with piny, oily hops. The San Diego County Session Ale is light-medium bodied with quite a bit of tannic astringency. The finish is very long and dominated by the bitter hop notes of pine and oily resin.
Well, there's no doubt that the San Diego County Session Ale has met its objective of cramming a massive amount of hops into a session ale. There really is an amazing amount of hops in this beer. Of course, there is something to be said for the higher alcohol and bigger body of an imperial IPA having the ability to hold up to and balance out a tremendous amount of hops. Even though the lighter body and alcohol content qualifies this as a session beer, for me the huge hoppiness still keeps this beer in the "sipping beer" category for me. This is a well-executed, unique idea, but I'll stick to the real deal when I'm looking for an IPA.
Showing posts with label Stone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stone. Show all posts
Monday, June 13, 2011
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Location: Escondido, CA
Style: Strong Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: A
Up next for review is the Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale from Stone. This is a version of their renowned Arrogant Bastard Ale that has been aged with oak chips. Oak-aged beer isn't exactly a common practice, and by using oak chips the goal is obviously to maximize oak-to-beer contact and thus oak flavor in the final product. Let's see how well this works...
The Oaked Arrogant Bastard is deep red in color with a hint of brown as well as a slight haziness. A firm pour results in a 2-finger thick, reddish-tan head head with big bubbles. There is a thick, sticky lace left behind as the head recedes. The nose picks up fresh-cut timber, citrus hops and a touch of liquid smoke.
On the palate there is an earthy malt that is balanced by a bitter hop bite. There is a piny hops note that pairs very nicely with the prominent oaky wood flavor. There is some citrus that peeks through on the hops side as well. The finish has lingering bitterness with a nice sawdust counterpoint. The Oaked Arrogant Bastard has a medium-to-full body that holds up to the big flavor here.
The Oaked Arrogant Bastard has a great flavor profile that I really enjoy. The wood flavor is prominent without being overpowering, and the Arrogant Bastard is a big enough beer to hold up to it. To me, the flavor and aroma remind me of hiking through timber country of the Great North Woods. I will definitely be bringing a sixer of this up with me during hunting season this year. The oak brings a nice earthiness that really meshes well with the hops and malt profiles of this beer. Highly recommended.
Location: Escondido, CA
Style: Strong Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: A
Up next for review is the Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale from Stone. This is a version of their renowned Arrogant Bastard Ale that has been aged with oak chips. Oak-aged beer isn't exactly a common practice, and by using oak chips the goal is obviously to maximize oak-to-beer contact and thus oak flavor in the final product. Let's see how well this works...
The Oaked Arrogant Bastard is deep red in color with a hint of brown as well as a slight haziness. A firm pour results in a 2-finger thick, reddish-tan head head with big bubbles. There is a thick, sticky lace left behind as the head recedes. The nose picks up fresh-cut timber, citrus hops and a touch of liquid smoke.
On the palate there is an earthy malt that is balanced by a bitter hop bite. There is a piny hops note that pairs very nicely with the prominent oaky wood flavor. There is some citrus that peeks through on the hops side as well. The finish has lingering bitterness with a nice sawdust counterpoint. The Oaked Arrogant Bastard has a medium-to-full body that holds up to the big flavor here.
The Oaked Arrogant Bastard has a great flavor profile that I really enjoy. The wood flavor is prominent without being overpowering, and the Arrogant Bastard is a big enough beer to hold up to it. To me, the flavor and aroma remind me of hiking through timber country of the Great North Woods. I will definitely be bringing a sixer of this up with me during hunting season this year. The oak brings a nice earthiness that really meshes well with the hops and malt profiles of this beer. Highly recommended.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Stone Ruination IPA
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Location: Escondido, CA
Style: IPA
Brewery Website
Rating: A
Up next for review is the Ruination IPA from Stone. The Ruination is deep gold in color with a touch of amber. It has a bit of haziness that reminds me of fresh-squeezed lemonade. The Ruination IPA pours with a clumpy, 2-finger thick, off-white head. On the nose, the Centennial hops jump right up your nostrils and hit you with a wallop of white grapefruit. (This, my friends, is a good thing.) The overall aroma is straight-ahead citrus with just a touch of yeasty bread and some sweet notes way in the back.
On the palate, there is a fruity hop bite. The hop flavors run the gamut from citrus/grapefruit to pine and hop-resin. Overall, the flavor is well balanced between the bitter hops and aromatics. There is a touch of sweet, grainy malt, along with some cherry, plum and alcohol notes. There is a long, clinging finish of bitter hops with some hop fruitiness. There is some slight astringency, and an overall light-to-medium body that I find to be enjoyably smooth for all the hoppiness.
Stone has another winner on their hands with the Ruination IPA. This is one for big-time hopheads to savor.
Location: Escondido, CA
Style: IPA
Brewery Website
Rating: A
Up next for review is the Ruination IPA from Stone. The Ruination is deep gold in color with a touch of amber. It has a bit of haziness that reminds me of fresh-squeezed lemonade. The Ruination IPA pours with a clumpy, 2-finger thick, off-white head. On the nose, the Centennial hops jump right up your nostrils and hit you with a wallop of white grapefruit. (This, my friends, is a good thing.) The overall aroma is straight-ahead citrus with just a touch of yeasty bread and some sweet notes way in the back.
On the palate, there is a fruity hop bite. The hop flavors run the gamut from citrus/grapefruit to pine and hop-resin. Overall, the flavor is well balanced between the bitter hops and aromatics. There is a touch of sweet, grainy malt, along with some cherry, plum and alcohol notes. There is a long, clinging finish of bitter hops with some hop fruitiness. There is some slight astringency, and an overall light-to-medium body that I find to be enjoyably smooth for all the hoppiness.
Stone has another winner on their hands with the Ruination IPA. This is one for big-time hopheads to savor.
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