14th Anniversary Emperial IPA (Stone)
I had high hopes for this brew. I bought three bombers of it, even though I had never tried it. I love Stone beers for the most part and enjoy a good IPA. There is something wonderful about great hops being showcased in this beer. This was released in June, I drank it less than a year later. Maybe it will get better with age.
General Thoughts
Look and Smell: This was a pale gold color. It strikes you as soon as you see it. At times in the pour it was looking white. The white head dissipated quickly. It smelled hoppy, but also fruity. The fruit was a surprise. It was an apple or pear scent to me. I couldn't quite place it, but it was an interesting combo.
Taste: I tasted the bitterness of the hops upfront. I also tasted orange peel. Remarkably strong orange peel (pith, outside oils, everything). Like I just bit into one. It also had a fruity sweetness. The aftertaste was like candied orange peels for me. I had such high hopes for this beer, and....I didn't really like it. This seems like sacrilege, but I suppose I have high IPA standards. Maybe not high, but I like what I like.
I normally don't even check BA or Ratebeer, because some of those people just go way overboard. I generally don't look at the description of the beer before I drink it either. But the people on BA and Ratebeer loved this brew. At this point I was just looking for some reassurance that my taste buds didn't completely mutate. While some out-there people mention notes of hay and glue, other people did bring up the citrus and apple, so I'm not completely crazy here.
I'll stick to Maharaja, Houblon Chouffe, or my Arctic Panzer Wolf when I can get it. I'll definitely have an opportunity to try it again. I'll update the post if I like it the second time around.
Update: I tried it again 7/22/12 as part of an IPA line up from my cellar. I still got the musky pear. Still not what I go for with IPA. I do think some of that citrus harshness mellowed out. It isn't as bad as I thought it would be after looking at these notes. I guess initially I had expected something more powerfully hoppy from Stone, which lead to some disappointment.
From the Stone site:
We went to England this past spring as self-styled “IPA Hunters” on a mission to learn more about the confusing and often contradictory history of India Pale Ale – to look for some certainty where those before us have found mostly mystery and mercantilism. While our success in this pursuit is open to debate, there can be no question that we returned home inspired by the ghosts of Burton and by the experience of poring over 150-year old brewer’s logs handwritten in (India?) ink. Stone Brewing Co., after all, traces its lineage back to the British Empire’s brewing history: we make ales, and all of our original offerings used traditional British styles as a jumping-off point. If this seems a roundabout way of letting you know that, yes, we are in fact brewing another IPA to mark our Anniversary, well, so be it.
This one however, promises to be different! From the imported white malt to the “Burtonised” water to the rare yeast strain to the most pungent hops Kent has to offer, we used all British ingredients to brew our “Emperial” IPA.* While we may have brewed Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA with our own distinctively modern, San Diego-style touch, what good is history if you can’t rewrite it to suit your tastes?
In this case, our tastes called for highly intemperate quantities of Target, East Kent Goldings, and Boadicea hops, bestowing upon this dry-bodied ale a powerfully spicy, earthy aroma. On the palate, peppery hops assert themselves early and often, with malt sweetness making a brief appearance before being beaten back by a long, complex, and decisively bitter finish. What better way to contemplate the fate of empires past, present, and future?
General ThoughtsLook and Smell: This was a pale gold color. It strikes you as soon as you see it. At times in the pour it was looking white. The white head dissipated quickly. It smelled hoppy, but also fruity. The fruit was a surprise. It was an apple or pear scent to me. I couldn't quite place it, but it was an interesting combo.
Taste: I tasted the bitterness of the hops upfront. I also tasted orange peel. Remarkably strong orange peel (pith, outside oils, everything). Like I just bit into one. It also had a fruity sweetness. The aftertaste was like candied orange peels for me. I had such high hopes for this beer, and....I didn't really like it. This seems like sacrilege, but I suppose I have high IPA standards. Maybe not high, but I like what I like.
I normally don't even check BA or Ratebeer, because some of those people just go way overboard. I generally don't look at the description of the beer before I drink it either. But the people on BA and Ratebeer loved this brew. At this point I was just looking for some reassurance that my taste buds didn't completely mutate. While some out-there people mention notes of hay and glue, other people did bring up the citrus and apple, so I'm not completely crazy here.
I'll stick to Maharaja, Houblon Chouffe, or my Arctic Panzer Wolf when I can get it. I'll definitely have an opportunity to try it again. I'll update the post if I like it the second time around.
Update: I tried it again 7/22/12 as part of an IPA line up from my cellar. I still got the musky pear. Still not what I go for with IPA. I do think some of that citrus harshness mellowed out. It isn't as bad as I thought it would be after looking at these notes. I guess initially I had expected something more powerfully hoppy from Stone, which lead to some disappointment.
From the Stone site:
We went to England this past spring as self-styled “IPA Hunters” on a mission to learn more about the confusing and often contradictory history of India Pale Ale – to look for some certainty where those before us have found mostly mystery and mercantilism. While our success in this pursuit is open to debate, there can be no question that we returned home inspired by the ghosts of Burton and by the experience of poring over 150-year old brewer’s logs handwritten in (India?) ink. Stone Brewing Co., after all, traces its lineage back to the British Empire’s brewing history: we make ales, and all of our original offerings used traditional British styles as a jumping-off point. If this seems a roundabout way of letting you know that, yes, we are in fact brewing another IPA to mark our Anniversary, well, so be it.
This one however, promises to be different! From the imported white malt to the “Burtonised” water to the rare yeast strain to the most pungent hops Kent has to offer, we used all British ingredients to brew our “Emperial” IPA.* While we may have brewed Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA with our own distinctively modern, San Diego-style touch, what good is history if you can’t rewrite it to suit your tastes?
In this case, our tastes called for highly intemperate quantities of Target, East Kent Goldings, and Boadicea hops, bestowing upon this dry-bodied ale a powerfully spicy, earthy aroma. On the palate, peppery hops assert themselves early and often, with malt sweetness making a brief appearance before being beaten back by a long, complex, and decisively bitter finish. What better way to contemplate the fate of empires past, present, and future?
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