Stone Brewing Co., one of my favorite breweries ever, just started to distribute to Twin Cities! And there are release parties, also called
Total Tap Takeovers, all over the Cities this week. I attended the one at
Stub & Herb's yesterday that was as big as any of those will get. Here's the beer list (✓ = I drank it last night):
- Arrogant Bastard Ale
- OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale
- Stone IPA
- Stone Pale Ale
- Stone Smoked Porter
- Stone Levitation Ale
✓ Stone Ruination IPA
- Stone Cali-Belgique IPA
- Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale
✓ Double Dry Hopped Stone IPA
✓ Double Dry Hopped Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale
- Stone Smoked Porter w/ Vanilla Beans
- Stone Smoked Porter w/ Chipotle Peppers
- Double Bastard Ale w/ Chipotle Peppers
- Stone Smoked Porter aged in Bourbon Barrels
✓ 2008 Stone Imperial Russian Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels
- Arrogant Bastard Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels
✓ 2007 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine
- 2009 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine
- 2010 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine
- 2011 Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine
✓ 2011 Stone Old Guardian BELGO Barley Wine
✓ 2010 Stone Imperial Russian Stout
- Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA
- 2010 Double Bastard Ale
- Green Flash/ Pizza Port Carlsbad/ Stone Highway 78 Scotch Ale
I did not review every beer I had, but reviewed a few in the following order:
12% ABV ; 85 IBU's
Served in a 10 oz. Chalice like glass.
Hazy and dark amber, this beer was noticeably darker than 2007 Old Guardian. Poor head and poor head retention, but that could be these glasses too. The aroma is very different from what I expected in the sense that bubblegum and fruit notes have completely obliterated any notes of hops and malts. Not bad but not what I would want in a beer of this kind.
The taste retains the bitterness but has flavorful Belgian twist to it. The resiny character that I associated with many American Barleywines is missing. However, the strong Belgian notes don't seem to gel as well with the sticky and heavy mouthfeel on this one, as they do with the relatively lighter body on Belgian-D/IPA's. I don't see the need to resort to Belgian yeast for a beer of this kind and in that sense it doesn't work.
Further, the Belgian character is not complex, but rather full of bubblegummy notes. A well done beer for what it is but I am not buying it again!
Scores: Appearance 3/5, Aroma 3/5, Taste 3/5, Mouthfeel 4/5, Overall 4/5
12% ABV; 85 IBU's
Served in a 10 oz. Chalice like glass.
Hazy and deep tangerine hued with a small off white head. Not big on head retention or lacing. It's amazing that the hops have survived 4 years and are still present in the strongly woody/resiny aroma. Bready and caramel malt notes are present as well.
Lots of palate bruising bitterness but worth the flavor - earthy, resiny, and woody notes, strong caramel and dried fruit. I am glad that I got to try a brewer certified aged American Barleywine. Mouthfeel is thick and sticky with appropriate carbonation. The finish is clean and a little astringent without any alcohol burn. A very good beer!
Scores: Appearance 3/5, Aroma 4/5, Taste 4/5, Mouthfeel 4.5/5, Overall 4.5/5
11.5% ABV
Served in a 10 oz. Chalice like glass.
Darkest of burnt browns upon close inspection, -bal IRS looks every bit a top notch American Imperial Stout. Came with a surprisingly good thick and creamy dark tan head that left a good amount of lacing as it dissipated, when it did.
Smells decadent, full of chocolate and cream and hints of vanilla. No booze and no acidity. Very different from the base beer in many respects.
Bitter chocolate and bourbon dominate the taste; in fact this is one of the most chocolaty beers ever and a worthy contender to BCBS 08. The roast has completely mellowed out and makes for a staggeringly smooth drink that gracefully goes towards a bitter heavy bittersweet finish.
The finish is very clean, perhaps because the beer is excessively carbonated? Really, the bubbles are irritating after a point and the body seems thin as well. Even then I was digging this beer until it came to room temperature and got very very boozy. A very good beer that could have been exceptional had it been lower on carbonation, a little bigger on body, but most importantly less boozy.
Scores: Appearance 5/5, Aroma 4.5/5, Taste 4/5, Mouthfeel 3/5, Overall 4/5
10.8% ABV; 90 IBU's
Served in a 10 oz. tulip.
Signature RIS, this beer looks black, opaque, and shiny; boasting a one finger creamy dark tan head. The head retention is good and some lacing is seen on the glass as it gets empty. When the head subsides completely, very dark brown highlights reveal its true color.
I still have to have an RIS whose aroma will wow me, and Stone IRS is not that beer. Generic roast and sweet malts, pretty much. But the taste is a lot to my liking -- coffee, roast and acidity are alive here unlike the -bal version. A big beer that has notes of dark fruit and charred beans and a roasty, bittering and warming finish.
Great mouthfeel on this one, with very present but not overwhelming carbonation and good body. Just as good as any other RIS that I have had, and one of the most balanced ones: not too roasty, not too acidic, not too sweet, just right!
Scores: Appearance 5/5, Aroma 3/5, Taste 4/5, Mouthfeel 4.5/5, Overall 5/5
The Ruination that I had wasn't as good as
I remembered it to be but it could be the plate fatigue after all the heavy hitters I drank. The Double Dry-Hopped IPA was full of aweosme and the Double Dry Hopped SSRA, was a very unique and tasty beer too, full of notes of guava. Overall it was a great night. Later I ran into the Stone crew when they were coming in and got this DVD signed by Greg Koch!
2011 
Picked up something very special to start (last picture of the post), then went to 
