Review: Stone 17th Anniversary Götterdämmerung IPA

Stone 17th Anniversary Götterdämmerung IPA
9.5% ABV

The Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, San Diego County,CA

22 oz btl

Served in Duvel tulip glass
Date on bottle: Bottled on 7/26/13

Reviewed on 10/19/13

This IPA pours a hazy amberish gold color with a frothy bubbly white head. Decent lacing.

Smell consists of hops, citrus, spice, floral notes, slight malt, faint berry.  On the nose, it's fairly unassuming.

Taste has hops, grapefruit, touch of bitter lemon, slight malt, wheat, rye bread.

Mouthfeel is quite dry on the palate, though not quite an IPA kind of dry as wheat/bread flavors emerge.

Overall, this is a dry, bready IPA that's sort of a mix of a India pale ale and some thing maltier such as an Oktoberfest beer.  The aroma on the nose is there but faint--it took consistent sniffing to get scents to register.  Much more is revealed on the palate, as hop and breadier flavors are revealed.  It's an interesting mix, even if it's a bit disjointed.

My score: 88

Barleywines: Warming Up to the Warmth

The first time I tasted Dogfish Head's Olde School Barleywine, which was also my first time tasting a barleywine, I thought it was a boozy mess; the high alcohol content overwhelmed whatever else was in the beer.  It was early in my craft beer experience and, admittedly, starting barleywines with a 15% ABV version probably wasn't the best way to develop an appreciation for the style.  Also, that Olde School was fairly fresh from the brewery (about a month old) and didn't have a chance to mellow with age. 

 

Almost two years later, I have a better appreciation for that beer and barleywines as a style.  Looking back on it now, I'd say that not only was my palate not ready for the high heat of the Olde School, it wasn't ready for barleywines in general.  It seems like a style that one has to work up to in order to appreciate, though no one should shy away from giving it a try.  As a style, it's typically fairly high in alcohol, with ABVs checking in at over 10% for many, and the alcohol taste isn't generally as muted as it can be in IPAs and stouts.  They can also be fairly sweet and syrupy (for a beer), with tastes like cherry and other dark fruits coming through strong, and they're not really reminiscent of anything the macro brewers are producing.  In fact, you might find something in the liquor section that's closer than what the macros have (and, in case you're wondering, even though "wine" is in the name, there's nothing really "wine" about the style other than perhaps the ABV). 

 

My recommendation for someone new to barleywines (or new to craft in general) is to try one now, take note of what you think about it, and try it again down the road after trying many different beers to see how your palate has changed.  Barleywines are definitely a good candidate for aging, so you can buy a four-pack (or multiple 22 oz btls) and stash the leftovers for later. 

 

One worth seeking: Firestone Walker §ucaba 

 

Others worth trying: Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine, Weyerbacher Insanity and Blithering Idiot, Stone Old Guardian Oak-Smoked Barleywine, Heavy Seas Below Decks 

 

The non-barleywine beers that are quite close: Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, Burley Oak Rude Boy

Review: Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout

Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout
13.0% ABV

The Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, San Diego County, CA

22 oz btl

Served in Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale snifter

Date on bottle: Bottled on 6/25/13
Reviewed on 8/16/13

This stout pours a thick dark brow color with a toasty beige head that dissipates quickly. Decent lacing.

Smell has malt, coffee, chocolate, hops, alcohol, bread, nuttiness, some caramel.

Taste has malt, chocolate, nuts, sugar, hops, alcohol, bread, caramel, touch of whiskey.

Mouthfeel is dry and bitter on the palate with some alcohol harshness.  Full of flavor but not as robust as expected.

Overall, this is a good tasting stout with a nice profile of stout flavors such as malt, chocolate, and coffee with an interesting taste of nuttiness (coming from the advertised pecans on the bottle).  An alcohol harshness comes through, and while it's full of flavor, it comes across as a touch weak considering the ABV and composition of flavors.  Still, it's quite interesting and reasonably drinkable.

My score: 92

Review: Stone Levitation Ale

Stone Levitation Ale
4.4% ABV

The Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, San Diego County, CA

12 oz btl

Served in Duvel tulip glass

Date on bottle: Enjoy by 9/25/13
Reviewed on 7/29/13

This amber ale pours a solid amber color with a good bubbly off-white head that has decent retention.  Good lacing.

Smell has hops, malt, some spice, floral, candy, some cherry, citrus, pepper.

Taste has malt, dry pepperiness, some bitter hops, floral, herbal, citrus, touch of dark fruit, spicy candy, bready.

Mouthfeel is fairly dry and bitter on the palate.  Solid consistent flavor that coats the tongue.

Overall, this is a quite complex tasting amber ale that is quite sessionable yet sacrifices little in flavor.  Flavor profile has hops, malt, and spices, along with citrus and some dark fruit.  It hits the palate with some fairly strong dryness and bitterness.  This feels much bigger than what the ABV would suggest.

My score: 92

Review: Stone Old Guardian Oak Smoked Barleywine

Stone Old Guardian Oak Smoked Barleywine (2013)
11.4% ABV
The Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, San Diego County, CA

22 oz btl

Served in Burley Oak tulip glass

Bottled on 2/7/13
Reviewed on 6/28/13

Appearance: Pours a solid amber color with a nice frothy ivory-colored head that has good retention.  Good lacing.

Smell: Malt, dark fruit, hops, sugar, alcohol, oak, mild citrus, slight bourbon.

Taste: Dry, smoky maltiness, alcohol, mild dark fruit, burnt sugar, some hops, touch of bourbon, pepperiness. 

Mouthfeel: Quite dry and somewhat harsh on the palate.  Slight bitterness.  Somewhat difficult to take big sips.

Overall: Nice looking, interestingly harsh barleywine that demands sipping.  Dryness and smokiness really come through on the palate, almost aggressively so at the forefront.  The smell and appearance are really nice, as it has a traditional barleywine type aroma and looks quite rich in the glass.  The taste gets good points for being distinctive, but it's fairly harsh in that regard.

My score: 88

Review: Stone RuinTen IPA

Stone RuinTen IPA (2013)
10.8% ABV

The Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, San Diego County, CA

22 oz btl

Served in Duvel tulip glass

No date on bottle
Reviewed on 7/5/13

This double IPA pours a bright amber, slightly gold color with a bubbly off-white head.

Smell has strong hops (even with the glass not quite near the nose), pine, citrus, slight grass, touch of malt, some spice, grapefruit.

Taste has dry and bitter hops, some malt, grapefruit, pine, floral/grassiness, citrus, spice, slight pepper.

Mouthfeel is quite dry and bitter on the palate yet some decent smoothness in the middle.  Lingers on the palate, as to be expected.

Overall, this a quite hopped double IPA that is fairly dry and bitter yet smooth in the middle, as some semblance of malt asserts itself. Citrusy with grapefruit and some orange and even lemon flavors coming through, and accented well with a good presence of pine and floral.  The bottle says it's "a stage dive into a mosh pit of hops," and yet again Stone rocks it with an IPA.  Each one is hoppy, tasty, and distinct.

My score: 95

Changes to My Current Top Ten

Okay, this was probably evident as of this review--there have been some significant changes to my Current Top Ten (side right column of this blog).  Firestone Walker Parabola enters the list at number two and screws things up royally.  So, three of my four top beers are not IPAs.  Sierra Nevada Hoptimum also enters the list, at number ten.

Dogfish Head Burton Baton has fallen out of the top ten, as has Firestone Walker Wookey Jack.  Nothing against either of these beers—I love them both still—but it’s getting harder and harder to come up with a top ten.  Fear not, they are sitting right on the cusp, as are Stone Imperial Russian Stout, Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, Stone Enjoy By IPA, Duvel, and a few others.  There’s really not much separating the bottom five of the top ten and a bunch of others.  Depending on the day and how I’m feeling, there could be some interchangeability. 

So, the list now has three stouts, six IPAs (I’m throwing Nugget Nectar into this category, even though it’s technically not one), and a quad.  A hophead list that doesn’t have hoppy beers at the top two spots. 

Review: Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout

Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout
11.0% ABV

The Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, San Diego County, CA

22 oz btl

Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass

Bottled on 3/14/13
Reviewed on 5/31/13

Appearance: Pours a thick dark brown color with a toasty beige head that has decent retention.  Great lacing.

Smell: Strong coffee and chocolate, malt, hops, dark fruit, spice, licorice, caramel.

Taste: Strong coffee and chocolate flavors with fairly strong bitterness right at the front.  Malt, spices, licorice, and caramel follow with hints of dark fruit. 

Mouthfeel: Quite bitter and dry on the palate.  Fairly thick with some texture.

Overall: Strong tasting imperial stout that's dominated by coffee and chocolate flavors.  Malt, hops, spice, licorice, and caramel provide some milder flavors that give good accents.  Quite bitter and dry.  Overall, probably a shade off of the regular Stone IRS as its increased bitterness makes it a bit harsher to drink, but this is still quite nice.

My score: 95

Review: Stone Enjoy By 04.01.13 IPA

Stone Enjoy By 04.01.13
9.4% ABV

The Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, San Diego County, CA

22 oz btl

Served in Duvel tulip glass

Reviewed on 3/9/13

Appearance: Pours an almost clear golden color with a slight tint of amber.  Quite lively with carbonation.  Has a slightly off-white head that has good retention.  Good lacing.

Smell: Hops, wood, citrus, some malt, floral, herbal, spices, slight pepper, slight breadiness.

Taste: Strong, dry hops, citrus notes particularly grapefruit and perhaps some orange, floral, herbal notes, some spice, some pepper.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and dry, accented by a touch of bitterness.  Flavors come together quite well.  The hops come off strong at the front, but they recede nicely and don't overwhelm.

Overall: Super hoppy and dry IPA that's quite fresh and tasty.  On the front, strong dry hops with citrus, floral, herbal, and some spice notes coming through.  The strongness, though, recedes nicely and doesn't blast the palate.  Quite distinct, and a quite nice IPA.  If you like hoppy IPAs and happen to catch any version of the "Enjoy By" series, grab it--it won't disappoint.

My score: 96

Changes to My Current Top Ten

I've made some changes to My Current Top Ten, which lives on the right sidebar of this blog.  There are two new entrants to the list:

--Oskar Blues Ten FIDY Imperial Stout, which is at #8.

--Firestone Walker Wookey Jack, which is at #10.

Falling off the list are Stone Russian Imperial Stout, which was at #8, and Boulevard The Sixth Glass Quadrupel, which was at #10.  I do still love both of these beers.

The two Firestone Walker beers sitting at the bottom appear poised to make some hay and climb, don't they?

The list is still dominated by IPAs, but I see stouts one day breaking that.

Stouts: Beyond St. Patrick's Day and Pints of Guinness

St. Patrick's Day will always exist as a day to get your Irish on, head to your local Irish pub, dine on fish and chips and soda bread and down some pints of Guinness while wall pictures of James Joyce and Samuel Beckett look upon you from the grave and the band at the far end is playing "Danny Boy" to a singalong crowd.

Guinness, the most famous stout in the world, has always been something of a marker.  You have one in your hand and you're perhaps making a statement that the standard light-colored lagers are too weak for you.  You might get a reaction from someone such as, how can you drink that?  If you're drinking on days other than St. Patrick's Day and in places other than Irish pubs, you're definitely setting yourself apart.  Some might even say you're on the road to craft beerdom.

There's nothing wrong with a Guinness.  It's widely available, quite drinkable with a nice smooth yet somewhat complex taste, and, surprisingly, fairly reasonable in terms of calories.  But there's a lot more out there beyond Ireland, and there's a great diversity of substyles and tastes.  Here are a few you should be able to find:

Bar Harbor Cadillac Mountain Stout 
This stout has notes of milk chocolate, coffee, malt, and, to a lesser degree, hops and caramel to the nose.  Tasting very much like it smells, with mild but consistent chocolate and coffee, and malt and caramel coming through on the back end.  It's fairly balanced and smooth, with good proportioned tastes that aren't overwhelming.  Almost like a mellow liqueur. 

Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout

Comes in a 550 ml (18.5 oz) bottle and fares from England.  Pours dark black with a bubbly beige head that is quite thick and puffy.  Chocolate, caramel, oatmeal, coffee, spice, malt notes on the sniffer.  Taste is rich, with a mix of oatmeal, chocolate, mild coffee, caramel, and mild spice (much like it smells).  It's smooth and creamy with almost a milk-like quality to it, with light bubbles and good thickness.  Superbly balanced.  Easy to drink.  Low in ABV.  A classic that's widely available and relatively inexpensive.

Victory Storm King Stout

Storm King has nose notes of hops, malt, coffee, and caramel.  On the palate, you can pick up hops, coffee, chocolate, some oak, and some mild spice.  Even as with a 9% ABV, no alcohol taste comes through.  Quite smooth, with a good thickness and creamy texture coming through.  One of the best out there for an inexpensive price.

Other stouts to seek out: Founders Breakfast Stout, Stone Imperial Russian Stout, Hoppin' Frog B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout, Old Dominion Dominion Oak Barrel Stout, Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout.  Guinness also makes a Foreign Extra Stout, which is much more tasty and complex than its standard stout.  It stacks up well with some of the other stouts mentioned.