Stone Brewing 16th Anniversary IPA
I can still pretty much remember the day I found myself so incredibly not worthy of Stone Brewing’s Arrogant Bastard Ale. That mean IPA quite literally punched me in the face. That was a long time ago, though not nearly as long as the 16 years the seminal California brewery has been churning out tasty beverages.
Much like a large number of breweries, Stone celebrate each year in business with a limited release. Of the three years I’ve been lucky enough to get a hold of (14th and 15th), this 16th Anniversary IPA is the best of the bunch. It’s a West Coast IPA crafted with an excellent hop profile and balancing malt/rye combination that makes me wish I had picked up more than the pair of bottles I snagged the other week.
Appearance
Brilliant golden amber in color the brew rests in the glass with a large, frothy head that fell gently leaving residual lacing behind.
Aroma
This beer is brewed with lemon verbena, a touch of rye, Amarillo and Calypso hops, and few more European specialty malts and three unknown hop varieties. And all of that comes to a head in a lemony and floral nose. Tropical citrus, herbal hops, pine, a touch of spicy rye and a light caramel malt. There’s barely a hint of the 10% ABV. This beer smells excellent.
Taste
The flavors of this brew follow the nose to a tee. Loads of floral, piny hops dominate the tastebuds as the rye brings a subtle spice to the game. There is a pretty solid lemon presence, but it’s not distracting — it compliments the citrus hops wonderfully. The higher alcohol level that was absent in the aroma certainly makes its presence known here with a lingering warmth. There is a decent level of hop bitterness as is to be expected from a Double IPA, but it’s not on the levels that kicked my ass the first time I tried Arrogant Bastard Ale.
Overall
I enjoyed the previous two anniversary releases from Stone Brewing that I was able to get my hands on, but this one takes the cake. The excellent hop character is exactly what I would expect from this brewery. The amount of rye the brewery used, however, is was really makes it. It brings a subtle spice to the whole experience that puts this beer on another level. If you have the opportunity to try this beer out, I highly recommend you do so.
Rating: 4.5/5
