Sep 26, 2016

Stone IPA

Stone Brewing is known for their IPAs. I’ve had many of those brews and reviewed most, if not all, on this site — except for their flagship IPA. I’m not sure why that tasty brew never made it onto the site despite filling my belly many times over through the years. When a can of the IPA arrived the other day, it gave me an opportunity to finally review the iconic brew. But then I read the press sheet…

This isn’t the Stone Brewing IPA of old. The core recipe is as is always has been, but the company has decided to adjust the dry-hopping blend. I’m not sure what was used previously, but the 6.9% ABV IPA is now dry hopped with a combination of Centennial, Azacca, Calypso, Motueka, Ella and Vic Secret hop varieties. The result is a beer that still has the telltale piney character it always has had, but it takes a small step back for a more pronounced tropical character in both the aroma and flavor.

As the consumer taste has changed and shifted toward fruitier IPAs through the years, breweries have also been adjusting recipes to meet expectations. It’s interesting to see how even national and larger regional brewers are altering flagship, legacy beers to keep up with modern tastes. I don’t believe that the shift in Stone’s dry-hopping of their IPA is going to cause fans of the beer to jump ship. It’s just a sign of the times.

This is a review of a promotional sample.