First off congrats to Stone.  14 years in any business is just amazing.  I can blame them along with Dogfish Head for really getting me into craft beer.  3 years later, I’m about 15 pounds heavier and a ton less richer.  Thanks you bastards.  Anyway, so Stone decided on making an English IPA for their 14th anniversary beer. 

They took ingredients from over the pond and came up with this brew.  They took hops that are usually used in English beers.  Target, East Kent, Goldings, and Boadicea.  They imported White Malt and brought in a “Rare” yeast strain.  But of course they made the beer their own by amping up everything.  Think English IPA that is “Stonebastardized”

The picture you see to the right is a pic of when me and my buddy Jeff shared a bottle this past weekend.  But I actually got to try the brew for the first time a few weeks ago at a beer tasting at my local beer place.  Honestly I couldn’t stand it and I walked out saying it was the worst Stone brew I have ever had.  But when I tried it past weekend I ended up really liking it.  Don’t exactly know why.  Maybe it was the different atmosphere or maybe because I was sharing it with a friend.  Who knows!

First off I love the look of this beer.  You don’t see this color in a beer often.  It’s like a radioactive glow.  Cloudy, orange, and glowing.  Small white head.

Smell is not your typical IPA.  It’s spicy and earthy.  Small amounts of citrus and lemon peak through but the earthiness came through mostly for me. 

In the taste the fruits come through more.  Citrus and lemon zest.  The earthiness and spiciness still come through big here though and are the main components.  There is a nice bready malt character holding everything together.  The finish on this beer is very bitter and it just sticks around.  Small amounts of alcohol peak through.

The mouthfeel is light, crisp, and dry from start to finish.   I really enjoyed the mouthfeel on this one.

Like I said above, at first I could not stand this beer.  I wish I would of taken notes on my earlier tasting but the second time around I actually really enjoyed it.  Maybe it’s because I got to try more of it this time around. By far this is my least favorite Anniversary beer from these guys but still I like what they did here.  They took a style that a lot of the American breweries don’t touch much and made it their own.

Found: Grape and Gourmet, Virginia Beach, VA
ABV%: 8.90%
Price: I believe this ran about 7 dollars a bottle
Website: http://stonebrewing.com/
What the company says: You can read all about it right here
Other beers to try from this brewery: Stone IPA, Stone Imperial Russian Stout
Other beers to try within the same style:St. George India Pale Ale, Three Floyds Blackheart
Rating: B+