Now, I have a lot to say about this beer. Joey brought it over the other day for us to try and the first thing I noticed is that I loved the bottle design. Hands down my favorite design Stone has ever done on a beer. The hop vines filling in the "18" gives of an elegant vibe and it truly seems as if they had a talented artist hand paint each bottle. Now for the flavor, look and smell of this beer. They all took me by surprise. Not because they were bad, but because not one of these matched what I expected. The color of this beer was a dark, redish brown with no hints of orange in there, unlike an IPA. The next thing I noticed is that when I took a sniff the beer smelled like an Amber ale. A strong amber ale, but just not the bitter hop smell I was anticipating. And finally, the taste. I took a sip of this beer an honestly stared at it for a minute or two as if thinking "did that really just taste like that?". It tasted nothing like an IPA. It tasted like a full bodied, medium depth amber ale. I didn't mind the flavor. I actually really enjoyed it, but I can't understand that this is an IPA. It is so different for any IPA I have had from any other company. I tried to think of something this beer tasted like and I really couldn't. I think that's why I liked this beer so much, not because it didn't taste like an IPA, but because it didn't taste like an amber. It is so close to an amber ale that I starting thinking of the beer as such. It has a wonderful refreshing flavor with a small bit of bitterness to it (the only IPA thing about it). If you ever come across this beer and think "oh I'd love an IPA" I would not get this beer. However, if you are strolling by and you love all types of beer and want to grab an amazing tasting beer, I'd pick this one up instantly. Then wash the bottle out and save it on your mantel because it truly is an art piece.
Brand: Stone Brewing Co.
Style: IPA
Size: 22oz
Alc/vol: 8.5
PBP Score: 9.3
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