Stone IPA

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AlaskaBrewing

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I bought one of these last night and I did not like what it tasted like. Has anyone ever had one? Is this a typical taste of an IPA? I believe that this was my first experience with an IPA and do not want to base my opinion on one beer. Can someone recommend anything that might be better?
 
Stone IPA is not sour. You must have got a bad bottle. Unless you're tasting the citrus-y-ness of cascade hops, which isn't really sour but grapefruit-y tasting. I love it and think it's one of the best IPAs around.
 
I agree. Stone IPA is probably THE best AIPA out there, all things considered.
 
Beerrific said:
What didn't you like? Could have been a bad bottle.

If you got a bad bottle talk to Edwort. He contacted them about a bad beer and they hooked him up! They sent him a box with beer and Stone glasses in it! Almost makes you want to be dishonest;)
 
AlaskaBrewing said:
It is hard to describe. I am not sure if I am describing it right but it seemed acidic, Almost sour.

What did it look like. I came across some bad Stone IPA's as well. The one on the left is a bad Stone IPA. Cloudy and & sour.

4569-IPA.jpg


Mine is on the right
 
Stone is a very good IPA. I pick one up everytime I make a beer run. Just have to get my dose of Stone so they keep bringing it to town....I think you may have found an old one.:(
 
EdWort said:
What did it look like. I came across some bad Stone IPA's as well. The one on the left is a bad Stone IPA. Cloudy and & sour.

4569-IPA.jpg


Mine is on the right


It was cloudy like the one on the left. Is it due to the way it was stored? The one I bought was from a place I have never been to before.
 
It seems the farther IPAs get shipped, the worse they get. I'm pretty local to Stone and have never had a bad bottle. I've bought some IPA from out of state that tasted like cardboard.
 
Brewsmith said:
It seems the farther IPAs get shipped, the worse they get. I'm pretty local to Stone and have never had a bad bottle. I've bought some IPA from out of state that tasted like cardboard.
That's a very ironic statement given the origin of the style.

Anyway, I also love Stone, but would never recommend it to someone who was just starting to branch out into craftbeer tastes or bigger hop tastes. I actually think the good ol' Stone pale is a better balanced beer. With both the IPA and the Levitation, I need to be in a "I want to be puckered by hops" mood... (not uncommon, just not always)

AlaskaBrewing, what beers do you like normally?
 
I usually drink porters, stouts and strong ales. Not just Guinness and Smithwicks, I also drink the stouts that a couple of the brew houses make in Anchorage. Here in Palmer there is the Great Bear Brewing Co that makes a great Strong Ale and Berry Strong Ale. I was trying to broaden my tastes by trying an IPA and didn't want to base my opinion on a style of beer without any reference. Looking at some of the other posts I think there might be some other brands worth trying. I can usually find 22oz bottles at the store, so I am going to try a couple different ones.
 
Germey said:
That's a very ironic statement given the origin of the style.

Anyway, I also love Stone, but would never recommend it to someone who was just starting to branch out into craftbeer tastes or bigger hop tastes. I actually think the good ol' Stone pale is a better balanced beer. With both the IPA and the Levitation, I need to be in a "I want to be puckered by hops" mood... (not uncommon, just not always)

AlaskaBrewing, what beers do you like normally?

Let me start by saying Stone IPA is my absolute favorite IPA. I don't think there's anything remotely balanced about their Pale, though, but I like it that way. Their Pale is on par with most other IPAs I've tried.

Yeah, the shipping thing is pretty funny. I don't think the bad bottle has anything to do with shipping though.
 
Germey said:
That's a very ironic statement given the origin of the style.

Anyway, I also love Stone, but would never recommend it to someone who was just starting to branch out into craftbeer tastes or bigger hop tastes. I actually think the good ol' Stone pale is a better balanced beer. With both the IPA and the Levitation, I need to be in a "I want to be puckered by hops" mood... (not uncommon, just not always)

AlaskaBrewing, what beers do you like normally?
American IPAs are not like the original English version. And think of how they go there...in barrels. American bottled beer sits in the brewery before shipping and then gets shipped to a warehouse, where it is then shipped to the store where it sits around in the back before it gets put on the shelf and sits in front of flourescent lights for I don't know how long before you buy it and drink it. The farther it has to go, the longer the times for all of these stages. There are so many hops stuffed into an AIPA that a little bad handeling is pretty evident.

I and many others around here have had bad IPAs before, I I have noticed that the farther from the brewery someone is, the more likely they are to have a bad experience. The IPA I referances before was Bridgeport IPA, from Portland, OR. I bought a sixer in Portland once and drove it home to LA and it was fantastic. I bought a sixer here that came from a closed 24 bottle case and it was cardboard - every bottle.

Here's an experiment, next time it's over 100 outside and a bright sunny day, pour an IPA and start doing some work outside with the glass near you. After 15 minutes you'll have skunk juice. If that can happen after 15 minutes, what can happen over 2000 miles and a few months?
 
Brewsmith said:
American IPAs are not like the original English version.
Oh, I wasn't arguing with you at all. Just pointing out the irony in relation to how the style was originally named.:mug:
 
No worries. ;) This is the one style where I've had bad bottles several times and distance seems to always be a factor.
 
Brewsmith said:
No worries. ;) This is the one style where I've had bad bottles several times and distance seems to always be a factor.
I've been thinking about it, and I can't really remember the last time I had an IPA that wasn't local. I realize I'm a bit spoiled being able to choose from so many top notch local examples. Whenever I go somewhere, I also make it a point to drink what's local there.
 
Brewsmith said:
I and many others around here have had bad IPAs before, I I have noticed that the farther from the brewery someone is, the more likely they are to have a bad experience. The IPA I referances before was Bridgeport IPA, from Portland, OR. I bought a sixer in Portland once and drove it home to LA and it was fantastic. I bought a sixer here that came from a closed 24 bottle case and it was cardboard - every bottle.

That's strange, because I buy Bridgeport IPA here in the Phoenix area and it's one of my favorite beers! Maybe I'll have to go to Oregon and give a try at the source. I've never had cardboard off-flavors in a Bridgeport IPA that I've noticed.
 
Well, I finally decided to try again on this beer and was pleasantly surprised. :) I bought another Stone IPA from the store I usually go to and the taste and appearance was totally different. No sour taste at all. It was pretty clear as well. I guess I got a bad one. Never going back tot that place again. I am going to get it again before I make up my mind on if I like it or not. But right now I am leaning towards liking it. I'll let you know.
 
AKBrewing-

I had 2 of the Ruination IPAs last night. Some of my favorite! I plan on brewing a clone of that soon.
 
Germey said:
I've been thinking about it, and I can't really remember the last time I had an IPA that wasn't local. I realize I'm a bit spoiled being able to choose from so many top notch local examples. Whenever I go somewhere, I also make it a point to drink what's local there.

So Cal is OK but it is no Seattle......
 
Brewsmith said:
No worries. ;) This is the one style where I've had bad bottles several times and distance seems to always be a factor.

Yea, but the dark bottles make it really tough to skunk. They will be in boxes while travelling as well. I think the hops are what make this beer capable of travel better than most. That is how they started out, it's not like they are in clear bottles and have the sun shining on them while they travel from one end of the country to the other.
 
I have no problem getting stellar west coast IPAs over here on the right coast....Stone, Green Flash, Port Brewing, North Coast/Acme, Sierra Nevada, ect all ship out here and I haven't encountered any spoilage issues. YMMV.

Sometimes however, you get a bad one...hard to slam a brewery for one bad example. When you get repeated bad beers however, you have to question what's going on.
 
Stone finally just started popping up here in Md....figures, as soon as I brew my clone becuase they didn't sell it here....

...and I think it's probably my favorite IPA...that idea hit me last night while enjoying one myself
 
Understanding that this thread is 5 years old....

I just moved on to an Air Force Base today and decided to make a run down to the shopette (3 blocks away) for a bottle of wine (for the wife's Bunko group tonight) and a six-pack. After walking past the BMCs, I was pleasantly surprised that they had a decent selection. Blue Moon, Sam Adams, Guinness, Sierra Nevada, 3 types of Firestone Walker (LOVE their beers), and Stone. Having not tried Stone's IPA (and being on an IPA kick), I said 'what the hell' and gave it a shot. Hot damn was I impressed. Stone has it right when it comes to their IPA. When I want an IPA, I want plenty of hops, and I'm usually left wanting. Stone, however, delivered. This will definitely be a go-to beer in the future.
 
Had some stone IPA tonight. Holy crap that's good stuff!!

The nose was like sniffing a bag of hops, and the taste was smooth without overpowering bitterness.

Does anyone have a extract recipe they have tried? Or has anyone tried the northern brewer kit?
 
Drinking one right now and it's absolutely delicious. Beautiful balance of the elements.

Just found the BYO with 6 Stone recipes and already plotting my next brew
 
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