Anyone Try Stochasticity?

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TheZymurgist

TheZymurgist

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Just got a bottle the other day and haven't had a change to open it yet. I was wondering other's thoughts on it.
 
I have a bottle sitting in my fridge. I'll be opening mine up on Sunday when i brew.
 
Bought this and drank it two days ago. I thought it was a very nice DIPA. The grapefruit was not particularly aggressive.
 
Is it just another DIPA though? My thought is Stone needed some hype to introduce another IPA on the market, since there are already so man, and Stone has at least six already.
 
I had their Grapefruit Slam (I assume they have done/ are going to do more beers so I'll be specific)

It was... fine. Good even. This is from someone who loves grapefruity and citrusy hops. I have to say I expected more.
 
it was very good. grapefruit was there... but took the backseat a little. could have been more pronounced.
 
Well, I tried it last night. It wasn't bad, but seems like just another DIPA. I definitely got more grapefruit as it warmed, and the last few sips were like eating a grapefruit.
 
It was good...not particularly ground-breaking or worth going through a lot of trouble to seek out, but good.
 
It was good, grapefruit was definitely present. Would I buy it over Enjoy By? Probably not.

Then again I had a Heady Topper right before so my palate was being a snob, mostly likely.
 
I enjoyed it, I thought the grapefruit was a nice addition to citrus-y hops. Not an everyday drinker but nice for a change of pace.
 
This beer is really just Ruination with grapefruit, and that's exactly what it tasted like to me. The ingredients are the same, although they don't list the %s and hop schedules on the Grapefuit Slam bottle.
 
IL1kebeer said:
This beer is really just Ruination with grapefruit, and that's exactly what it tasted like to me. The ingredients are the same, although they don't list the %s and hop schedules on the Grapefuit Slam bottle.
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Interesting. Not surprising, but still interesting. I guess I'm just IPA-ed out. The market is so saturated with them, and every brewery has ten different IPAs. I doubt if I'll ever try a new IPA again, since I've found the ones I like, and everything else is just the same.
 
TheZymurgist said:
Interesting. Not surprising, but still interesting. I guess I'm just IPA-ed out. The market is so saturated with them, and every brewery has ten different IPAs. I doubt if I'll ever try a new IPA again, since I've found the ones I like, and everything else is just the same.
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Agree 100%. But I'm still opening to trying new IPAs from established and consistent breweries.
 
ktblunden said:
To me it tasted like an IPA with a bitter grapefruit aftertaste. I was not impressed.
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Isn't that what it is though?

I wasn't sure what this Stochalasticity Project thing was so I figured I'd throw some info out for those who are out of the loop like me. It's a project that Stone Brewing Co. is running to create new beers. From their website:

"There is no happenstance or coincidence. Dumb luck is a fallacy and randomness a commonly accepted mistruth. Much of what seemingly falls into place and seems so natural is a result of Stochasticity, a concept embraced and exalted by this special and unpredictable series of beers, where exotic notions, ingredients and ideas coalesce at an interesting and often unexpected endpoint."

This first beer is called "Grapefruit Slam IPA."

It sounds to me like they're doing something similar to what New Belgium is doing with their Lips of Faith program (which I love, even if I don't enjoy all the offerings). Honestly I'm a bit underwhelmed with the lack of creativity. I haven't tried the beer so I won't comment on how it tastes, but it's nothing new. Even Abita has a grapefruit IPA and they are fairly widely distributed.
 
Teromous said:
Isn't that what it is though?

I wasn't sure what this Stochalasticity Project thing was so I figured I'd throw some info out for those who are out of the loop like me. It's a project that Stone Brewing Co. is running to create new beers. From their website:

"There is no happenstance or coincidence. Dumb luck is a fallacy and randomness a commonly accepted mistruth. Much of what seemingly falls into place and seems so natural is a result of Stochasticity, a concept embraced and exalted by this special and unpredictable series of beers, where exotic notions, ingredients and ideas coalesce at an interesting and often unexpected endpoint."

This first beer is called "Grapefruit Slam IPA."

It sounds to me like they're doing something similar to what New Belgium is doing with their Lips of Faith program (which I love, even if I don't enjoy all the offerings). Honestly I'm a bit underwhelmed with the lack of creativity. I haven't tried the beer so I won't comment on how it tastes, but it's nothing new. Even Abita has a grapefruit IPA and they are fairly widely distributed.
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At least Lips of Faith is trying new things and brewing outside the box. I know Stochasticity has only released one beer so far, but it seems like only a gimmick. Almost as if the guys at Stone either got bored, or were thinking "We're making a crap ton of money, how can we make even more??" Ok, that may be jumping to conclusions, but I agree with being underwhelmed with the lack of creativity.
 
A little nervous to jump in when people who have been on here so much longer are bashing but I thought it was decent. Not super impressive but I feel so many peoples perceptions of individual beers are based on liking certain breweries and disliking others (often that are larger). Other than the Enjoy By series I am not a huge fan of Stone but they make pretty good beer. This Grapefruit Slam IPA is by no means a favorite or mine but is better than most IPAs out there and is for sure the most grapefruit IPA I have had to date. I am a big fan of Flower Power for its grapefruit notes, but will admit after having this beer I have realized that I prefer more citrusy/ orange/ lemon citra hop type flavor.

I realize there is a decent amount of criticism for the Grapefruit slam in my comments but I value that and it taught me a little more about my tastes in beer.

So overall i'd say 3.50 - 3.75 but it is exactly what it says it is. If you don't like Stone or don't want grapefruit in your ipa/ think grapefruit is becoming too popular then stay away. But if you want a grapefruit slam ipa this is it. Served at proper temperature this beer has by far the most grapefruit flavor and aroma of any beer I have tried and is just as satisfying as any Stone IPA.
 
Mark_tries_brewing said:
A little nervous to jump in when people who have been on here so much longer are bashing but I thought it was decent. Not super impressive but I feel so many peoples perceptions of individual beers are based on liking certain breweries and disliking others (often that are larger). Other than the Enjoy By series I am not a huge fan of Stone but they make pretty good beer. This Grapefruit Slam IPA is by no means a favorite or mine but is better than most IPAs out there and is for sure the most grapefruit IPA I have had to date. I am a big fan of Flower Power for its grapefruit notes, but will admit after having this beer I have realized that I prefer more citrusy/ orange/ lemon citra hop type flavor.

I realize there is a decent amount of criticism for the Grapefruit slam in my comments but I value that and it taught me a little more about my tastes in beer.

So overall i'd say 3.50 - 3.75 but it is exactly what it says it is. If you don't like Stone or don't want grapefruit in your ipa/ think grapefruit is becoming too popular then stay away. But if you want a grapefruit slam ipa this is it. Served at proper temperature this beer has by far the most grapefruit flavor and aroma of any beer I have tried and is just as satisfying as any Stone IPA.
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No need for nervousness, join date and number of posts have nothing to do with knowledge or experience, especially where opinions are being discussed. Your comments are definitely appreciated.

I completely agree with you. I guess I'm just surprised that so many breweries are still coming out with new IPAs, and surprised that they're all selling as well as they do, when they're all pretty much the same. Yes, this definitely has more grapefruit than others, but you can find grapefruit in a lot of IPAs. Of course, we can't blame the breweries for catering to the market. These are the beers that are selling right now, so of course they're going to brew them.

Well, typing through that kind of made me rethink things a little. Of course the breweries are going to try to come up with new IPAs and new ways to market them. Why wouldn't they, when it's still the most popular style? Still, I think personally, my palate has been fatigued by all of the new-and-different-yet-the-same offerings.
 
TheZymurgist said:
At least Lips of Faith is trying new things and brewing outside the box. I know Stochasticity has only released one beer so far, but it seems like only a gimmick. Almost as if the guys at Stone either got bored, or were thinking "We're making a crap ton of money, how can we make even more??" Ok, that may be jumping to conclusions, but I agree with being underwhelmed with the lack of creativity.
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Yeah, adding grapefruit to a style of beer already known for grapefruit aroma and flavor isn't exactly a big jump in creativity. At least Dayman was a unique idea.
 
TheZymurgist said:
At least Lips of Faith is trying new things and brewing outside the box. I know Stochasticity has only released one beer so far, but it seems like only a gimmick. Almost as if the guys at Stone either got bored, or were thinking "We're making a crap ton of money, how can we make even more??" Ok, that may be jumping to conclusions, but I agree with being underwhelmed with the lack of creativity.
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I know it would probably be following in the same footsteps as New Belgium, but it would be cool if they made a Kriek. I don't see too many of these in the US, and there aren't many Belgian exports available in my area specific to this style. Fingers crossed.
 
Teromous said:
Fighter of the Nightman? Champion of the Sun? Master of karate and friendship for everyone?



...yes I believe I will have a pint of that. :mug:
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Yeah, but you've gotta pay the troll toll, if you want into that boy's hole.

(Apologies to anyone who isn't in on the joke.)


Sent from my iThingy using a series of tubes.
 
Have you had it? I will admit the hop stoopid I've had may not have been stupid fresh but grapefruit level is not comparable. If you like it better that's fine but its not as grapefruit (at least when I've tried it). This beer takes a flavor often found and enjoyed in IPAs and does something, although only slightly, different and adds actual grapefruit to turn it up to a new level. Also two hearted is all centennial and does not taste like grapefruit.
 
Centennial doesn't have grapefruit flavor. Grapefruit absent in every description about the hop that I've seen. Centennial is more of a lemony flavor.
 
Mark_tries_brewing said:
Have you had it? I will admit the hop stoopid I've had may not have been stupid fresh but grapefruit level is not comparable. If you like it better that's fine but its not as grapefruit (at least when I've tried it). This beer takes a flavor often found and enjoyed in IPAs and does something, although only slightly, different and adds actual grapefruit to turn it up to a new level. Also two hearted is all centennial and does not taste like grapefruit.
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Yeah I've had it, it's another extremely mediocre stone offering. I'm not hating on it, I like a lot of Stone's beers (Espresso RIS is one of the best non BA stouts IMO)

My point was I get more grapefruit flavor from a beer with no grapefruit. I'd say drink it fresh so you could see, but if you're somewhere where they sell Bell's that might not be an option for you
 
Had my bottle this weekend. I thought there was a ton of grapefruit in it. Very forefront to me. I enjoyed.
 
Just got a bottle of Stone's latest "Enjoy By" as well. I haven't had any of the earlier versions yet, so I'm curious about this one too. They say they go to "painstaking measure" to make sure it's fresh, but I wonder how much more fresh it is compared to anything else. They say they want you to drink it no more than 35 days from bottling, but how long do other beers take to get to market? Is this actually any different, or is it just a gimmick?
 
TheZymurgist said:
Just got a bottle of Stone's latest "Enjoy By" as well. I haven't had any of the earlier versions yet, so I'm curious about this one too. They say they go to "painstaking measure" to make sure it's fresh, but I wonder how much more fresh it is compared to anything else. They say they want you to drink it no more than 35 days from bottling, but how long do other beers take to get to market? Is this actually any different, or is it just a gimmick?
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Since Stone is local and prevalent, I am wondering if I can buy the "Enjoy By" at day old bread prices the day after it "expires"? Is this just a copy of the Budweiser born on dating beer thing. I think with something like Bud it is important to drink it fresh before all the hop flavors falls out.:p
 
IL1kebeer said:
This beer is really just Ruination with grapefruit, and that's exactly what it tasted like to me. The ingredients are the same, although they don't list the %s and hop schedules on the Grapefuit Slam bottle.
Click to expand...

Although they are local to me I am not a huge fans of their IPAs, I do like visiting the brewery though because it is a cool place. I don't remember Ruination being a particularly citrusy beer. So the grapefruit was a nice addition to it.
 
I wouldn't say the Enjoy By is necessarily fresher than any other beer but I think its a good idea because the stores in my area often have old craft beer still sitting there on the shelves. The date clearly on the bottle forces them to be more responsible and makes sure more people who try it actually know what it is intended to taste like. It's also by far my favorite Stone beer although I've only had the Feb 14 of this year version I was actually impressed compared to most other Stone IPAs that are drinkable but leave much to be desired.
 
Photopilot said:
Since Stone is local and prevalent, I am wondering if I can buy the "Enjoy By" at day old bread prices the day after it "expires"? Is this just a copy of the Budweiser born on dating beer thing. I think with something like Bud it is important to drink it fresh before all the hop flavors falls out.:p
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The retailers are "supposed to" pull any remaining stock from the shelves after the Enjoy By date (although I've seen a couple exceptions).

Although I haven't tried it past the date to compare, Enjoy By is easily one of my favorite IIPAs.
 
I suspect how long other beers take to get to market (and into your fridge) varies a lot. All I know is that Stone's other IPAs are marked "enjoy by" with a 90-day window, whereas Enjoy By's window is 35 days. The distribution seems pretty fast: 4/20 was bottled on the 15th, and was available in my local stores (on the other side of the country) on the 20th.

Enjoy By is definitely one of my favorite IIPAs.
 
I heard from a mutual friend that this was a batch of Ruination that didn't quite come out right so stone decided to add grapefruit to and market it

i wasn't impressed - tasted like grapefruit to me but had the bitter white pith taste to it - i'm admittedly not a huge fan of centennial on it's own
 

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