Stone 11th Anniversary
November 18, 2007 by Mario
Every year, Stone Brewing blesses us with an Anniversary brew. it’s usually available at the beginning of September, but sometimes it takes a little while to travel to our local brew store. So what does Stone have for us in 2007? A Black IPA. Black India Pale Ale? Don’t ask me, but I can say one thing, it’s good, real good.
So what should you expect when dealing with such a hypocritical beer? Hops? Oh yeah, they’re there. Alcohol? Tons of it. This bad boy weighs in at 8.7%. Malt? Another thing this brew brings to the table in generous amounts. Black? yep. All of this comes together in a way that Stone is famous for. Close your eyes and you know you’re drinking an IPA. Very easy to drink, loaded with hops and carries quite the kick. The alcohol blends well with the rich malt and floral hops. I knew it was strong but wouldn’t have guessed that it was close to 9%. The “black” aspect of the beer is in a deep richness, nice and roasty, but not even close to overpowering. It’s impressive how subtle the roasted malts are while still adding lots of flavor and complexity.
I drank this beer over dinner and afterwards grabbed for some Pecan Pie Glazed Pecans. Talk about a perfect match. Give it a shot. I would imagine pecan pie would go just as well with this beer. Basically, it’s a very decadent beer and can see it matching well with anything else that falls into the same category.
Go out and try this beer while you can. And if that 22 oz bottle is too much to handle, give me a call, I’ll help you finish it.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
