Stochasticity Project, Grapefruit Slam IPA

A new project from Stone Brewing Company. This beer doesn't have the classic stone look or even a mention of Stone Brewing on the label. When I first looked at the label, I thought it was just a bunch of random lines from a new brewery. Then I found a site that talked about it and highlighted the stone gargoyle hidden in the random lines. This make sense when you read the definition of Stochasticity on the back which is "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 beer, where exotic notions, ingredient and ideas coalesce at an interesting and often unexpected endpoint."

This is an Imperial IPA that lives up to the Stone Brewing connection that it has. A big, aggressive, extremely fresh DIPA (Double IPA) that has a long lingering finish. Rumor has it that this beer was released as a stone one off a few years back under the Runination Grapefruit Slam IPA label. This one reminds me of Stone's Enjoy By Series, which is based on very fresh beers shipped fast and meant to be drank right away. 

We opened this one in the store and gave everybody a sip. The hop heads loved it while everyone else thought it was to bitter. There was not much grapefruit juice flavor but a distinct bitter grapefruit flavor on the finish. A very delicious beer but not anything too different than what Stone normally puts out. I do love the brewery behind this named Koochenvagners Brewing Company. This looks like an homage to the names of the people behind this beer and Stone Brewing Company, Greg Koch (Kooch) and (en) Steven Wagner (Vagner). Overall, definitely a great value DIPA that delivers the goods and leave your taste buds all hopped up. This might not be back, so grab it while its still here.

Personal Rating: 9.9/10
Style Rating: 9.5/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at: 
http://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=850708005094

Stone, RuinTen IPA

Its Back! Stone Ruination's Tenth Anniversary Release was so popular when it was released last year in 2012 that they decided to bring it back for a second go around. These crazy son of a guns took the already super ampped up Ruination IPA, which is brewed to killed your taste buds, and exposed it to Super Gamma Rays and more then five pounds of whole hops in each barrel to create this Hulk of a beer. As any of our blog readers know by now, we LOVE hops. The more the better and we have not met an IPA or DIPA we couldn't easily kickback with. However, I have to turn in my man card and admit that I struggled to get through this beast of a beer. I did finish it but it was so super bitter and hoppy that I nursed it like a fine Cognac.

When you first crack this brew, it is a rich golden amber color with a sticky lacing from the creamy white foam. The aromas really do jump from the glass and fill up the room. My wife could smell the hops from across the room. They really do a nice combo of the classic Centennial hops blended with the relatively new Citra hop (almost 50/50 according to their website). The aromas are of concentrated citrus (lemon, orange, lime), resin mixed with tropical fruit, with a light spicy quality. It smells like a great IPA but it is very intense. The first sip is spiked with an aggressive tang of bitter hop and hot alcohol. After it does a number on your taste buds, it calms down a little bit. It does a good job of coating your taste buds with a sticky resin after coating. 

Overall, I did like this beer. It is a very extreme version of Ruination, but what else would you expect from Stone Brewery. This beer won't be here for very long but luckily it will be a yearly release from the brewery. If you like extreme beer and you want to give your taste buds a run for their money, then give this one a shot.  Hey, for $7.99 a 22oz bottle you can't go to wrong.

Personal Rating: 8 /10
Style Rating: 9 /10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at: 
http://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=636251748004

Stone Announces New Release to Jersey

So... here's a quick heads up to those Stone Brewing fans out there, I know I'm a believer in just about everything they brew.

According to their Facebook page, Stone is in the process of brewing a special "extra fresh" hop-bomb IPA called Enjoy by 9.21.12 IPA. And will be immediately shipped to SoCal, New Jersey, and Chicago. All I can assume is that as a state, New Jersey must spend a lot of money on craft beer to be chosen for this one. For more information you should check out their Facebook page or their website.

Here's to hoping a few cases make their way to South Jersey!

Cheers!

West Coast IPA Throwdown | Stone vs Bear Republic

Thought we'd mix it up a bit here and do a West Coast IPA Throwdown. NorCal - Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA vs. SoCal - Stone IPA.

Both poured into equal sized pint glasses. Racer 5 has a golden pale amber color, the slightest amount of haze, and a minimal cm or so of white head that fell to a frothy ring. Stone has a very similar shade of golden amber, maybe a touch paler, and is crystal clear. The head on Stone IPA is large and white with big fluffy foam that leaves lots of sticky lacing as it falls to a finger thick of head. If you want to get nerdy about it, I'd say Racer 5 is about 7-8 SRM and Stone is around 6-7 SRM. For appearance - Stone wins that round.

The aroma on Racer 5 is strong and fresh citrus hops, light pine, sweet tropical fruit with slight hints of alcohol and lightly toasted grain. There is a mild sweetness on the nose. Stone IPA has a slightly more pungent fruity aroma; still very citrus driven, but a little more zesty and minty. It seems like Stone's dry hopping is a little more intense than Racer 5. This is tough, both smell incredibly good.... but I'd have to give the edge to Stone on aroma.

On to the best part, taste! Racer 5 kicks your taste buds with an explosion of crushing hop bitterness. Hops are citrusy, piney, fruity, and bitter. The malt comes into play to balance the middle with some bready flavors making it very savory and juicy before finishing with a grapefruit bitterness. The hops really shift into gear in the flavor more than the aroma leads you to believe. Stone IPA starts off a little easier on the tongue, but still quite bitter, with a good amount of spiciness. Lots of pine, citrus, tobacco, and minty flavors. Although the initial hop blast starts off slower than Racer 5, it gets more intense throughout each sip, and almost numbs your tongue with hop essence. This is a tough one to pick because it really depends on what your personal preference is. Therefore, for flavor, it is a tie. Both have equally distinguishable and delicious traits to them, and it is nearly impossible to say one is better than the other.

It would seem as though Stone IPA has won this battle, with a much better appearance and a slight edge on aroma. However, like it was said in the taste, it's still up to personal preference. If you were to ask which one has a better mouthfeel and is more drinkable, then Racer 5 would win. But if you were looking for the 1 bottle quintessential hop-bomb IPA (as if both aren't hop-bombs), then Stone IPA is the choice. The easiest way to break down the difference, for me at least, is Racer 5 is like drinking "hop juice," while Stone IPA is more like "hop spice." Which is better? Tough call, it's up to you. The least that I can say is, if you love IPAs, you NEED to try both of these beers. You will not be disappointed.

Winner - Stone IPA