Stone Brewing Company 22 Anniversary Anni Matter American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.1% ABV | 81 IBU (US$8.99 at Brix Bottleshop, 650 ml, packaged on 24-Jul-2018, acquired 22-Oct-2018, reviewed 22-Oct-2018)
Appearance: clear pale amber with two fingers of fluffy ivory head, excellent retention and heavy clingy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: floral, caramel, melon, dank pine resin, citrus. (8/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter sticky warming finish. (4/5)
I might be scoring this just slightly lower than it originally deserved, because it’s not as fresh as it maybe should be – though to be fair it’s still under 90 days. I’m actually slightly bored with Stone these days, and the douchey label notes (“the no haze double IPA”, “perfectly filtered”) kind of underscore this, portraying them as grumpy old men threatened by new styles. Philosophical differences aside, this is a solid traditional DIPA, and probably would’ve blown my mind even five years ago, but right now just strikes me as old-fashioned and slightly dated. (17/20)
8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
