Stone Brewing Company Enjoy By 10.31.18 American Double / Imperial IPA at 9.4% ABV | 90 IBU (US$2.99 at Brix Bottleshop, 355 ml, packaged on 24-Sep-2018, acquired 22-Oct-2018, reviewed 31-Oct-2018)
Appearance: clear deep gold with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a medium cap, moderate soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: stone & tropical fruits, citrus, dank pine. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry building bitter warming finish. (5/5)
Under the wire, if barely. And yes, the shine has been seriously off the apple for me with Stone for quite some time – but I’m always going to take an in-season EB off the shelf, no matter what. Yes, too, I railed against the use of the word “fresh” in labelling barely an hour ago – but Stone earns an exception to that objection because they build such a brutally short (37 days!) drop-dead freshness cutoff into the very name of the beer. As far as I’m concerned, if you’re gonna claim fresh, then own it – and Stone does. One has to give the devil (or the gargoyle) his due, after all. Aroma- and taste-wise, this is pretty much on-par with the brighter, less malty versions I’ve had in the past. Structurally, I was a bit surprised at the poor head development and retention, so I’ve marked it down a bit there. Overall. though, it remains pretty much the gold standard against which the A/DIPA is measured. (17/20)
8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
