Stone Ruination IPA

Stone Brewing Company
Escondido (San Diego County), CA

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Gold color, beautiful lasting white head. Clear, laces the glass. Good-looking beer!

AROMA: 3.5/4
Hoppy! Grassy/meadowy. Lemongrass, orange peel. Bready/malty, sugary, almost tropical.

TASTE: 8.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.5/4: Sweet, tangy, citrus up front. Caramel notes. Lots of flavor hops, bitter hops middle to finish.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Bitter, woody aftertaste that lingers—stays on the back of the tongue.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Full, weakly (nicely) carbonated. Nice mix of bitter and sweet.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: Excellent! Hoppy, yet just enough maltiness to balance out. A well-crafted beer, must-have for hop heads. Nice combination of citrusy, woody and dry.

TOTAL: 17/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: A really nice, subdued IPA. Benn called it "sophisticated"—I think he's right. We'd DEFINITELY buy this again.
Ben: Very nice. Stone hits it out of the park yet again. This would be great paired with the main dish at a four-star restaurant, or with a pizza at the local pub.

Stone Cali-Belgie IPA

Stone Brewing Company
Escondido (San Diego County), CA

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Pretty gold, crystal clear. White, rocky head that laces the glass.

AROMA: 3.75/4
Sour aroma. White pepper, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, pineapple, watermelon. Like a spicy fruit salad.

TASTE: 8.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.5/4: Sour, earthy. Grapefruity hop flavor. Lemon notes, peppery, cinnamon-spice.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Residual spiciness, hop bitterness at the end.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Lasting bitterness, but subtle. Effervescent. Taste buds are firing!

OVERALL: 2.75/3: Definitely a Belgian yeast, with all the good things that come with it. Nice and hoppy, but spicy, too. An interesting take on an IPA—the best of both worlds.

TOTAL: 17.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: This is what a Belgian IPA should be—complex, spicy, well-proportioned. Once again, a great Stone offering.
Ben: Belgian yeast is there in the earthy-spicy feel; good hop flavors and bitterness make it an IPA. A really good beer!

Avery Maharajah IPA

Avery Brewing Company
Boulder, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Clear. Orange-brown color. Thick, white head with fine bubbles.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Sweet, perfumey, floral, lemony. Candy smell, like Skittles. Unexpected.

TASTE: 6.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.75/4: Licorice, brown sugar. Dark Belgian candy. Borders on cloying, but hop bitterness pulls it back from the brink.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Residual sweetness stays with you. Hop bitterness present, maltiness lasts.
Mouth-Feel: 1.75/3: Very full, alcohol present and warming. Coats the tongue.

OVERALL: 1.75/3: Almost like a barleywine. Sweet and powerful, a really big beer. Like, almost too big.

TOTAL: 14/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: There's a lot going on here—big, distinct, in your face. Not bad, but awfully sweet.
Ben: Licorice, syrupy. Could use more hop bitterness to offset cloyingness. I like big beers, but geez.

Unlimited Release Maximus IPA

Lagunitas Brewing Company
Petaluma, California

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Persistent white, rocky head. Light brown color, crystal clear. Head laces the glass.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Hop, lots of it. Grapefruit-citrus, sweet and malty. Brown sugar. Par for the course for a Lagunitas beer.

TASTE: 8/10

• Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Big, bitter. Simcoe-type hop. Bitter grapefruit. Woody. Brown sugar maltiness, nicely balanced.
  
• Aftertaste: 2.25/3: Bitterness that lasts. Woody aftertaste, dry finish. We weren't knocked out.
  
• Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Big, full. Alcohol is nicely masked.

OVERALL: 2.25/3
Really, a hoppy pale ale. If you like Lagunitas usual offerings, you'll like this. As usual, offered at a good price point, so there's no reason not to try it.

TOTAL: 15.5/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Frustrating. I like it, but what's the point? This isn't a fresh take or an ambitious attempt, it's the usual big, hoppy, competent beer we always get from Lagunitas. I want something NEW, Lagunitas! You listening?
Ben: Lagunitas beers all start to taste alike, eventually. Don't get me wrong, I still love Hop Stoopid, and this is a tasty enough beer, but I'm at a point where it's tough to tell them apart.

Ska Modus Hoperandi IPA

Ska Brewing Company
Durango, CO

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Brown/copper color. White head that rings the glass. Clear with fine bubbles.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Very piney, full of hop aroma. Clean, some citrus. Slight bready, malty nose.

TASTE: 7.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Hop flavor at front fades to hop bitter middle, woody, grassy finish. Appropriately malty to offset hop.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Bitter finish that lasts and lasts.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Full, bitter on the tongue. Appropriately carbonated.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: Good, solid IPA. Bitterness might be off-putting to novices, but veteran hop-heads will enjoy it.

TOTAL: 15.25/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: I do like it, I just wish it weren't quite so bitter. Piney hop nose typical of American IPAs. Bitter, hoppy, a solid offering.
Ben: A good, hoppy IPA—a tad bitter, but I like it (maybe more than Matt). One of the few micros in a can, which is nice.

Schlafly Special Release AIPA

The Saint Louis Brewery
St. Louis, MO

APPEARANCE: 2/3
Light brown/copper color. Clear. Fades to a thin, white head. Fine bubbles, steady stream.

AROMA: 1.75/4
Meadown, grassy, some citrus. Weird, skunky off-aroma—definitely not pretty. Fades to an okay grapefruit hop nose.

TASTE: 6.75/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Lots of hop flavor. Piney, meadowy, bready malt. Decently balanced.
Aftertaste: 1.25/3: Wet hay, barnyard flavors. Skunky (sorry, we just don't have a better word for it). Bitterness at end lasts.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Fizzy, but not overly so–appropriately carbonated. Not too big, but substantial.

OVERALL: 1.75/3: Needs to be improved upon. The earthy, barnyard flavors are off-putting. Good hoppy IPA, though, with a full mouth-feel. Not an awful beer as-is, but with the right tweaking, this could be a really good beer.

TOTAL: 12.25/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Our beer guy at Royal Liquors mentioned recently that this particular beer was being retooled, specifically tweaking the hop profile to better match the bouncy citrus of the Schlafly APA. I'm guessing the stinky aroma and weird flavor is the reason. We'll review this again down the line and see if it scores better.
Ben: Some weird notes to this beer, obviously. Disturbing initial aromas and skunky flavors have gotta go. Schlafly can do much better.

Great Divide 17th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA

Great Divide Brewing Company
Denver, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Deep orange-brown color. Hazy. Nice big creamy head that laces the glass. Pretty.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Hop! Citrus, woody, piney hop aromas. Bready/malty sugary notes. Vanilla.

TASTE: 7/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Woody and grassy hop flavors up front. Some prune, raisin. Vanilla and licorice. A bit grainy. Lots of hop bitterness.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Bitter from start to finish. Woody notes. Vanilla at the end. Alcohol present.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Dry. Big and full. Weakly carbonated.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: A good aged woody IPA. Big, full and nicely complex. I (Ben) like it more than Matt.

TOTAL: 15/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Pretty good but it didn't knock me out. I can get better beers cheaper. So nicely enough done, but not something I'd buy again.
Ben: A really nice example of a wood aged beer. Vanilla notes with nice grassy hop flavors. Good bitterness. I really like this beer (but I didn't buy it - Matt did - and at a pretty high price point probably not worth what Matt paid hence his disappointment).

Stone Levitation Ale

Stone Brewing Company
Escondido (San Diego County), CA

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Nice amber color, deep red-brown. Creamy, if thin, head that clings to the glass. Pretty.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Woody hop aroma. some residual maltiness. Brown sugar.

TASTE: 8/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Woody, grassy hop flavor offset by brown sugar maltiness. Bitter hop offset by malt nicely.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Fades to lasting bitter-woody taste. Maybe a touch too bitter but adding any more malt would make it too big for a session beer.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Light-bodied, not heavy. You can enjoy several and stay in control. Appropriate carbonation.

OVERALL: 2.75/3: This is an awesome hoppy session beer. Light, hoppy; a great change-up from big IPAs.

TOTAL: 16.75/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: I'd been looking for a light-bodied, relatively low-alcohol, hoppy session beer with no luck - until now. Another fine Stone offering.
Ben: Sometimes you want a light hoppy beer that won't put you to sleep - this fits the bill to a "T.".

Odell Mountain Standard Double Black IPA

Odell Brewing Company
Fort Collins, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Thick, rocky, almond colored head. Big bubbles. Black almost opaque color. Head lasts.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Roasted aromas dominant - coffee, subtle chocolate. Grassy hop notes. Some malty caramel sweetness.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Roasted flavors - burnt coffee, burnt toast, nutty. Also sweet malty notes. Molasses and dark candy sugar flavors. Woody hop flavors ans some hop bitterness. Balanced.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Roasted flavors and bitterness lasts. Some residual malty sweetness. Slight alcohol but masked well.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Fizzy. Full. Alcohol warming. Very smooth.

OVERALL: 2.5/3
A solid black IPA. Big, roasty, and coffee flavors. A good solid offering from a great brewery.

TOTAL: 15.75/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Tasty - really silky smooth, I like it. A nice balance of bitter and sweet. Nicely done.
Ben: A solid black IPA. Nice and roasty with good coffee notes. I like it.

Kennebunkport IPA

Kennebunkport Brewing Company
(Contract brewed by Pugsley Brewing Company, LLC for Trader Joe's)
Portland, ME

APPEARANCE: 1.5/3
Light brown color. Clear. White head that fades quickly. Not especially pretty.

AROMA: 1.5/4
Smells like a lager. Minimal hop aroma. Clean, crisp nose.

TASTE: 2/10
Hop/Malt Balance: .5/4: Malty, way too much hop bitterness. Absolutely no hop flavor.
Aftertaste: .5/3: Astringent bitterness at close. Butterscotch (diacetyl) aftertaste.
Mouth-Feel: 1/3: Thin, watery.

OVERALL: .5/3: Can't get past the obvious diacetyl. A lager loaded up with bittering (but no flavor) hop. Not an IPA. Whoever brewed this needs to find another job, immediately.

TOTAL: 5.5/20–Tab Me Out

NOTES:
Matt: We've tried other Trader Joe's contract beers that were much, much better (their hefeweizen, for example). This was abhorrent in all respects—aroma, flavor, everything. Avoid this at any cost.
Ben: Ditto—it's really that bad. It is as bad as Big Flats (and that's saying something).

Ska Decadent Imperial IPA

Ska Brewing Company
Durango, CO

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Hazy orange-brown. Head fades, rings the glass. Big bubbles. Nice.

AROMA: 3.5/4
Hop! Lots of grapefruit, floral citrus—you could almost smell it through the bottle-glass.

TASTE: 8.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.5/4: Hop, followed by hop, then more hop. Grapefruit, orange peel, bready and sweet. Tons of malt.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Alcohol noticeable. Bitter finish that lasts and lasts.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Big but drinkable. Full-mouth, chewy. Alcohol warming. Probably too boozy, but we didn't mind too much..

OVERALL: 2.75/3: Big but good. Lots of hop, lots of malt. If you're a hop head, give it a try.

TOTAL: 17.25/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Big, but man, this is good. From the people who gave us Modus Hoperandi, this is just as hoppy and quite a bit bigger, at a decent price point ($5-$6 for a bomber).
Ben: A giant, hoppy beer. Too much alcohol (10% ABV) for the main course, but good as an after-dinner sipping beer. Would be good paired with cheese or fruit.

Widmer Pitch Black IPA (Rotator Series)

Widmer Brothers Brewing
Portland, OR

APPEARANCE: 2.25/3
Dark brown to black. Thin head. Looks like a Black IPA should.

AROMA: 3/4
Brown sugar, molasses, coffee. Some grapefruit-citrus hop. Malty, surprisingly complex.

TASTE: 7.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Roasty, nutty/toasted nut flavor. Lots of malt up front, woody in the middle. Needs more flavor hop.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Fades to nice roasty hop bitterness, drops out after that.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Starts malty but drops out quickly, leaves you wanting. A little light-bodied for the style.

OVERALL: 2/3: Hop it up, and you've got a decent black IPA. This seems like a good first step.

TOTAL: 14.25/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: Not bad (though ours is better, of course). I feel like Widmer beers have a lot of potential, but this is probably the end result, not a starting point, so that's disappointing.
Ben: A little weak on hop flavor. Hop it up, and this could be a really good Black IPA. Otherwise, pretty standard (if thin) for this newly popular style.

Firestone Walker Double Jack Double IPA

Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Paso Robles, CA

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Deep-gold to light brown. Nice creamy head that lasts. Lots of bubbles. Very pretty.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Very hoppy. Grapefruit, citrus, pine. Sweet, malty, bready undertones.

TASTE: 9.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.75/4: Big, lots of hop flavor. Citrus, pine, grassy. Really nicely balanced, appropriately malty.
Aftertaste: 2.75/3: Hop bitterness from start to finish. Sweet, malt to lasting bitter. Alcohol is masked well.
Mouth-Feel: 2.75/3: Full, big, but balanced nicely. Very drinkable.

OVERALL: 2.75/3: This is a good beer—far better than we expected. World Beer Cup in '04/'06/'10, and we can see why.

TOTAL: 18/20–Keep 'Em Comin'

NOTES:
Matt: Really very good. Big, filling, but not boozy. Definitely worth a try or 10 (but at 9.5% ABV, watch out!).
Ben: This is right up there with Stone, Green Flash, etc. A very good DIPA. If you can find it on tap, don't pass it up!