REVIEW: Stone 16th Anniversary IPA

Back to one of my favorite breweries, Escondido California's Stone Brewing Company. Like many breweries, they celebrate their anniversary each year with the release of a new beer. Most of them are only released once and then never seen again. Although, their 11th Anniversary Ale was so popular that it is now brewed year round and goes by the name of Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. The 16th Anniversary Ale is an imperial IPA brewed with lemon verbena, lemon oil, rye, and a mix of hop varieties including Amarillo and Calypso. It checks in at 10% ABV. To the beer!

Stone's 16th Anniversary IPA pours a very pretty vibrant red orange in color with bright peach colored highlights. It's capped by a nice layer of bubbly off white head that laces quite nicely.

The aromas on this beer are great. I'm definitely getting a ton of those bright lemony notes along with a bunch of other big juicy fruity citrus notes. Hints of grapefruit and tangerine join the mix. Hints of oily resinous hop character also mingle with slightly spicy, caramel malt body. Just lovely. Almost exactly what I want from an IPA.

This beer is full bodied with a great creaminess. There's almost a heartiness to this beer. A punchy hop bitterness hits up front with delicious oily, resinous, fruity citrus flavor. That gives way to more bold lemony flavors on the mid-palate. It never quite verges toward full-on tartness though. It adds a bright, complex, sweetness. That lemony citrus flavor mingles beautifully with the creamy spiciness of the rye and toasty caramel malt. The beer finishes with a blast of even more citrusy tropical fruit flavors and a nice bracing lingering bitterness. Also, even though this beer is quite high in ABV, 10%, there's no real evidence of that. Only a very faint warming sensation very late in the finish.

Remember how I said that the 11th Anniversary Ale was so popular and demand was so high that it eventually became Sublimely Self-Righteous? I'm going to need all of you to go out and buy multiple cases of 16th Anniversary. I love this beer and I want more of it. Thanks.

HD