I've had problems in the past with beers that I didn't enjoy fresh. Beers that I let sit too long in the fridge before I got to them. Often times enjoying fresh beer can be a difficult proposition. The expiration/ bottling date/ best before marks on beer are sometimes very small, tucked away in a corner, hard to read, or printed in some difficult to decipher code. That is not the case with today's beer. The best before date is right there, emblazoned in type so big, you'd have to be blind to miss it. Freshness is especially key in a big IPA like this because the alpha acids in the hops that provide all of that beautiful hop flavor begin to break down almost immediately after bottling. Stone made a special effort and aligned specifically with their wholesalers to get this beer into bars and stores across the country less than a week after it was bottled and kegged. The first batch of Enjoy By got sent to Chicago, New Jersey, and Southern California. The second batch, to Colorado and Ohio and straight into my grubby hands. Tons of fascinating info about the brewing, the logistics of getting fresh beer across the country, and even how to vote to get Enjoy By to your state, can be found here. Let's see if those fresh hop flavors are all they're cracked up to be. To the beer!
Enjoy By pours a clear brassy pale orange with vibrant golden highlights. It's topped by a resilient finger of foam that leaves some pretty amazing lacing.
Massive fresh notes of pine and citrus hit the nose immediately. Big time notes of Grapefruit and lemon are also joined by a lovely floral presence. There's also a slight hint at a crackery biscuity malt backbone. If this is what fresh hops smell like I want more, please.
A big, slick, oily hop punch hits as soon as the beer hits the tip of the tongue. As it flows over the palate it's followed quickly by resinous piney notes. Toasty, biscuity malt flavor gives way to tons of fruity citrusy flavors on the lingering bitter finish. All of the flavors here, while also being delicious, are very bright and vibrant. Also, a rather lively level of carbonation keeps everything moving along and what is a very big, full bodied beer quite drinkable.
This is an excellent IPA. But in addition to being a very good beer this is also an excellent evangelist for the importance of drinking fresh beer. If you're reading this in Ohio or Colorado and can still find a bottle get on it! As of this posting, you've got 10 days, 16 hours, and 30 or so minutes left! If you're from parts elsewhere check out that page I linked to earlier and get to voting so you can get the next batch.
HD
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