Rating: 5.25/5

Stone 18th Anniversary IPA by Stone Brewing is an 8.5% ABV Golden Brown Double India Pale Ale.

Label:
The Hoppiest Golden-Brown IPA on Earth
The 18-year milestone is a significant one, affording us a brilliant apex from which to employ crystal clear hindsight. Looking back to who we were when we embarked on this humble yet noble journey to the craft the finest of ales, we see a company that, while much , much smaller, was every bit the sincere, bullish, determined entity it remains today. Since Day one, we’ve fostered grand-scale aspirations while stalwartly maintaining long-sightedness firmly fixed on a bevy of goals. From brews extending the idea and definition of what beer can be through their intensity , outlandishness, decadence and refinement; to venues and facilities harnessing and celebrating Earth’s elemental resources; to helping awaken collective consciousness to the great worth of authentically, consciously well-crafted artisanal items; to playing a major tole in bringing together and cementing the bonds of peers within our industry; we have accomplished a great many objectives. But we’re far from done!

As we compose the text for this celebratory beer—a golden-brown India pale ale dry-hopped exclusively and abundantly with El Dorado hops—we stand ready to leap from the precipice of all we know into a new era for our company, our beers and, most importantly, our fans. It’s one that will see us exploring new territory, both geographically and creatively, as we evolve from pacesetters for the American craft brewing movement to cross-planetary champions of the worldwide cause of craft, hoisting our banner to proclaim artisanal beers’ vast superiority over stripped-down, business-driven, industrialized, fizzy, yellow mediocrity. We thank you for shadowing us for the first 18 years of our journey, and welcome you to join us for next leg and all that follows.
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Congratulations to Stone on their 18 year success making a difference and sticking it to the man (tasteless macro beers) and just basically making some really great beers over the years. While some beers have been more unique than others, Stone has bee one of those breweries that is a favorite of mine. Arrogant bastard was one of my first strong gate way ales that lead me to try stronger and stronger beers. While other craft beers like Fat Tire form New Belgium were my gateway, Stone showed me what true beers can really taste like when they are truly potent. Nevertheless, thanks for making the craft community a powerful force that it is today. You along with many others have paved the way to the Beerevolution and the consistent drive to find more rare, lost treasures of taste and experience. Cheers!!

Aromas:
Peaches in pilloncillo sugar cone, Tangerine candy, Cotton candy, mandarin herbal spices, flan hints, dulce de leche caramel, citrus, grassy, piney, floral, herbal and earthy hops, lemon peel, lemon heads,pecan pie, tropical fruits like dragon fruit, mango, stone fruits like apricots, chocolate hints, rock candy, mint, coffee notes, brown sugar and toffee hints.

Flavors:
Peaches in pilloncillo sugar cone, Citrus, grapefruit, grassy, floral, herbal, piney and mild earthy hops, dulce de leche caramel hints, cotton candy, pecan pie, hazelnut hints, Tangerine candy, mandarin herbal spice, orange, strawberry, rock candy, tropical fruits like mango, dragon fruit, passion fruit, honey dew melon, hints of papaya, pineapple, stone fruits like plum, apricot, clove spice, garlic, onion, lemon, rye bread, mint, flan hints, chocolate notes, lemon heads, honey, coffee, butterscotch hints, brown sugar hints and toffee hints.

Aftertaste:
Cotton candy, Tangerine and lemon candy, strawberry,hazelnut, citrus, grapefruit and lots of herbal dank notes linger. No alcohol in the aftertaste, easy to drink, crisp and refreshing, and light to medium golden-brown to amber body.

Overall:
A perfectly delicious and unique IPA. Seems like stone keeps pushing the way toward IPA and hop monsters that truly can be unique in many aspects aside from just being bitter and Arrogant. This is still an IPA while still introducing some sweet unique flavors that are not just tropical or citrus caramel but more nutty, chocolatey, coffee and other fruity varieties. You definitively cannot age this and recommend getting this one for sure. I highly recommend it!

Anime Corner:
Yoshihime from Sengoku Saga by Yamada Rokkaku was used for the Stone 18th Anniversary since I wanted to show several aspects of stone. Let’s start with the label. You have the blue and grey colors that pair well with the the artwork. Second, the gargoyle has always been represented by either a devil like creature or demon but in this case not evil but mainly used to ward off bad flavors of beer. The third is the shogun/general attire. While I have shown Arrogant bastard as being a bushido code samurai and the fact that Stone is a revolutionary, I have given the general attire to many pictures in the past. If you look closely, Asmodeus and Astoroth have similar general attire. While although revealing, the sexyness is only a distraction because what lies within the sweetness is pretty deadly but awesome while taken responsibly of course. This Iron Maiden can be a formidable ally to fighting the war of great flavors but she can also be a double edge sword if taken lightly and not responsibly. Remember that….

Sources:
http://i.imgur.com/mohWL.jpg