My beer buddy bought some and I picked one up at his place along with the Enjoy By and t-shirt I posted in that thread. He mentioned that it was "good, but lacked the aroma pop" that he loves in an IPA. I was cautiously optimistic about this and by the time I poured it last night I really needed a beer.
I went outside on the back deck to enjoy the warm evening and the view and poured this one:
The beer is lightly carbed and crystal clear. Points for presentation for sure.
The aroma was fantastic! Meol, tropical fruits, floral - everything that could be categorized as bright and crisp. Many of the Stone beers fall into that dank, earthy and/or piney realm (which isn't bad) but not this one. Even my wife, who will only drink a hef or wit and things all hops "stink", loved the aroma. She said she could just sit around and smell this all day because is was like passion fruit and reminded her of being in Hawaii.
The taste is light malt up front followed by a frontal assault of hop flavor with just a hint of bitterness. A tiny bit dry on the tongue when it finishes, but almost not noticeable unless you are looking for things to point out and review. Wow.
A few weeks ago I had the Anchor IPA and said it was good. If that was good, this is GREAT. Reading their page on this beer they hop-bursted this and did one hell of a job. I think they hit a home run with this beer personally. As they say, it's perfect for when you need a hop fix but don't want to have a big heavy beer. Maybe you want two or three.....and you can.
I'm sold. This could very well find it's place in my fridge on an on going basis. Dare I say it could be my go to IPA in the future?
