Stone Mocha IPA

[Beer-lord]

RedBEERd said he was going to one of our favorite places to get some beer and did I want something so I said, Lagunitas 12th of Never and I wanted to try a Stone Mocha IPA.
So far, no 12th of Never made it here yet but he got a sixer of the Mocha IPA.
I was reluctant to try this but as I always give Stone a fair shot I figured, why not (and he was buying).
So......it's not that bad. Actually, I kind of liked it. Not very IPA-ish. The aroma was somewhat flowery to me in a good way. Some chocolate on the nose and the taste finished semi sweet. It was something I think I would get each time it comes out. The name is the worst part about it.
So, give it a try. It's definitely not odd, just a tad bit different.

[Gymrat]

I had a taster of that last week. I liked it. It's one of those beers that I don't think I would want a second but I sure would enjoy the first.

[Kealia]

I saw this last week on the shelf, too. It sounds intriguing to try. I'm going out tonight with some friends to Beer Thirty (30 rotating beers on tap) so maybe they will have it and I can try it there.

I just had another new Stone beer the other night, so opening a new thread in 3, 2, 1......

[mashani]

I saw it, saw 9% ABV, and put it back on the shelf. I'm done with any Stone beer that is that big. I've just found their alcohol levels to be distracting, not beneficial, in every single one of them I've had. They need to learn how to make beer without cranking the abv dial up to 11 for no apparently good reason. My guess is that it would probably be a better beer at 7%. I think all their other ones that are 9% would.

I might try the WIT.

[RedBEERd]

I would've never known it was that high....I detected no burn but did get some mild chocolate and vanilla on the back end once it warmed up.

Not a great beer, won't necessarily buy it again but I'm not sure its really an IPA.

[Beer-lord]

I definitely did not come across as a big beer at all nor did it have any alcohol burn. It would easily pass for a 6%er to me.
I do wish they would try to keep these down a bit as well. Dogfish Head is another brewery that keeps making crazy big beers.

[Kealia]

Maybe you are all just unworthy.

All kidding aside, the high ABV in-your-face beers are their bread-and-butter so I don't think they are going to change. They serve a niche market of sorts, just like any other brewer. I think that saying that their beers would be better if they were lower ABV is like saying that BMC would be better if they had more hops/less adjunct/etc.

I think what we are all saying is "I'd like it more if they were....", yeah? Maybe I'm just being pedantic....

mashani, I was thinking of you when tasting the wit. If you do try it, please post your thoughts.

[MrBandGuy]

I do wish they would try to keep these down a bit as well. Dogfish Head is another brewery that keeps making crazy big beers.

This could be a whole discussion in itself. There is a brewery in Indy called Mashcraft that keeps most of their stuff around 6%. The brewers there even said their take on brewing is a direct response to the bigger is better mentality.

[Gymrat]

I honestly thought this beer was very tastefully done. I had no idea it was a high alcohol beer when I had the taster. When I checked into it I decided not to order one because I won't drink a 9% beer and drive. Possibly the alcohol content gives the beer the sweetness it needs for this to work as well as it does. I really wouldn't refuse to taste a beer based on ABV. These days most liquor stores have a "build your own six pack" type of thing where you can buy just one bottle. I highly recommend this to anybody who sees this beer while they are out browsing. It really is different, and coming from a guy who absolutely hates flavorings in beer, it is quite good.