Craft Beer Spotlight: Stone IPA – The Iconic West Coast-Style IPA

Craft Beer Joe

7 years ago

Stone IPA By Stone Brewing

Trends and fads are often what get the most attention in the craft beer industry. We are always on the hunt for something unique, rare, or ultra local. But that doesn’t mean we should look past the classics. Stone IPA is a beer that has outlasted the trends and stayed true to its roots.

And when a beer can outlast a few decades of industry changes; it’s worth taking another look at.

Want to learn more about Stone Brewing? Check out the Brewery Spotlight all about them here.

Review Of Stone IPA

The IPA is by far the most popular style of craft beer. And that makes sense as people have moved to craft beer to escape the boring beer that macro breweries produce. Which means they are seeking a more flavorful beer and IPAs fit that perfectly.

While the popularity of the IPA has remained strong, what it means to be an IPA is constantly changing. At one point, IPA was just a hop forward, higher ABV pale ale. And for many, that’s still true.

But now we have Session, West Coast, East Coast, New England and many other variations of IPA.

And while Stone Brewing has evolved their beer with the style changes; their Stone IPA has remained true to where they started over 20 years ago.

Stone IPA has an ABV of 6.9% and IBUs of 71.

Here is how Stone Brewing describes their year round IPA:

By definition, an India pale ale is hoppier and higher in alcohol than its little brother, pale ale—and we deliver in spades. One of the most well-respected and best-selling IPAs in the country, this golden beauty explodes with tropical, citrusy, piney hop flavors and aromas, all perfectly balanced by a subtle malt character. This crisp, extra hoppy brew is hugely refreshing on a hot day, but will always deliver no matter when you choose to drink it.

Initial Thoughts

While I have enjoyed Stone IPA many times, I realized that I had never had one at home where I could take my time to appreciate it.

So on a Saturday night while preparing dinner, I decided to give this IPA the proper time and space to see if this classic could impress me.

First I grabbed my Spiegelau IPA glass. This glass is designed for this style – read more about it here.

It pours a dark golden, yellow color with a bright white head.

The aroma is very strong with notes of pine from the hops. The aroma gives away that this IPA will have a strong bitterness to it.

Tasting Notes

For me, IPAs have three main elements to their flavor. Hops, bitterness level and malt.

When it comes to hops, you can have a wide variety of flavors ranging from piney, resin to fruity to earthy to stinky. And even within each of those, there is a range and lots of unique flavors.

Stone IPA is predominately piney. There are touches of fruit – grapefruit and citrus – but those are in the background.

The bitterness level on this is moderately high but not off-putting. It accomplishes this by being consistent throughout. Some IPAs start or finish bitter but Stone IPA has the same level throughout.

And while many will focus on the hops in an IPA, the malt is just as important in the Stone IPA. Many current IPAs use very light malt profiles but not Stone. The malt is definitely there and provides balance and sweetness. It turns the piney notes into sweet pine rather than earthy pine.

Final Thoughts

I love getting to try new and exciting beers but it is equally satisfying to sit back with a classic.

What’s great about Stone IPA is it is great for just about every occasion. You’ll enjoy it just as much on a hot day as the cold of winter. It’s got huge flavor for the times when you just want a single beer but isn’t too much when you want to have a few.

It’s just as good for tailgating as it is for a night at home.

You’ll enjoy it by itself or paired with food. I enjoyed mine with homemade pizza.

The only meal I wouldn’t recommend drinking Stone IPA with is dessert. I think the strong piney flavor and bitterness would clash with most sweet foods.

But other than that; grab some Stone IPA and enjoy.

And it’s available in bottles and cans so it’s a very versatile beer when packaging matters.

Related Post: Brewery Spotlight On Stone Brewing

Conculsion

It’s always a treat to be able revisit a classic. Just like catching up with an old friend, you instantly recall what you liked about it in the past. And you’ll probably wait too long before deciding to pick it up again.

But that’s ok; craft beer is all about exploring new flavors so the classics aren’t always enjoyed as often as they should be. But that makes returning to them just that much better.