Okay, if you’re not familiar with Stone Brewing Co. of California, I will assume you’re from Ontario, and give you some grace for our common geographical lacking. If everyone else will give me a moment to chat to my Ontario cohorts. Stone is one of the top brewers in the states, producing some amazing beers, including Arrogant Bastard Ale, Stone Ruination IPA, Stone Levitation Ale and many others. It’s just (go figure), you can hardly get them here in Ontario. I was lucky enough to share this bottle with Stephen Beaumont yesterday (among others) and just had to take notes for a review. Stone created this beer for their 15th anniversary, and it’s a big one. Befitting a brewer of their calibre. Let’s see how my notes held up….
Escondidian Imperial Black IPA - Stone Brewing Co.
From a silk-screened bomber, the beer pours opaque black, with the slightest hints of brown at the edges if held to a bright light. The dense mocha head was reminiscent of latte foam, thick and wet, slowly dissipating a bit, but never fully going away. It left lovely lace on the glass, and would have given me a frothy milk-moustache if I hadn’t been careful. The aroma is huge, immediately pumpernickel bread, soy sauce, salt (and yes, we discussed if salt has a smell, and tasted a few to be sure), tar (which sounds worse than it smells) and some piney hops. Told you so. It’s huge. On the palate, Escondidian immediately tasted of leather and more dark bread. Soy sauce is there again, though a little less prevalent, and now there’s smokiness and raisins with hints of chocolate. With the dregs of the bottle poured into my glass, the pumpernickel and soy sauce with the addition of some of the bottle yeast reminded me exactly of marmite on rye toast. The thick body with low carbonation gives weight, and a nearly buttery feeling that adds to the marmite on toast in a way only a lover of marmite can appreciate or even understand. Just magical. No idea what the IBUs on this beer were, but the malt and alcohol certainly cut through it. I’m fairly confident it was actually quite a bitter beer, but the hops only ever played a complimentary role. Drying things out a bit, and adding a bit of the pine/tar depth. Just lovely. This is not a gateway beer, or even a beer for the uninitiated. This is a big chewy complicated glass of beer; one that many might say requires an “acquired taste”, but it’s worth the effort. One of the most interesting and complicated beers I’ve ever had, and also one of the most enjoyable.
Thanks to Stone for an excellent beer, and many thanks to Stephen Beaumont, for this one and others.
About the Brewery
http://www.stonebrew.com/
http://www.stonebrew.com/anniv/ale/
