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Now, I don’t know about you, but a brewery that I enjoy drinking hitting a 25 year anniversary is definitely something worth celebrating. That brewery, of course, is Stone Brewing, and to mark the occasion (and your own special occasion), they’ve released the Stone Brewing 25th Anniversary IPA.
Now, you might be saying “An IPA I know, and I’ve had a double IPA. What in the world is a triple IPA?”
And I hear you – there’s a lot of terminology that get thrown out there. And while there are guidelines for what constitutes, say, an IPA vs a Double IPA, there are no hard-and-fast rules for what a triple IPA is (as this article points out). In my experience, it tends to get you a thicker mouthfeel, a bit more sweetness, and definitely a heavier ABV punch.
Pouring the Stone Brewing 25th Anniversary IPA out into a glass, you’re greeted with a deep amber color, much darker than you might expect from an IPA. That sweetness comes through on the nose right away, and that carries over into the first sip. For me, the sweetness tasted a bit like honey, though that faded quickly. Overall, I found it to be a very smooth IPA. Now, their specs list the IBUs as being 100+, but I did not find this to be very bitter at all. Someone not into IPAs probably would pick up on it, but for myself, it wasn’t of note.
All in all, I found the Stone Brewing 25th Anniversary IPA to be very easy-drinking. Which is dangerous when we’re talking about a 12.5% beer (as always, drink responsibly, friends). Still, for a delicious honeyed way to close out the night, or after a good meal (in place of dessert)? You’ll be well-served by this one. stonebrewing.com
Details from Stone Brewing
- Style: Triple IPA
- ABV: 12.5%
- IBUs: 100+
- Packaging: 6pk of 12 oz cans, 22oz bottles, draft
- Tasting Notes
- FEATURED HOPS: CentennialCitraChinookCascadeBelmaSimcoeAmarillo & Sabro
- FLAVOR PROFILE: Peach, apricot jam, orange marmalade, very resinous and very dank, baked pineapple, lemongrass, peppercorn
- PALATE: Medium-heavy body, very bitter, some warming from (very) high alcohol
- APPEARANCE: Orange-copper, clear, thin white head
- AROMA: Peach, stone fruit, cantaloupe, orange, pineapple, red currant, citrus
It was 25 years ago that we planted our flag in North County San Diego. We showed up to a modest, empty warehouse with some mighty big dreams. We thought people deserved a world with better beer, and were determined to be part of a cultural transformation we believed could happen… even though few others shared our vision. This massive triple IPA is another important milestone on our continuing journey. Speaking of journeys, for reasons you may guess, our 25th Anniversary Celebration in 2021 will be a bit understated for such a monumental anniversary, so we’ve decided to hold our big event in 2022 with the Stone 25+1 Years In The Making Anniversary Celebration. After a quarter of a century and quite a few twists and turns, we’re still here. Here for hops. Here for quality. Here for making great mistakes. Here for more good times. Here for another round. We thank you sincerely for the years of support and pledge that we will, as always, strive to live up to the reasons for your loyalty!
