Since Greg Koch and Steve Wagner founded it in 1996, Stone Brewing Co. has been producing an ever-expanding line up of well crafted and often in-your-face beers and interesting collaborations. Stone’s gargoyle mascot watches over each of these beers, attempting to draw in their ideal consumer and to scare off the Keystone-swilling undergrad that stumbled into the display. Don’t let it intimidate you. Known for its bold, flavorful and largely hop-centric beers, Stone has earned a reputation for brewing outstanding, unique beers while maintaining an unwavering commitment to sustainability, business ethics, philanthropy and the art of brewing. Today, Peaks and Pints presents Craft Beer Crosscut 7.15.18: A Flight of Stone Brewing, a five craft beer sample flight of the Southern California brewery’s talent.
Stone Ripper
5.7% ABV, 40 IBU
When it came to creating Ripper, Stone brewers drew inspiration from the coastal surf cultures of Southern California and Australia. Sourcing classic Cascade from the Pacific Northwest and Australian Galaxy hops from, er, Australia, Stone made a pale ale some might think closer to an IPA, with all the dry-hop flavor and aroma, but it’s actually right in line with the current-day interpretation of a West Coast pale. Ripper has an Aussie accent that’s cascading with a juicy amount of grapefruit and passionfruit hoppiness.
Stone VirtuALE IPA
7.7% ABV
With the release of Stone VirtuALE IPA, Stone Brewing is the first to put to use INCOGNITO, a brand new proprietary technique for processing hops. The resulting Citra and Mosaic extracts highlight different qualities of the otherwise familiar hops. While hop extracts have been around for years, new processes for separating the lupulin from the plant material offer new layers of complexity for brewers to explore. With West Coast bitter roots and a dank hop kick that finishes surprisingly tropical, the beer pours light gold carrying floral, resin and grapefruit aromas. Flavors of berry upon grapefruit and hibiscus give this beer a soft bitter finish complemented by a light hint of honey.
Stone Scorpion Bowl IPA
7.5% ABV, 76 IBA
Stone Brewing’s IPA version of a Scorpion Bowl cocktail is a brash, Mosaic, Loral and Mandarina Bavaria hop-forward ale that hinges on an assault of fruit that is so bold it borders on being electric. There’s a wee bit of pineapple, Mandarin orange and mango in the middle of the sip — and all the passionfruit — but all of the fun stuff happens in your mouth after the Scorpion disappears. That’s when an intense, tart fruitiness takes over, like you’re sucking on one of those sour candies. The finish is dry at first, but then your mouth starts to water again and that fruitiness comes back with a vengeance.
Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale
7.2% ABV, 100 IBU
Stone Arrogant Bastard is less-than-amber but more-than-pale IPA with a little “oomph” in the malt and hops department. The malt profile of Arrogant Bastard, while not overwhelming, definitely has a good backbone of caramel, rich, and somewhat raisin-bread type toasty flavors. It has more richness than your standard IPA. This malt body is balanced with a very aggressive-tasting hop treatment using the Chinook, giving it a West Coast citrusy bitterness, but also contains a more rich, herbal, and maybe even a bit of a “rough” pungent element.
Stone Ruination 2.0 IPA
8.5% ABV,100+ IBU
Filling our last taster glass is Stone Brewing’s Ruination 2.0, a craft beer that pours a dark gold, just on the edge of orange. The aroma is immediately super dank and resinous, piney, just West Coast classic turned up to 11, before giving way to grapefruit and orange fruit notes and grass. This beer wears its 100+ IBUs, with Magnum and Nugget hops providing a hefty dose of standout bitterness. Citra, Simcoe and Azacca hops provide the bountiful tropical fruit and resinous pine aromas. Combined, the rich tapestry of hops results in a taste profile rife with citrus, melon and tropical fruit flavors.
