When it comes to Stone Brewing Company, respect and admiration is due even if you are not one to rave about their product, like myself. I do enjoy a stone beer, just typically, it does not get me up and dancing after the first sip. So this past Saturday, as I popped open their 13th Anniversay Ale, I was not expecting fireworks, but was a tad excited, as anniversary brews usually are enjoyable.
I need not tell you about the visible characteristics on this beer, as our friends from ManLand (check out their site!) filmed a beautiful pour in HighDef, for your viewing pleasure below:
Ahhh! That’s a beautiful pour guys!
The Smell:
To be honest, having not read up on this beer, I had the strangest premonition that it would be a hop-bomb. I was right. As ManLand north stated in comments of the last post, there is unmistakeable grapefruit and pine scents coming up through the aroma. These aromas are so bold, one has to really push through to pick up on malt aromas which are quite loaded with caramel and toasted grain notes.
The Taste:
Big IBU (International Bitterness Units) beers aren’t my cup of tea, unless their is an equally opposing sweet punch from the malts to follow, and this beer provided. FIrst, let me digest the hop flavor. It was complex, thank heaven! Had I been stuck with another cascde based brew, I’d have to yawn. The citrusy hop flavor was accompanied by a cool pine flavor, the was thick and rich…it actually reminded me of the pine nuts my wife puts on her salad. The bold and alcohol sweetness backed up the biting bitterness well with notes of caramel and a touch of chocolate. The aftertaste, while hoppy, reminded me of dark, bitter chocolate.
Overall thoughts:
Overall, this is a pretty good brew. I wasn’t “blown away” but I enjoyed splitting it with a good buddy by the fire in my backyard.
Nate’s Rating:
Overall Satisfaction: 
Among other Strong alesAles:
Among other Stone beers:
Your review just made me even more excited to try this. We haven’t gotten any that I have seen down here yet but I am eagerly anticipating it.
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I had my first tasting of it at a Stone tasting a couple days before it was released. Because of the cups used and the 3/4oz pour i could only tell there was some plastic (from the cup) and hops in the brew. I bought a bottle of it 2 weeks ago. It is on my short list to try.
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I’ll interact with the post more later…but I will say that there will be plenty of it for you guys to buy (I won’t be getting any more).
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It was a one time purchase for me too…although i was tempted to buy another and cellar it just to see what catastrophe might occur (the label stated DO NOT CELLAR).
Pretty good, but I’m not going back for more.
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I’m going to write on that very thing before too long. Do not cellar…don’t tell me what to do and not do with the beer I bought.
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[...] a couple beers that explicitly told me not to cellar them. Pliny the Elder from Russian River and 13th Anniversary Ale from Stone are the two that I’m thinking of specifically. On the bottle, they make it seem [...]
I missed the Saturday event because I was out of the country with no Stone available, but I had a bottle last night. I thought it was insanely hoppy with barely any malt presence at all. What malt was there, didn’t really meld with the flavor profile well, and the alcohol was more prevalent that I’m accustomed to with a Stone beer. I don’t mind a beer like that from time to time, but it’s usually a novelty. I had a bottle, I enjoyed it, but I won’t buy another unless I get a serious craving for puckering bitterness in the next two months. I thought Lucky 13 from Lagunitas was a far superior Imperial Red.
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I think the Stone is lacking, too. I’m going to comb through my notes and post a little more. Most Stone stuff is hit and miss with me.
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