Top 100 Rated Beers of 2017

#3

97
by Pat Mulloy
The Partner Ships Series: Stone Brewing Co.
Heavy Seas Beer

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Brewer Q & A

Brewery Impressions
by Heavy Seas brewmaster Christopher Leonard

Who was responsible for this beer's recipe? 
Peter Wiens, (then) Stone Brewing's East Coast Director of Brewing Operations, and I went back and forth a bit on this collaboration. We quickly agreed that an Imperial Brown Ale would be an interesting take on both breweries' strengths while being a somewhat adventurous challenge.

What sets this beer apart from other examples within the style? 
Our goal was to create something that didn't really exist out there. While there are certainly Brown IPAs on the market, I don't know of any brewed with molasses.

What makes this beer truly World-Class? 
We walked a fine line in designing this beer. We knew that we wanted an extremely complex, unique and unusual beer with many layers of flavor and aroma. I believe we succeeded in doing so in an amazingly well-balanced package that is still incredibly drinkable. All of the components come together in a way that make this beer fascinating -- at least to me. When a beer invokes that type of introspection, it provides an additional level of cerebral enjoyment that I think folks seek out in World-Class beers.

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
Oh, the balance on this beer is unreal. There are so many flavors and aromas dancing around with each other, especially with the introduction of the blackstrap molasses. The molasses' subtle flavor influence enhanced the beer better than Peter or I had imagined it would. Also, molasses has a high calcium content. Adding it to the boil affected the fermentation in a manner that softened the perceived bitterness to 90 IBUs.

BC: How popular is this beer among your faithful fans? 
I think this beer was highly anticipated by our fans. Getting to work with such an accomplished brewery as Stone meant expectations were high. Hopefully we didn't disappoint!

Judge's Second Opinion
by Pat Mulloy

I have always considered Brown or Black India Pale Ales an absurd concept, but this beer created fissures in my wall of prejudice. I am drinking this outside in the sunlight and it’s a stunningly beautiful brilliant chestnut color under a luxurious light tan foam cap with good retention that invites you to jump right in. Streams of bubbles rise moderately fast to replenish the cap.

The aroma immediately captures my attention because the brown ale character works well with (rather than fights) the IPA character. Resin, floral, berry and citrus hops lead, joined by light chocolate, nuts, a hint of brown sugar, a light malty sweetness and a trace of alcohol. The fermentation character is clean.

The brown malt flavors and the hop citrus and fruit flavors work together like the flavors in the old 7-Up candy bar. You bite in and begin with dark semi-sweet chocolate, plum, light fruit, cherry, berry, nuts and hints of cola balanced by a medium-high hop bitterness. The bitterness alternates between a dark chocolate bitterness and a citrus rind bitterness depending on where the beer is in your mouth. The foam persists and the bitterness in the foam has a slightly different character than the bitterness in the body.

The brewers use just the right mix of malts – nothing is burnt or harsh, but the malt character is strong enough to work with the hops without overwhelming them. This wonderful Brown IPA has a down comforter-type texture. It is something you crawl into and get cozy as the smooth alcohol heat gently and gradually warms you up. I would buy this beer for its texture alone, but when combined with the complex and layered flavors and aromas, this beer skyrockets into the World Class category. The beer pays the IPA's homage to the hops while enriching that character with rich brown ale malts.