Stone 26th Anniversary Imperial IPA

Stone 26th Anniversary Imperial IPA by Stone Brewing is being judged as a Double IPA, in accordance with the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines, category 22A. The beer is served in a kölsch stange at 48^oF, after a vigorous pour. The beer casts a deep gold color with some noticeable haze, while supporting a mousse-like large cap of fine off-white foam and clingy lace.

The aroma is initially hop-forward with characteristic new world notes of pine and resin along with some obvious citrus (orange, lemon and grapefruit) elements and a small but nice sweet stone fruit (peach) character; the malt structure below presents some light toasty and honey notes bordering on a grainy light caramel. Ethanol is evident with some light swirling. As the beer warms, its malt and ester profile come to dominate over a dulled hop character leaving a decidedly malty and semi-sweet nose.

The flavor starts rich and worty-sweet with honey malt flavors before transitioning to some assertive hop flavor and bitterness in the mid-palate; flavors of grainy-honey sweetness compete with strong bitterness and orange zest before trailing off into the off-dry finish. Body is medium-full and the hop character (both flavor and bitterness) come off a bit rough. Gas level is high, and some astringency lingers with the residual sugars into the aftertaste.

Overall, the beer is a pleasant if somewhat monotone version of a double IPA with strong hop flavors overlaid on a big malt structure that leaves a surprisingly high level of sweetness in the finish. It seems plausible that the hop character’s brightness has been muted by packaging and/or age. Still, it is a nice strong hop-forward beer so widely appreciated in the current beer scene.