Stone Brewing Company

I've never been a big fan of Stone's beer, but there have been a few bottles I've enjoyed on occasion so I keep bringing Stone beer home with me. I've been trying to pick my battles a little better, so instead of buying up one of each Stone beer (mostly because there are just so damn many of them) I'm sticking with the styles I tend to enjoy the most ...but of course there are exceptions, like this bottle of Stone IPA. IPA is hit or miss style for me, I think too many brewers just throw a ton of hops at a kettle and call it a day. That was my fear with this beer based off of some other Stone beers I've had before. So why's I make an exception and bring home a bomber of their IPA? Easy, it's got a note to Kansas City printed on the back. Beer drinkers are a fickle bunch.

This bottle of Bashah has been sitting in my basement for almost a year. I picked it up in Colorado last fall mostly because I'd never seen it before. I passed it up in favor of other beers in my basement until now because I haven't had a whole lot for Stone or BrewDog that I thought all that highly of. Bashah is a collaborative Belgian-style Black Double IPA, which means it doesn't really have a style at all... It seemed like a bit of a wildcard and I knew enough about BrewDog and Stone's style to err on the side of aging so the bitterness in this beer would die down a little. Well, I think more than enough time has passed, let's open this beer up...

"A liquid poem to the glory of the hop!" That's what it says on the front of this bottle of Stone Ruination IPA. Stone's beers have nearly has much hyperbole in the bottle as they have hops. Ruination is a beer I've been in no hurry to try because I feel that I've already got a really good idea of what it's going to taste like, based off of the other Stone beers I've had before. Don't get me wrong, Stone makes some really interesting beer. In my opinion, those interesting beers are the ones that are hybrid Belgo-styles, big Imperial Stouts or are otherwise less hoppy than a west coast IPA. Ruination is one of Stone's west coast IPAs and I'm convinced there won't be much for me to look forward to in this beer. We'll see...

Belgo Old Guardian was one of just a couple Stone beers I recently picked up in a visit to Colorado. Knowing that Stone was already in talks to bring the bulk of their line up to Missouri, I wasn't looking to stock up on their beers... but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to grab a few of their seasonal and limited release beers. I always wanted to try the Old Guardian Barley Wine, and honestly had never heard of the Belgo version, so I decided to pick up a bomber. Barleywines are great, most of the time... I'm a little apprehensive about Stone's take on the style, but I'm willing to give it a try. I'll try anything if you add a little Belgian yeast to it.

I was really intrigued by this beer when I first heard of it a few months back. A collaboration between Stone, Pizza Port and Green Flash sounds like it'd be a really great idea. Each of these breweries makes some interesting beers and a collaboration between the three of them, a beer that showcases each of their strengths, would be really cool. Well, then I heard this was going to be a Scotch Ale... Now, I really like Scotch Ales, but mostly when they conform to my idea of what a Wee Heavy should taste like. It's a guilty pleasure of mine. I don't think of a Scotch Ale as a platform for brewers to innovate or really even collaborate

Stone is one brewer who's beers I was just not in a hurry to try. They're beers seem too gimmicky to me. Each one is hoppier and more bitter than the last. Arrogance just doesn't appeal to me, especially when it comes to be. I've only had a handful of Stone beers before because they don't distribute to this part of the country and I haven't really went out of my way to procure any more than those few. What I've had wasn't bad, but it wasn't something I'd drink regularly if it were readily available. I did enjoy Stone's collaboration with Nøgne Ø and Jolly Pumpkin but didn't expect to find much of that beer in the rest of the Stone line up because it was Christmas seasonal collaboration. Nonetheless, I'm keeping an open mind and hoping for something a little less arrogant as I pour myself a glass of Cali-Belgique.

The Saison du Buff started as an idea kicked around by the heads of Dogfish Head, Victory and Stone Brewing Comanpies. Buff comes from their acronym for Brewers United for Freedom of Flavor, the name they gave their very unofficial gathering. The Saison du Buff was produced in three batches, one at Stone, one at Victory and this one which was brewed at Dogfish in Delaware. The Dogfish beer was released second, after Stone's version, and I'd love to review them all in order but none of these breweries distribute to my area... so I'll take what I can get, when I can get it.

I was especially proud of finding this bottle of at the liquor store, not because it was particularly rare but because it was on the clearance rank. I'd seen a few bottle of these on the shelves over the holidays but didn't get around to picking one up. Even though the holidays are a month behind us I couldn't pass up getting a bottle of this collaboration for half price. The timing worked out well because just enough time had passed that I was no longer burnt out on holiday seasonal beers. After picking up this bottle I realized something a little strange...