Stone - Cali Belgie IPA

First off, I'd like to express my absolute joy about the fact that I am finally done with my exam!  No longer do I need to come home after work and worry about studying.  I get to do things like write about beer without feeling bad about it! Which is good news for both myself and our wonderful readers.

And speaking of our readers, if you want another way to follow us throughout the day follow us on Twitter at Worldobeercraft!  Not only will we let you know about what we are reviewing, we will post the beers we are drinking at any given time throughout the day as well as other beer related information from some of our favorite breweries across the country.  Lots of great information is out there and Dunz and I are excited to utilize what seems to be this silly form of communication.

Tonights brew is another from Stone.  We had a bit of a Stone-ganza when they first started shipping out to Minnesota. We reviewed their Sublimely Self Righteous Black IPA, normal IPA, Ruination IPA, and Arrogant Bastard.  From that list, you can probably already tell two things: 1. They have some pretty solid IPAs and 2. They are from California.  And Californians love them some hops in their beers.  So tonight, it seems appropriate that I'm reviewing yet another IPA from Stone, their Cali - Belgie IPA.  I'm assuming this is going to be more on the hoppier side just from what I know from this brewery.  Lets dig in and find out.

The brew is brilliantly clear.  Clearly filtered which takes away from what you would assume from a Belgian beer.  The head is a nice and frothy white.  Very aromatic, clearly a Belgian yeast strain was used.  Some spicy grapefruit and lemon zest.  Oh hey, I just read the bottle and its apparently their standard IPA fermented with a Belgian yeast strain.  Look what happens when you read!  Its all making sense now.  A nice bitterness flows through the lemony, bready and somewhat tropical fruity flavor profile.  Nicely balanced with hardly any alcoholic bite.  Dry and bitter rounds out this easily drinkable IPA with a Belgian twist.

Overall - I'm pretty happy this one comes in a 22oz bomber.  Well brewed and easy to drink.  Quite refreshing on a 95 degree day like today too!  I wouldn't pick it up if you are looking for a more Belgian-y Belgian IPA.  This brew certainly errs on the side of IPA.  But it is delicious if you are looking for a beer to spice up your standard, run-of-the-mill IPA.