Tonight I'll be drinking the 15th Anniversary Imperial Black IPA from Stone Brewing in Escondido, CA. This follows last year's Emperial IPA, which I unfortunately did not get to try, because Stone hadn't expanded their distribution to MN at that point. This brew was created by the President and co-founder of Stone, Steve Wagner, who says it's a "chuckling jab at those looking to lay territorial claim to the Black IPA style. There's this small faction of people that seems to think it can call Black IPAs 'Cascadian Dark Ales,' historical accuracy be damned. So, we thought we'd lightheartedly lay claim to our own style, dubbing it 'Escondidian,' both as an homage to our hometown of Escondido, CA and as a gentle ribbing to those Black IPA fans worshipping a false Cascadian idol." This brew comes in a 22oz bottle that features the signature devil-dude on the label. Who doesn't love Stone's label art? It's badass!
This is a beast of a beer, with 10.8% alcohol and 100 IBUs - so I fully expect it to be hop-nificent. It's going into my drinkin' mug, since my nice glassware is all stuck in the dishwasher. The beer is a thick black color with a medium brown head. Mammoth waves of resinous hops and pine cones start off the aroma, along with some layers of roasted malts....hard to pick out anything specific, maybe some coffee and cocoa. The taste hits like a firetruck. Roasted malts fused with dank, pungent resinous hop bitterness. It's got that gritty, rich texture that you typically find in an imperial stout, with some cocoa and just a hint of coffee making up the base. Intense herbal undertones ride through the middle, with a slight alcohol heat warming things up into the finish. The finish keeps the hop bitterness going.....and going.....
Overall Rating: This is an amazing Black IPA. This beer takes the style to the next level....Stone has set the bar high! This beer may be tough to find, but you come across it, don't pass it by. An absolute hop-bomb and one of my favorites of the year. A
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