22 oz bottle, usual Stone presentation. Arbor Place Beverage, Douglasville, GA, USA.
OK, off the top I think the name is tacky. There, got that out of the way, now back to the beer.
Very light haze on the mid-orange pour. The body looks a bit like a cask pour. Not much lace as the beer forms a light, thin film on the surface which has some good retention.
The nose is very odd – it literally smells like cheese to me. Like a slightly overripe soft cheese – perhaps French.
The tastes are a bruising assault on the taste-buds right off the bat, and to be honest it doesn’t let up much. It’s fairly abrasive and the abuse comes in waves of sweetness followed by a little bitter lemon peel and grapefruit. Not subtle (but then again who said it would be?), but it really attacks the mouth in a manner which screams Stone but lacks their usual skill. The cheese note also manifests itself a bit in the taste. There’s some herbal, aniseed, nasty bitter notes in there somewhere, too.
On the plus side I do like the hoppy burps that it induces, and it does grow on you a little, but this is a poor beer by Stone’s high standards.
After the absolute genius of 13th, this is a massive disappointment. A bitter, aggressive beer that lacks the Stone touch for pulling this kind of thing off. Edgy and very rough, the beer feels as though it’s not yet finished.
As for English IPA – LOL, not in a contemporary sense. 0/5 for style.