Stone Brewing Co. Unveils Seasonal Program W/ Commentary
Last week, we shared the announcement that Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean has returned. One item that caught our eye here was the term Limited Winter Edition on the neck of the bottle. You see, for years Stone has had a fairly strict terminology edict, in which Stone Old Guardian, Double Bastard Ale, Stone Imperial Russian Stout were not to be referred to as Seasonals, but rather Special Releases. Despite the fact those beers came out fairly regularly, Stone insisted the beers had nothing to do with the season. Stone has now entered the Seasonal game that just about every other mature craft brewery has been a apart of, and are doing so creatively with their Stone Smoked Porter variations. Here’s word right from Stone’s Blog regarding two familiar variants, as well as a To-Be-Created-Later Stone Smoked Porter Harvest Addition Edition. For us, this is good news, the Vanilla kicks ass, and we’ll be happy to know its returning again.
The only questions were when and how. Earlier this year, we figured out the best answers to that pair of queries, opting to let seasonality guide the way. With its roasted-malt depth and warm, comforting vanilla overtones, Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean figures to be best enjoyed during the colder winter season. So, we put it on the brewing calendar and, figuring anything this universally loved should be offered in larger quantities, opted for the 22-ounce bottle. (Hey, you can never have too much of a good thing.) But we weren’t done there.
Like we said, fans also enjoyed the chipotle-infused version of the beer, and the last thing we wanted to do was leave them in cold. So, when the weather starts heating up and spring begins its transition to summer, expect to see 22-ounce bombers of Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers. Scheduled for a May release, it will offer another porter perfectly suited for the season in which it’s released. And, because we don’t do anything small (or easy), nor see any reason to deprive the Stone faithful of something special during the seven-month span separating May and December, we will also concoct a brand new third version, Stone Smoked Porter Harvest Addition Edition, bringing together a yet-to-be-determined blend of ingredients conveying quintessential flavors of the time of year during which it will be introduced. Expect more on that as soon as we figure it out!
So there you have it—Stone Smoked Porters for all seasons.
