Review – Stone 10th Anniversary Ale (2 Years Later)

I had the great fortune of being able to get my 2 liter Stone Brewing growler filled with 10th Anniversary Ale after the 12th Anniversary Celebration on August 16th.  Time really does fly when you are having fun.  I recall going to bevmo, buying a half a case, and blacking out shortly after when this ale came out.  I remember clearly how strong and bitter this brew was when it was fresh.  At the time, I wasn’t able to distinguish between a high level of hops or high levels of alcohol, and attributed the strong flavor to alcohol.  I had a choice between getting a growler of 9th, 10th, or 11th Anniversary Ale, and opted for the 10th, as I wanted to see what path this ale took in two years time.

Stone Brewing 10th Anniversary IPA – Poured from a 2 litre growler into a pint glass. ~10% abv.

Appearance: A peach/apricot orange with a large, creamy tan head.  Sticky lace is left as I take generous sips.

Aroma: Apricot, mango, pineapple, and pine.

Taste: All of the fruit flavors I mentioned in the aroma are right there on the middle of my tongue as well. Where the pine is in the aroma, is in the form of a bitter, resinous hop explosion, with a bit of astringency and warmth.  The malt has become more pronounced, and has flavors of rock sugar candy, honey, and brown sugar.

Mouthfeel: Sticky and syrupy, like a barleywine or double IPA. Ha, that’s what it is!

Overall: While many Internet beer fans such as myself predicted that this beer hit its peak during its initial retail run, I would go out on a limb and say it is near perfect now.  The hops have not faded away, however the other magical fruit flavors went from 2D to 3D over the course of 2 years.  I am going to ask the Stone Brewing Company Store how they stored this keg, as that might clue me into why this tasted so much better, yet didn’t lose its bundle of hops.