simpson bbq

After a couple of posts unrelated to Beer or BBQ, one meant to shine a positive light on an exemplary member of my profession, the other to degrade a university’s basketball team that is about the only thing going for Centralized Rectangle State, let’s get in a quick beer review.

Recently I sampled and reviewed Arrogant Bastard Ale. It was a delicious beer with intense flavors, so you have to wonder if Stone IPA stands up to the reputation by it’s brother.

Juuuuuust a little bit of head on that beer

This is another one of those IPAs where you get an immediate whiff of hops bitterness the instant you crack the bottle cap. Stone IPA is a serious beer.

From that picture, it looks like I was going nuts pouring this beer after shaking the bottle like a maniac. No, I had the glass tilted and poured it slowly. I got that much of a massive head on the beer. I finally sampled it after letting it settle.

At 6.95% ABV and a hearty 77 IBU, this IPA has a robust hop bitterness. Seriously, this is a very hoppy beer. Lots of IPAs have a fruity finish, but I didn’t pick it up here. My non-hophead wife took a sip and recoiled.

I like this beer, but it is an intense IPA. I tend to retreat back to English-style ales after a hop beating like this. It’s a damn good beer, but I would stick to one per evening. Perhaps pairing it with something spicy that cuts the bitterness is the solution, like chicken wings or pizza drowned in hot sauce. My recommendation, still, is: Drink This Beer