Stone 18th Anniversary IPA Review

Name: Stone 18th Anniversary IPA
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.5%

On a recent trip to Minneapolis, I managed to pick up one of the newest offerings from Stone Brewing. Every year, Stone releases an IPA to celebrate each year that they've been in business and what we have here today is their 18th Anniversary IPA. Unlike last year's release, this one does not have a fancy name like Gotterdammerung, According to Stone, they are calling this a "Brown IPA", which is not a term you see everyday.

The beer pours a dark brown color that turns to a crimson color when held up to a light. The head is thin with some abundant lacing and the visible carbonation is mild. If I didn't know better, I would say I'm looking at a Brown Ale.

The nose starts out with a strong grapefruit & piney hoppiness with some potent toffee sweetness and light roasted maltiness. The smell reminds me of chocolate orange.

The flavor starts out with a strong piney hop and grapefruit taste. The second half of the flavor is mainly toffee & chocolate malts with a strong bitter grapefruit hop & light roasty finish. As for the palate, it's fairly moderate in weight and the carbonation is fairly mild.

I like the idea of IPAs exploring unfamiliar territory and this beer does just that, because it's not too often you see IPAs with a roastier flavor profile. With that said, it didn't quite blow me away like last year's Gotterdammerung did. Even with that in mind, I would say it's still worth a look if you get the chance to do so.

Stone 18th Anniversary IPA - 8.5/10