by Rajan | July 30th, 2010
Stone 14th Anniversary Imperial IPA
Last night I popped in at Barcade for their Rare West Coast Beers night. I had been eyeing the Stone 14th Anniversary ever since seeing the list, remembering how much I liked the 13th anniversary last year.
Thing is, I think I might be needing a break from massive hop blasts. The Stone double IPA starts out bitter, but it’s a lingering bitter that builds the more you drink it. Which, for me, was a shame as there were a lot of fruit flavors present in the beer. It pours apricot coloured and smells of candied fruit (I actually got a dried apricot flavor in the nose). The citrus and tropical flavors swirl underneath the hoppy bitterness, but it’s the bitterness that drives everything, lasting long after you swallow. Still, it had nice rounded flavors and hopheads out there should like it. I preferred the 13th Anniversary which had more malt to balance out the hops.
Not content to stick with one taste, I went on to the Nitro Old Rasputin Imperial Stout, thinking that something darker might be a good contrast. And the stout was good – nice chocolatey malts and roasted flavors, and very, very smooth. But perhaps a little too smooth. After the 14th Anniversary, I wanted something with a bit more kick, I think, and the Old Rasputin didn’t have much of that at the time. A good beer, just probably not what I was looking for at the moment.
I think that my palate seems to be going through another change. The big DIPAs and other Imperial styles aren’t seeming to do it for me anymore. And heavily spiced Belgians are also putting me off. Maybe it’s the summer, or just drinking a little less.
Saturday is another Beer Club meeting – maybe I’ll find something great there.