Stone India Pale Ale

4.3/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20

22 ounce bottle. Pours golden amber color with a nice 2 finger white head with nice retention. Awesome lacing on the glass as well. Fair amount of yeast in suspension in the glass. Aromas of strong citrus and pine hops. Taste is nice and hoppy with strong bitterness that lingers for a bit on the finish. Very well balanced. Delicious, would buy again.

A big favorite for me. I love IPA's and this is one of the best for me. It comes in both 6 packs and bombers as well.

Bells Porter

3.5/5

AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours almost opaque dark brown with 1.5 finger tan head with decent retention. Amazing aromas of strong caramel, maple syrup, coffee, chocolate. Taste of chocolate, malts, and coffee. A bit thin in the mouth feel, but creamy. Finish is smooth with some coffee after taste. Quite tasty though, I just wish it was more full bodied, with bigger lingering tastes on the finish.

Bells has a ton more tasty offerings that surpass this one, but it is pretty solid nonetheless.

Rochefort Trappistes 10

4.5/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20

11.2 ounce bottle. Pours dark opaque brown with a very small head. This was almost a gusher when I opened it but it wasn’t that bad. The beer is still all there. But from what I saw it would have a very frothy white head. Aromas of molasses, caramel, some spices, and alcohol. Quite complex scents. Taste is unbelievable strong caramel in the front with molasses. Definitely more flavors I am not recognizing, nicely complex balance. Carbonation is perfect too, not too much, not too little. Even with alcohol on the nose, it is hidden well on tasting. Nothing much lingering on the aftertaste though. Outstanding.

The establishment where I purchased this beer from gives me hints that it has probably been sitting for a long time(Orval Belgian ale on the shelves bottled in 2006) but regardless, this beer definitely ages well. I have gotten a few beers that were gushers, but were caused by carbonation buildup, and not bacterial infection, so the taste was still great. This beer is completely amazing.

Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Fritz & Kens Ale

4.1/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

25 ounce bottle. Pours opaque black with a nice sized dark tan head with very good retention and lacing on the glass. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, oatmeal, and licorice. Flavors of bitter chocolate and coffee. Very full bodied and creamy. Fairly nice finish that sits around for a bit. Alcohol is hidden somewhat, but quite noticeable on the finish. Fairly bitter as well, which I am a fan of, even for it being a stout. Very solid.

This was probably the first beer I got that I did not research before buying. Sierra Nevada tends to put out consistently good beer.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA

4/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours a nice orange color with a small fairly white head. Very nice lacing on the glass. Taste is of malts with a large hoppy finish. Even with it’s nice hoppiness, it is not overly bitter, though I am a fan of higher IBUs. well balanced and decently carbonated, but not overly so. Finish is fairly smooth with some lingering bitterness. High alcohol is fairly well hidden in this. I will probably pick up another 4 pack of this in the future. Quite delicious.

Ok now the rating and the picture were two different times entirely. I don't know why I didn't get the same head the second time, but it could have been a bit different the first time around. Overall a great beer, but not as hoppy as I really like so that is probably why I didn't rate it higher than 4.

Victory HopDevil

4.1/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours a nice red orange color with a one finger off white head. Average lacing on the glass. Aroma of lots of hops with some honey, fruit and malts. Taste is of a nice sharp spicy hop flavor, with lingering bitterness on the finish. Nice level of carbonation in this, not too overpowering, giving the hops prominence in flavor. Finish is nice and smooth how I like it. Quite enjoyable for me because I love hops.

I will need to give this another go sometime, judging on my rating. I may pick up a six of it, since it is everywhere.

Rogue Chocolate Stout

4/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20

22 ounce bottle poured into Rogue pint glass. Pours opaque black with a nice 2 finger head that does not recede much at all. Very nice lacing on the glass. When I initially poured it I actually got a giant head and had to wait to pour to the rim. Nice dark chocolate and roasted malts on the nose. Taste is much of the same, very good chocolate flavor. The finish is pretty good with very slight lingering bitterness. Pretty well balanced. I will be picking this up again for sure.

Overall a very good beer, not mind blowing, but I will have to give this one another go and get some second thoughts. Also fairly easy to find. I found the rogue pint glass at Cost Plus World Market.

Stone Old Guardian

4.2/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20

2010 version 22 ounce bottle. Pours a nice red-orange color with a one finger tan head. Smells of some banana, orange, grapefruit, pine. Tastes are similar to smell, but with some sweetness with a good balance of bitterness from the citrus hops. Very nice finish, not too carbonated with a nice hint of alcohol, but not too overpowering. Nice lacing on the glass as well. This is my first barley wine style and I am quite impressed.

Stone is definitely one of my favorite breweries, not too much bad stuff coming from them. I need to find more barley wines because I do not have many of them reviewed.

Duvel

3.9/5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

750 mL bottle. Pours clear yellow with a really nice sized white head. Pilsner malt aroma, with some spicy hops. Taste is much of the same, with pretty low bitterness. Very highly carbonated, and the alcohol is well hidden in this one. Not really one of my favorite styles, but I was pleasantly surprised on how tasty it was.

This was my first Belgian style ale. I am almost positive of that. Originally I did not like them, but I am liking them more the more I drink them, which is getting pretty often.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

3.8/5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20

Had a bomber of this last week. Liked it so much I got a 6 pack today. Pours slightly hazy orange. Decent sized white head that leaves fairly good lacing. Nice scent of hops and and malt. Taste is nice fairly hoppy with a nice finish. Some citrus as well. I am very glad this is so readily available around me. Very good beer to drink if I don’t have taste for anything else. Very good session brew, I usually get it at the bar when available. Pretty much available everywhere you know where to look. One of my favorite pale ales for sure.

Stone Sublimely Self Righeous Ale

4.3/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

Poured almost opaque black, with a nice off white 3 finger head. Scent is of strong pine, with some chocolate and roasted malt in the background. The taste is about the same as aroma, but the pine is less present in the taste overall. Bitterness lingers for a good bit on the palate afterward.

This used to be the Stone 11th Anniversary Ale, but they made it a regular brew, and I am glad they did because it is great stuff. I have had this numerous times after the initial review as well.

Side Note: I will be just grabbing my reviews off Ratebeer for these reviews. I have a ton of ones already up there.