• Review – Stone IPA

    Today Chris and I are reviewing Stone Brewing Co.’s India Pale Ale.  We’re doing some work on the site and figured we’d double dip with a review of a great beer.  In our ongoing review series we’ll be covering the following 5 items:

    • Appearance
    • Aroma
    • Mouthfeel
    • Flavor
    • Aftertaste

    Here is a quick guide for the beginner http://indybeers.com/beer-tasting-guide/.

    (Note written after my review) – For the record, I have finished my review and I’m waiting on Chris to do his.  He is on is second beer, but won’t come up for air on coding the site.  I may have to take drastic measures soon.

    About Stone Brewing Company:

    Based out of Scondido, CA they brewed about 115,000 barrels in 2010.  Stone has been brewing beers for about 15 years.  They are happy to offer tours, but they tend to get busy so make sure to call ahead if you plan to visit the brewery.

    Twitter: http://twitter.com/StoneBrewingCo

    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/StoneBrewingCo

    Appearance

    Scott: A nice classic golden beer with a slight tilt towards dark.  When I poured Chris’ beer I did it too fast and he got a nice size head.  For mine I poured more slowly and got a very easy to manage head on the beer.

    Chris: A cloudy, amber colored beer with a fair amount of head. I wasn’t opposed to how Scott poured the beer. While drinking the first beer I noticed the inside of the glass was coated with head based residue.

    Aroma

    Scott: You can definitely smell the hops, but it’s not overpowering like some beers.  There is almost a slight citrus smell at the end.

    Chris: I have a cold right now so my sniffer is on the fritz. The hops are there but don’t seem too strong.

    Mouthfeel

    Scott: Small bubbles, with a lingering feel on the left and right side of the tongue.  The the beer has a slightly heavy feel, like a light syrup thinness.  Overall, very pleasing palate.

    Chris: Seriously? This is category. It’s beer.

    Flavor

    Scott: Ah, the meat of the matter.  A very good IPA, although not my favorite.  The flavor is full, but not too heavy.  These will go down easy, but not too quick.  At 6.9% that is probably a good thing.

    Chris: Let me preface this section by saying that I’m not a huge fan of IPAs. I find most of them too hoppy with a strong tangy taste, almost bitter. All that said, Stone has done a pretty decent job by not knocking me off the stool. Something in my gut tells me, I really should review this when I don’t have a cold.

    Aftertaste

    Scott: There is an enjoyable hoppy aftertaste that seems to be lingering longer the more I drink.  Very pleasant, and makes me want to drink more.

    Chris: For an IPA it seems decent. I have a feeling my cold is masking the hoppiness.

    Final Thoughts

    Scott:  I would give this beer a 5/5 overall.  Out here on the East Coast it showed up as $10.99 for a 6 pack, so not an everyday beer, but one that should be enjoyed if you are given the opportunity.

    Chris: Score it 3.5/5 for me. My head is pretty loopy right now and not from this 6.9 ABV IPA. Based  on this experience, I would probably try it again.

  • 6th Annual Dogfish Head Dash 5K/10K

    The 6th Annual Dogfish Head Dash races started at 8am sharp with 1810 registered runners.  We arrived early to make sure we got good parking, which didn’t seem to be as big of an issue this year.  I finished the 10K in 58:09, while Kelli finished ahead of me in 56:18.  The post race party started at 9am to allow for many of the 10k runners to return.  There were lots of beers on tap, including the 60 minute IPA and the Punkin.  I heard a rumor that there were 90 kegs to cover the 1810 runners plus other paid guests.

    There were games to play, like the keg relay, but this year I didn’t see those events (I most have been too busy drinking my beer).  There was, however, live music provided by Reedo and the Front Porch Offering.  They are a band local to the DelMarVa Peninsula.  Intermittently between songs various awards and announcements were made, including the fact that the race raised $33,500 for the Delaware chapter of The Nature Conservancy — more than $100,000 to date from all the years of the Dogfish Head Dash.

    There was also a costume contest for the runner with the best use of recycled material as a costume.  The winner of that contest was won by a women who dressed in trash (pictured below) she had picked up from the side of the road.  Well done in the spirit of the race!!!!

    Tours of the brewery were overflowing with people all day as runners came and went from the brewery store.  Several items for sale in the store sold out, including a women’s running shirt that Kelli had her eyes on.  I was tempted to get a few things myself, but the line was long, and I needed another beer.

    Speaking of the beer, this is the one spot in the post race ceremonies that could use a little work.  This year, as in years past, the lines have been really long for the one beer truck on hand.  I know they don’t want people drinking too much, so maybe it’s a built in throttle, but it would be nice to have at least two beer trucks, if not three.  This way I could spend more time enjoying the event, rather than waiting in line.

    The overall winner of the men’s 5K was Greg Cauller of Wilmington, DE with a time of 17:29.

    The overall winner of the women’s 5K was  Elizabeth Butterly of  Milford, DE with a time of 20:25.

    The overall winner of the men’s 10K was Matt Flynn of Media, PA with a time of 34:28.

    The overall winner of the women’s 10K was Lisa Jalot of Wilmington, DE with a time of 42:54.

    Registration for the 2012 Dogfish Head dash will take place in April of 2012.

     

  • Crab Soup Contest at Ellicott Mills Brewing Company

    The crab soup contest at EMBC was once again a huge success this year. This year’s event was in an effort to raise money for the flood victims on Main Street in Historic Ellicott City, MD. Overall there were 9 entrants that were mostly either a standard Maryland crab soup or a cream of crab soup.  The Judges were given samples to taste in a predetermined order and then graded the soups on such items as appearance and taste.

    For the spectators, there was a raffle with proceeds going to the flood victims.  When the contest was done, everyone at the bar was allowed to sample as much as they wanted of the remaining soup.  I made sure to get a sample of all that was available while enjoying some of the great beers the brew on premises.  Kelli Habicht (top row, second from left in group shot) won the overall contest and the Guitar signed by the members of the band Drive By Truckers.  The big prize for the raffle was a box of beer and wine.

     

  • Mecca found.

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    Enjoying the 75 minute IPA available only at Dogfish restaurant.

    Edit: Switched to the Punkin…HEAVEN!

  • An idea I can support.

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  • Beer & Family

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    Enjoy good times with family while drinking great beer

  • The glamorous life of web design.

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    At least we have good beer to drink!

  • Crab contest at EMBC

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    Article coming.  Here are some pictures.

  • Today is a wine day.

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    Pulling a 4 hour shift as a volunteer for Penn Oaks Winery at the Maryland wine Festival.  Penn Oaks wine maker Jan Luigard pictured.

  • Working on a logo

    Down at Ellicott Mills Brewing Company, enjoying their Kölsch, and talking with Timmy about logos.