Impressive short-headed moderate-bodied golden-hazed ale (found in 64-ounce bottle under Eagle Brook Saloon name) with immediate bitter-hopped blueberry essence lingering to juniper-spiced barley-wheat finish. Lacks intimidating fruited tartness of competing Sea Dog Wild Blueberry but maintains better crisp watered gentleness and more compact blueberry resilience.
All posts by John Fortunato
STONE CAT BLONDE ALE
Sessionable soft-watered cask-conditioned English Bitter-styled moderation offers spry pink grapefruit tang, fuzzy apricot brightness and floral wheat mist over grassy hay-leathered bottom.
STONE CAT BARLEYWINE
Rich yeast-sinewed 10% alcohol monster gathering dark-spiced prune, raisin, and bruised cherry ripeness for warming cognac-burgundy finish. Sweet whiskey resolve deepens over time.
STONE VERTICAL EPIC ALE 04.04.04
Fab easygoing swirly-headed Belgian strong pale ale matches stewed prune juicing to raisin-pureed fig and date sugaring. Kaffir lime leafs add tartness to white grape esters, candied apple spell and honeydew drift. White-peppered coriander. currant and clove settle atop oats-roasted bottom as creamy vanilla dirge surges.
STONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY INDIA PALE ALE
Bright red-orange fruiting overlays brawny piney hop bittering and variable cola-hazelnut whim up-front. Creamy malt center fortifies toasted cereal graining, sweet apple-apricot-tangerine tang, and residual light barleywine buoyancy.
STONE SMOKED PORTER
Tantalizingly robust ebony-hued tan-laced porter brings bittersweet hop-roasted black chocolate thrust to creamy caramel-toffee cluster countering tar-like hickory-smoked cedar-burnt black coffee bittering mid-palate. Black cherry, blackberry, black currant, and bourbon scamper through anise-draped pine-tarred molasses malting. Bitter mocha tones hit hard, then back off, as deliciously smooth cappuccino finish lingers infinitely. Maple-smoked cola nuttiness and cocoa-beaned dryness fill the gaps.
STONE 7TH ANNIVERSARY ALE
Enormously successful reddish copper pale ale bursts forth with juicy orange-peach citric punch after cascading amber bubbles settle at top. Perfumed hops match piney notes for alcohol-thickened bitterness, countering gorgeous floral yeast bed, sweet barleywine legs, and butterscotch variance.
STONE RUINATION I.P.A.
Purposely ‘over-hopped’ pine-sapped stickiness and buttery warmth efficiently furnish deep-grained full-bodied insistence. Perfumed spruce nose, floral yeast continuance, and raspy orange peel finish prolong bittersweet attenuation.
STONE PALE ALE
Not bold enough for a brusque pale ale despite IPA-like citric hop drive and inconspicuous earthen pining. Yet lagerheads in search of an off-dry moderate-to-medium-bodied upgrade will be pleased with rounded pale ale. Despite unwarranted herbal-floral astringency, its zesty lemon spritz, creamy caramel malting and distant nuttiness nearly save the day. But there’s a certain transparency forsaking the bittersweet citrus finish.
STONE OLD GUARDIAN BARLEYWINE ALE 2006
Awesome ruby amber ’06 version covers harsh boozy malting with sherry warmth, bruised orange sensation, and delectable butterscotch twist. Further investigation reveals clinging cherry-apricot tang engaging prune-raisin wisp and candi-sugared whim. Mysteriously, debris-like earthen mushroom musk heightens (instead of ruins), sweet Scotch nucleus.
STONE OLD GUARDIAN BARLEYWINE ALE – 2004
Aggressive glowing amber winter 2004 release scores big. Rum-soaked candi-sugared malting surges above honeyed wheat sweetness, settling to ripe tangerine-grapefruit-apricot tang. Supplemental herbal hops rejuvenate lively fruited template as whiskey malt foray and syrupy cognac snip raid creamy caramel cupboard.
STONE OAKED ARROGANT BASTARD
Ambitious slow sipping boubon-sherry-like offshoot adds oak chips to sterling Arrogant recipe. As thickly cascading tan head settles above cloudy rust-orange body, sharply alcoholic fruity waft surges. Chewy vanilla-butterscotch creaminess thickens syrupy peach-cherry sinew, correlative tangerine-mango-melon tang, and impending spruce sweetness. At midst, red apple ripeness, purple grape twang, and sun-dried raisin tinge counter ethereal floral-hopped bittering. As bottle empties, bruised orange-grapefruit notes gush forward, adding further complexity.