A taste of... Stone Pale Ale

Stone Brewing Company
1999 Citracado Parkway
Escondido, CA 92029
(760) 471-4999

Preface: This 12 oz. bottle of Stone Pale Ale was purchased for $2.50(USD) at Peas & Pickles Grocery in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NY. There was no “Best by” date on the bottle neck.
The following notes are made after a mouth wash with room temperature sparkling water. These notes have not been influenced by reading promotional material or any other review of this brew.

I am including this preface to inform the reader of any and all circumstances that might be conceived of a creating a biased review or a conflict of interest regarding the choice of words used in the following review. I could go on and on with semi-legal jargon but I guess you will just have to trust me eh?

The following are my tasting notes:

Appearance: A burnished copper colored brew is just slightly hazy (poured a bit chilly) and well carbonated. A tan, slightly orange head is composed of tiny and medium sized bubbles that throw (form) a lace of foam on the sides of the glass. This is a sign of an all malt beverage… no corn or wheat.

Aroma: The first sensation is similar to the aromatics on a hot summer day standing in the middle of a field that was mowed the day before. The second visit to the aromatics reveals a roasted grain, or toast aroma. The moment between lip and sip was refreshing but uneventful.

Mouth feel: This is a full bodied but not zaftig brew.

Flavor: The first flavors are not unpleasant spears of hop tang. If you do not know what a “hop” bitterness tastes like this would be a fine introduction to the flower. The second taste found some bitter-sweet flavors with a burnt caramel undertone. Finally the flower of the hops appears (perhaps because it has been poured into a pint glass and rest for a few minutes and warm up a bit).

Finish: There is a fairly quick finish to this brew that leaves refreshing traces of the hop flower flavor.

Comments: The “style police” should be pleased with the labeling of this as a Pale Ale. To my view, anything with a bit of roasted malt and a touch of identifiable hop aroma and flavor can be called a Pale Ale. This one, however, is a very pleasant Pale Ale.
Food & Beer: A sandwich of thin slices of cold rare roast beef with a touch of horseradish mustard on toasted farmhouse bread would make a fine lunch should this be the beverage of the house.

The Brewery: http://www.stonebrew.com/

What others say:

BeerAdvocate: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/87

RateBeer: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/stone-pale-ale/420/