Description

We went to England this past spring as self-styled IPA Hunters on a
mission to learn more about the confusing and often contradictory
history of India Pale Aleto look for some certainty where those before
us have found mostly mystery and mercantilism. While our success in this
pursuit is open to debate, there can be no question that we returned
home inspired by the ghosts of Burton and by the experience of poring
over 150-year-old brewers logs handwritten in (India?) ink. Stone
Brewing Co., after all, traces its lineage back to the British Empires
brewing history: We make ales, and all of our original offerings used
traditional British styles as a jumping-off point. If this seems a
roundabout way of letting you know that, yes, we are in fact brewing
another IPA to mark our anniversary, well, so be it.

This one, however, promises to be different! From the imported white
malt to the Burtonised water to the rare yeast strain to the most
pungent hops Kent has to offer, we used all British ingredients to brew
our Emperial IPA.* While we may have brewed Stone 14th Anniversary
Emperial IPA with our own distinctively modern, San Diego-style touch,
what good is history if you cant rewrite it to suit your tastes?

In this case, our tastes called for highly intemperate quantities of
Target, East Kent Golding and Boadicea hops, bestowing upon this
dry-bodied ale a powerfully spicy, earthy aroma. On the palate, peppery
hops assert themselves early and often, with malt sweetness making a
brief appearance before being beaten back by a long, complex, and
decisively bitter nish. What better way to contemplate the fate of
empires past, present, and future?