19th Anniversary Thunderstruck IPA
Stone Brewing

19th Anniversary Thunderstruck IPA19th Anniversary Thunderstruck IPA
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From:
Stone Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
ABV:
8.7%
Score:
92
Avg:
4.12 | pDev: 7.52%
Reviews:
267
Ratings:
981
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 27, 2023
Added:
Jul 16, 2015
Wants:
  36
Gots:
  222
Our 19th anniversary release brings the boom, delivering it to the palate in a voluminous, hop-driven thunderclap. This double IPA owes its considerable oomph to a quartet of Australian hops—Topaz and Galaxy, plus two newcomers, Ella and Vic Secret, that scored impressively in test batches. We’re also applying the all-Aussie theme to the malt bill, which is composed entirely of an Australian variety called Fairview. The beer’s striking tropical fruit, citrus and peach hop flavors and slightly resinous and aromatically dank earthiness are sure to electrify your senses.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by crownrl28:
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Rated by crownrl28 from Georgia

4.21/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Mar 02, 2016
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.55 by Can_if_you_can from Minnesota

Dec 27, 2023
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Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.69/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle from Brewers Haven. Body is an orange amber with soft fluffy head, rings of lacing is left in the glass. Aroma is equal parts funk and citrus, but welcoming. Taste is sweet malt, more citrus and just enough hop tang to open the taste buds. Finishes fast, more citrus here. Hope they go big for next year.
Jun 07, 2023
Photo of Thankin_Hank
Reviewed by Thankin_Hank from Texas

4.08/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Looks good and smells typical but the taste is off bitter. The mouthfeel is okay and overall I wouldn’t get another. The Stone Delicious is on tap next.
May 28, 2023
Photo of NeilSilber1
Reviewed by NeilSilber1 from California

4.72/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Pours golden yellow with huge fluffy pillowy foamy cap that fades and sticks to the sides of tall tulip glass from can. Notes of signature stone brewery IPA and Australian hops that punch you in the face, and then back laced with subtle orange citrus and pineapple accents. Beautifully crafted strong DIPA at 9% ABV.
May 13, 2023
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Bottled 7/23/15; drank 9/13/15 @ the Palace.

See-through dandelion appearance.

White head; nice lace.

Pineapple, honey & grapefruit notes in the nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Grapefruit & honey flavors; a bitter bite on the finish.

Drinkable but too bitter to truly enjoy.
Oct 28, 2019
Photo of GarrettB
Reviewed by GarrettB from Colorado

3.9/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
September 6th, 2015 - Thunderstruck returns Stone's glorious bottle art to the age of swole demons and triumphant poses. Thank goodness. As much as I like seeing caricatures of Will Wheaton I prefer the old school demons. This IPA is a bit cloudier than normal for Stone, with an herbal and lemony scent, and a touch of baseball glove leather to finish the smell. I live for this hop profile, and it works well here. The flavor is more of the old school and by now very familiar Stone happiness. Mellow, and a little sweet, this beer lacks the dankness I was expecting, as well as the strong, bitter grapefruit notes. There's a bit of broiled grapefruit in the aftertaste but that's a sweeter touch. Instead we get more lemon notes and a tasty grassy quality that has a bit of bitter "mizuna" leaf in it. Very Japanese, and very hoppy.
Jul 09, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by dafla67 from Pennsylvania

Apr 12, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by KMcGrath from Massachusetts

Dec 03, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by Greasy from Kentucky

Apr 06, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Feb 11, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by heysuz from Indiana

Feb 11, 2018
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Rated by Moondawggg69 from Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +21.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
this was the best beer I've ever had.
May 05, 2017
Photo of Nugganooch
Reviewed by Nugganooch from California

4.27/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
22oz bottle with my Stone 13th Anny shaker pint
Noted on 08/13/15

A soft yellow peach color body with mild look of hop haze. A good 2 fingers of sudsy ecru foam develops over. Tracked lacing and splotches of stick noted.
Passionfruit and spiced guava tropics meld over dank lemony herbals, grapefruit, mango, and peach. Very pungent, fruity, and floral. Getting some malt cookie like sweetness.
An intense charge of tropical hops hits up front then twists into more earthy herbals and dank greens. Peach, mango, passionfruit, guava, grapefruit, and pineapple. Quite impressive the diversity of flavors here. Malt is a secondary of sugary sweetness with some soft baked bread and honey like qualities to it. Stone delivers again with upper amounts of scrubbing bitter hops here and an ABV that is well and present while still kept moderately within check. Finishes dry and rushing full of resinous hop oils.
Bold and intense with some really unique flavors – what I would come to expect from a Stone Anniversary brew.
Dec 30, 2016
 
Rated: 3.9 by Gregf51 from Ohio

Aug 17, 2016
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Reviewed by DVoors from Indiana

4.49/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Loved this beer. Super dank and tropical hop aromas and flavors are the star of the show with just enough candy/cookie-like sweetness in the background to balance it all out.
Aug 11, 2016
 
Rated: 4.13 by Griphon from Florida

Aug 02, 2016
 
Rated: 3 by wpreynolds from New Jersey

Jul 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.66 by Studfarm69 from California

Jul 08, 2016
Photo of Jadjunk
Reviewed by Jadjunk from Georgia

3.92/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
"Ella, Galaxy, Topaz, Vic Secret-no, these aren't the names of the performers at your local "gentlemen's club" (at least as far as we know). Rather, these are exotic, and admittedly rather sexy, Australian hop varietals that have been dancing on the minds and palates of the craft brewing intelligentsia around the world of late. We've been openly flirting with them via test batches and they've become popular around our brewhouse thanks to their sensual flavors and aromas. So in developing our celebratory anniversary beer we decided it was time to seal the deal and take these down-under-wonder beauties to the main stage at Stone. And what better way than allowing them to strut their stuff in the spotlight as the sole focus for the lucious tropical, peachy, citrus-like flavors and slightly resinous, aromatically dank earthiness of this special, all-Aussie consummation! Also invited to the stage as a special guest performer is Fairview malt, which we had shipped in from Australia specially for this brew." Brewed in the style of an American Double IPA featuring 100% Australian hops. Available in 22 oz. bottles and on limited draft, this is Stone's 19th anniversary ale.

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle to a tulip glass.

(Appearance) Pours a foamy froth head of a milky white color over a hazy golden amber body with moderate sediment and abundant, lively carbonation. Retention is very good and lacing is moderate and patchy. 4.25

(Smell) Hop notes of tropical and citrus juice, summer fruit and delicate resins, slightly herbal and dank with a moderate bitterness. The malt aroma is a pleasing light pale malt with a high level of cleanliness, very accessible. Potency is moderate. 4

(Taste) Hop characters of dank herbal lemon tea, pine resins with a moderate bitterness. Malt characteristics are simple with a pale malt body of a lightly fruity undertone, with some creeping graininess and a nip of alcohol. Slightly more aggressive on the hop bitterness than the aroma suggested, but with its fair share of subtleties that drive the curiosity of the malt and hop profiles and keep the consumer engaged. 3.75

(Mouthfeel) Texture is smooth, slightly creamy, lightly grainy, mildly dry. Carbonation is modest, generating a medium frothiness and a mildly crisp finish. Body is medium for the style, medium/heavy overall. Balance is moderately hoppy bitter and grainy over sweet. Alcohol presence is modest and there are no off characters overall. 4

(Overall) Stone continues their trend of "Travel-inspired DIPAs" with Thunderstruck, and the hop and malt characters going into this beer were quite unique and distinctively different for me. The hop selection created most pleasantly light fruitiness and hints of citrus on a very subtle level, arguably a bit out-of-sync with the bitterness level of the hops, which were just a tick short of traditional Stone fashion, but very evident. The malt notes are equally unique- light, but distinctive in providing a mellow fruity undertone which really contributed positively to echo the hop profile. Appropriately bitter for the style without a heavy malt bomb backbone, and a reasonable amount of graininess and alcohol edge. This is one of Stone's better Anniversary IPA releases over the past few years, and even with some age on it drinks fantastic. I guess we'd better look to some outstanding Aussie-inspired hops and malts coming forward in light of this tasty DIPA. 4

Stone Brewing Co.'s
19th Anniversary Thunderstruck IPA
3.92/5.00
Apr 25, 2016
19th Anniversary Thunderstruck IPA from Stone Brewing
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 981 ratings