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Cali-Belgique IPA
Stone Brewing
- From:
- Stone Brewing
- California, United States
- Style:
- Belgian IPA
- ABV:
- 6.9%
- Score:
- 89
- Avg:
- 3.96 | pDev: 11.36%
- Reviews:
- 1,118
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 01, 2020
- Added:
- Jul 23, 2008
- Wants:
- 129
- Gots:
- 702
A California-style IPA with a Belgian twist
AKA Stone Cali-België IPA
First Release:
September 2008
Stone Cali-Belgique IPA features a complex and surprising combination of flavors, but behind the fancy title is the simply delicious Stone IPA. The addition of a carefully selected strain of Belgian yeast adds banana and spice notes to the hoppy brightness of our flagship IPA. Think of it as an otherwise identical twin to Stone IPA that was raised in a Belgian culture. Literally.
AKA Stone Cali-België IPA
First Release:
September 2008
Stone Cali-Belgique IPA features a complex and surprising combination of flavors, but behind the fancy title is the simply delicious Stone IPA. The addition of a carefully selected strain of Belgian yeast adds banana and spice notes to the hoppy brightness of our flagship IPA. Think of it as an otherwise identical twin to Stone IPA that was raised in a Belgian culture. Literally.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by prototypic:
Reviewed by prototypic from Ohio
4.22/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.22/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: It's very clear and light golden in color. There's a slight bronze tint to it. It's a very attractive color, though it is a tad disappointing. I was hoping for a hazy look with particles of yeast swimming about. That seems standard in other Belgian IPAs I've tried. At any rate, it's capped off with a foamy white head that's about a finger and a half deep. Retention was pretty good.
Smell: The nose is impressive. There's a very strong Belgian yeast smell that kicks it off and really predominates throughout. It's delicious smelling. I love Belgian yeast. It's not often that an American brewer can pull this off, but Stone did a nice job here. Hops are easily detectable, but take a slight backseat to the yeast. Hops seem mostly citric and feature nice grapefruit and pineapple aromas. Smells like a little sweet malt is there, but it's faint. I like that. It remains yeasty throughout and smells somewhat biscuit-like on the tail. There's a very light whiff of alcohol in there, but it's not much.
Taste: There's some win in here. This is a really nice tasting beer. Belgian yeast is very prevalent (and tasty I might add). It's got a nice authentic Belgian flavor. Hops follow up the initial yeast taste very quickly. They piney, citric, and very west coast. The hop bitterness feels like its undercut a little by the strong yeast presence. But, it really doesn't have a substantial negative effect. The bitter flavor is just not quite as pronounced as in the typical Stone IPA. There is some pale malt that's sweet and was added in just the right amount. Very restrained. It remains yeasty throughout indeed. It is slightly biscuity. Finishes sweet and slightly bitter.
Mouthfeel/Drinkability: It's medium bodied and has a nice, smooth feel. Carbonation is active, but doesn't negate its smoothness to any material degree. Drinkability is extremely high. I find this to be a very satisfying beer that I could drink quite a bit of. At 6.9%, abv isn't too high to be intimidating.
Stone's got a winner here. I don't like it quite as much as their IPA, but this is well done. Given, I believe the look here could be improved a little. Perhaps by not looking so...filtered. A tad more hop bitterness might improve the flavor, as well. Otherwise, this is extremely impressive and Stone's IPA recipe works very well with Belgian yeast. Highly recommended if you have the opportunity.
Dec 15, 2008Smell: The nose is impressive. There's a very strong Belgian yeast smell that kicks it off and really predominates throughout. It's delicious smelling. I love Belgian yeast. It's not often that an American brewer can pull this off, but Stone did a nice job here. Hops are easily detectable, but take a slight backseat to the yeast. Hops seem mostly citric and feature nice grapefruit and pineapple aromas. Smells like a little sweet malt is there, but it's faint. I like that. It remains yeasty throughout and smells somewhat biscuit-like on the tail. There's a very light whiff of alcohol in there, but it's not much.
Taste: There's some win in here. This is a really nice tasting beer. Belgian yeast is very prevalent (and tasty I might add). It's got a nice authentic Belgian flavor. Hops follow up the initial yeast taste very quickly. They piney, citric, and very west coast. The hop bitterness feels like its undercut a little by the strong yeast presence. But, it really doesn't have a substantial negative effect. The bitter flavor is just not quite as pronounced as in the typical Stone IPA. There is some pale malt that's sweet and was added in just the right amount. Very restrained. It remains yeasty throughout indeed. It is slightly biscuity. Finishes sweet and slightly bitter.
Mouthfeel/Drinkability: It's medium bodied and has a nice, smooth feel. Carbonation is active, but doesn't negate its smoothness to any material degree. Drinkability is extremely high. I find this to be a very satisfying beer that I could drink quite a bit of. At 6.9%, abv isn't too high to be intimidating.
Stone's got a winner here. I don't like it quite as much as their IPA, but this is well done. Given, I believe the look here could be improved a little. Perhaps by not looking so...filtered. A tad more hop bitterness might improve the flavor, as well. Otherwise, this is extremely impressive and Stone's IPA recipe works very well with Belgian yeast. Highly recommended if you have the opportunity.
More User Ratings:
Rated by Barley_Bill from Texas
4.36/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.36/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Ever considered brewing a Double variety of this beer?
Apr 13, 2020Reviewed by fedt from Arizona
3.84/5 rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.84/5 rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Stone Cali-Belgique IPA, 6.9%, poured from a bomber into glass
March 2015
L: Golden yellow, thick head, lots of lacing, few bubbles arising
S: Smells Belgian of course, loads of funky spices, strong yeast smell, sweet grapefruit.
T: Grapefruit foremost, citrus rind, and the yeast that was on the load. Bitterness and yeast then leads to sweet malty body and bread. Finishes with that citrus and yeast, with a little lingering banana.
F: Fresh, medium bodied, plenty of carbonation.
O: I liked this. An interesting Stone ale with Belgian yeast making a unique hybrid of sorts.
Jan 05, 2020March 2015
L: Golden yellow, thick head, lots of lacing, few bubbles arising
S: Smells Belgian of course, loads of funky spices, strong yeast smell, sweet grapefruit.
T: Grapefruit foremost, citrus rind, and the yeast that was on the load. Bitterness and yeast then leads to sweet malty body and bread. Finishes with that citrus and yeast, with a little lingering banana.
F: Fresh, medium bodied, plenty of carbonation.
O: I liked this. An interesting Stone ale with Belgian yeast making a unique hybrid of sorts.
Cali-Belgique IPA from Stone Brewing
Beer rating:
89 out of
100 with
3475 ratings
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