San Diego County Session Ale
Stone Brewing

San Diego County Session AleSan Diego County Session Ale
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From:
Stone Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
4.2%
Score:
89
Avg:
3.99 | pDev: 12.28%
Reviews:
270
Ratings:
376
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 06, 2016
Added:
Aug 07, 2010
Wants:
  15
Gots:
  20
Collaboration with Ballast Point Brewing and Kelsey McNair
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by TheCorkStopsHere:
Photo of TheCorkStopsHere
Reviewed by TheCorkStopsHere from Connecticut

4.07/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A collaboration brew from Stone Brewing, Ballast Point Brewing, and Kelsey McNair, a home brewer. This is a beer that never really made it to my area of Connecticut, but we had a few bottles from a store in Massachusetts. This was brewed and released about a year ago. I’m curious to see how they’ve held up.

The twelve ounce bottle releases a little bit of a “pop” as I break the seal. The brew pours out a great golden-straw color, with a bit of haze. Plenty of carbonation makes for a bright white foam, that lasts quite a long time. The lacing is mild, but sticks forever.

Just as I pour the Session Ale, I can already smell the hops. Of course I’m not surprised, considering Stone is involved. The nose reveals an interesting combination of light citrusy hops, as well as more in-your-face bitter hops. I let the beer warm a little bit and swirl is quite strongly, because I’m trying to find something else in the nose to describe. After several minutes, the only thing I can smell is still the hops!

When I take a sip, the hop complexity changes a little. The nose was dominated by the citrusy hops, but the palate is dominated but the rough and aggressive bitter hops. This beer is over a year old, and it feels like it was bottled yesterday. The bitterness of the hops is mouth-filling, and almost mouth-numbing. I take a few sips, swirl it in my mouth, and I’m going to walk away for a few minutes to see if it changes at all…

As it warms up, and I come back for a few more sips, the San Diego Session Ale has definitely opening a little. The hops is not quite as mouth-numbing. Or maybe my mouth is numb, and I can’t tell that it is still super hoppy. I think this may be one of the most hop-intense beers I have ever tasted. That is to say, I’ve tasted really hoppy, bitter beers before, but they usually have more of a subtle malty backbone. This San Diego Session Ale is hops, hops, and more hops.

I can understand that the lower-than-average alcohol content, 4.2%, makes this a bit of a session ale. However, as a malt-man, I could not possibly drink more than one of these. As a matter of fact, I only poured myself half a bottle, and I’m seriously considering not finishing it. I’m not saying it’s a bad beer at all, but it is nearly 100% the exact opposite of my preferred style.
Jan 14, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.29 by CheapBeerBuzz from California

May 06, 2016
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

4.06/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Old review from notes.

Yellow beer with lots of clarity. Nice white 1/2" head. Aroma seemed like a great mix of newer style ipa hops. Amarillo seemed to jump. Plenty of citrus and pine. One of the first session ipas I've come across. The price at $3/12oz was a little heavy, but if they could drop it to $2 a bottle, I think it could work.

This beer stays very light on its feet while packing plenty of flavor. There's been better ones going on lately.
May 02, 2016
 
Rated: 3.91 by Greatczar

Mar 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4.35 by MwPack87

Jan 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.4 by chcfan from California

Nov 14, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by nomisma from Massachusetts

Aug 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Aug 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by zestar from California

Jul 19, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by BigV from California

Jul 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by GClarkage from California

Jul 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by LakerLeith from California

Jun 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Nichols33 from Massachusetts

May 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by user785335 from Florida

Apr 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by afsdan from Colorado

Apr 09, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by BillRoth from Maryland

Dec 08, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by BostonPhilly from Massachusetts

Sep 23, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by heytomcat from Minnesota

Aug 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by vermilcj from Ohio

Aug 10, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Hopheadjeffery from Illinois

Aug 01, 2013
San Diego County Session Ale from Stone Brewing
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 376 ratings