SoCal Hop Salute Black Double IPA
Stone Brewing

SoCal Hop Salute Black Double IPASoCal Hop Salute Black Double IPA
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Stone Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
Black IPA
ABV:
9.9%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.17 | pDev: 8.87%
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
17
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 16, 2014
Added:
Jun 21, 2011
Wants:
  11
Gots:
  4
Brewed for the 2011 National Homebrewers Conference in San Diego.

This commemorative beer is a Double Black IPA dry-hopped with an unusual but tasty blend of Target hops from England and Herkules hops from Germany.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by bros:

  None found.

 
Rated: 3.96 by Varls

Sep 16, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by fain12 from Massachusetts

Nov 28, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by JeltMaaj from Illinois

Oct 05, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by t0rin0 from California

Feb 25, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by dmsohyea from California

Jun 23, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by mhaugo from California

Jun 08, 2012
Photo of FosterJM
Reviewed by FosterJM from California

4.03/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
1098th Review on BA
Draft to 4oz taster

WinterStorm 2012

App- Much like the 15th Anny, this was very black and very rich looking much so like an RIS. Its got great cling and sticky lace.

Smell- A very nice blend of a lot of things. I get damp citrus with some orange and some tropical. At the same time its a bit malty with a creamy note. No trace of the ABV or bitterness or even chocolate like the 15th.

Taste- Much like the nose I get a lot of things going on here. I get a mix of a heavy cream, a bit of malts, a bit of espresso, some chocolate and whisps of bitter notes.

Mouth- A very well done medium bodied beer with a paired and equally balanced medium carbonation. A bunch of bubbles and a lot of malt with a touch of citrus and coffee. Maybe just maybe a little coffee on the finish.

Drink- I liked this one a bit less than the 15th. Wasn't as rich and smooth but replaced by the coffee and bitter. Still would like a bottle though.
Feb 06, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by Cistem from California

Feb 06, 2012
Photo of phichifiji00
Reviewed by phichifiji00 from California

3.53/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured into tulip glass.

Appearance: Black, subtle brown head that fades quickly, minimal lacing.

Smell: hoppy, piney, grapefruit, roasted malt, chocolate.

Taste: roasted malt, chocolate, hoppy, piney, grapefruit.

Mouthfeel: full bodied, moderate carbonation.

Overall: A decent black IPA.
Jan 09, 2012
 
Rated: 4.75 by nanobrew from California

Nov 18, 2011
Photo of challenja
Reviewed by challenja from Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Served on Tap at Fireworks in a Tulip glass

A: Wow, a dark IPA that looks like a smoked porter. Dark Chocolate with a small wedding dress white head that dissipates slowly over the course of consumption.

S: Malty thick chocolate (Cocoa 65%) French roast coffee, sticky piney hops, Fig, and Dark Cherry.

T: What an interesting beer, this is what happens when a Smoked Chocolate Porter meets a Stone IPA and meddle in a glass for consumption. Perfect pairing of dark chocolate smokey malt and good piney grapefruit IPA hops. A nice dark cherry back layer that sticks out halfway through. Nice lingering bite, not overly powerful like most IPA's but its the smoked malt, fig, coffee, and raisin you expect from a good porter with the stringiness of a grapefruit/ blood orange IPA.

M: Nice Medium carbonation, with a nice delicate porter mouthfeel with a sticky backwash that lingers well on the palate.

O: A very awesome in-between beer. I had their Anniversary Black IPA and was not impressed at all, but this one, man, what a unique find that I had to try and break my diet with. A Damn good beer. One of Stone's best..
Nov 16, 2011
Photo of KDawg
Reviewed by KDawg from Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
had this from tap and it poured a good black color with a small and foamy head

nice aromas of coffee, hops, toffee, and caramel. Something lacks a little on the nose though

fuller bodied with a lot of roast coffee and hops. Good feel as well and it doesn't come off as boozy.

this is on the big side without being too big. Nice complexity and good richness to it as well
Oct 01, 2011
Photo of HopHead84
Reviewed by HopHead84 from California

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
7/2/2011

Thanks for the bottle, Alex. Snifter. This is one of the pilot batches of Stone's 15 Anniversary beer with some recipe tweaks. A bottle was given to attendees of NHC 2011 here in San Diego. I did not attend. This is why I am thanking Alex for the bottle. This is referred to as a Black Double IPA. Nothing means anything anymore.

A: A hard pour into the snifter reveals an ebony body crowned by an inch of dense dark brown froth that bubbles it's way into nothingness after a few minutes.

S: Dark chocolate and cocoa with earthy notes. Evident pine with moderately roasted malt and a dash of coffee. Orange and grapefruit waft from the glass. There's a subtle perfumy floral quality as well. Alcohol is well hidden. It smells like a hoppy Imperial Stout. The blend of chocolate, dark malts, and citrus is quite nice.

T: The beer opens with dark chocolate which segues into dark chocolate and a little bit of dark chocolate. Seriously, though, there's a lot of dark chocolate with a dash of milk chocolate. There's an upper moderate level of roasted malt and an upper moderate dry earthy bitterness. Orange and grapefruit peek out midpalate and grow more pronounced as the flavor moves toward the terminus. Alcohol is pretty noticeable near the end, and its combination with the earthy piney bitterness is a little harsh, but it's not detrimental to the overall flavor profile.

M: Full body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is viscous, thick, and sticky.

Overall: An interesting beer. It's like a hoppier and less roasty version of a Double Stout. This was pretty good, but drinking the 12oz bottle was laborious. As far as the NHC 2011 beers go, I prefer Alesmith's Dark Session Ale and Port's La Cruda.
Jul 05, 2011
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

4.3/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
There were a few bottles of this floating around at Sour Fest. They were all delicious.

A: The beer pours black in color with a finger or so of tan head and nice sticky lacing.

S: Reminds me of Stone 11th. Huge citrus aroma of grapefruit and tangerine. Lots of piney hop notes to it as well. A touch of pineapple fruitiness on the back end of the nose and a decent roast.

T: More of the same on the palate. Intense grapefruit flavor with a slight sweetness of pineapple and tangerine. The bitterness is pretty strong and there is a nice pine flavor, too. A little bit of roast, but the flavor is pretty clean.

M: Medium in body with a medium level of carbonation.

O: Hopefully the 15th Anniversary is as good as this is. Stone can really make a good Black IPA.
Jun 29, 2011
Photo of Beerenauslese
Reviewed by Beerenauslese from California

4.7/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Beer brewed and bottled for the 2011 National Homebrewer's Conference.

Body is jet black and thick. Head is tan and foamy; eventually recedes to a ring. Lots of sticky lacing.

Smells of dark roasted malt and char. There are notes of dried dark fruits--prunes and dark cherries--and of citrus rind.

This is a pretty complex beer. Tastes of charred malt and dark fruits, along with a huge amount of chocolate milk and some coffee. Has a charred dark malt astringency (I am reminded of a roasted and charred marshmallow) which combines with the big hop profile to assault the tongue with a nicely astringent, sticky bitterness. On the palate, this starts with a peppery astringency, then turns to sweet chocolate syrup, and finishes dry and bitter. I am loving the palate on this. It pretty much tastes like a double IPA in terms of the hop profile, but it is backed by a huge dark malt footprint that gives it a really interesting complexity. Reminds me of eating ice cream, and I am thinking it would be good in an ice cream float.

The body is thick and the carbonation smooth and round, producing a sweet and creamy mouthfeel.

Overall, a fantastic, massive black double IPA with a big body and taste. An extreme take on the black IPA style that really works. I hope this beer will be generally available in the future.
Jun 26, 2011
Photo of ryno09
Reviewed by ryno09 from California

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Pitch black with a one finger light brown head.

Aroma: Hops dominate the aroma. Sweet orange, tropical fruits, bitter grapefruit, peppery spiciness, and grassy, earthy notes. You can barely smell the dark malty base along with a touch of alcohol.

Taste: Your tongue is blasted with hop flavors up front that follow the nose. There’s a good amount of bitterness from the Colombus hops along with the darker malts. After the hop blast the malts show themselves with dark fruity yeast esters, a touch of caramel with coffee and chocolate notes. The finish is dry with lingering hop notes and a touch of alcohol.

It's a massive beer.
Jun 24, 2011
Photo of stawn
Reviewed by stawn from California

4.42/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours sinfully black, developing an inch of mocha head that lingers a few minutes, ultimately leaving a creamy ring and scattered slickness on the surface.

A waft of cocoa as I submerge my nose into the tulip. Several faint citrus related hop aromas duck in and out of the dark depths of this concoction. Another inhale and I pick out the deep roasted malts. No single aroma dominates, with one of the most satisfying nose on a Stone beer I've ever experienced. All is here, yet none command the vessel. Everything working in unison.

Hoppy, chocolate covered malty caramel. Strong hops in the front end, immediately followed by a thick caramel lending to chocolate and then a delicious bitter roasty finish. The hop flavor lasts well after this libation descends into my soul.

Mouthfeel is medium, smooth and slick. For just a few moments you are deceived by this unearthly monster, thinking you could easily session this beer. Then the hop flavors slam your tongue to the ground and repeatedly kick every single taste bud into submission. The hop profile inside this decadent devil is absolutely wonderfully done.

This is an amazing beer and I hope the 15th Anniversary is very close in every aspect. The almost 10% ABV is dangerously hidden behind the rich malt and enormous hop flavor. If you are lucky enough to try this treat, cheers to you!
Jun 21, 2011
SoCal Hop Salute Black Double IPA from Stone Brewing
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 17 ratings