20th Anniversary Encore Series: Still Unapologetic
Stone Brewing

 

They still making this? This is a review of the 2014 bomber at the end of summer.

Pours yellow, 1/3" white head. Nothing out of the ordinary. Aroma kicked down all the botanical plant life notes. This was not a hop nose that conveyed fruitiness, it was all about that plant life. Seems to be mostly Chinook, but there are about 5 other hop varieties that take that Chinook tree/plant life and follow its lead.

Taste, plenty of bittering hops here. Starting to realize that pretty much zero aroma hops were used (don't get me wrong I love Chinook and it is good for aroma if not an "aroma" hop). Still had that green thing going, but there was a little bit of lemon lime melon to it as well creeping in. But it was mostly the feel of the sticks and leaves from those fruit trees it had going for it. As usual for Stone, they did pretty well at covering the high alcohol content. Shares some similarities in what I imagine a gin ipa feels like. Plain relatively light malt bill, not crystal heavy feels.

 

It is one of the cool things about IPAs that they can be similar but then be very different. First time buy and taste of Stone Unapologetic. Came from the local HEB in the usual 22 oz brown bottle but with a catchy job of yellow labeling. I carefully poured into an appropriate 12 oz glass mug making sure I left an inch of yellow-white foam. Liquid is a nice medium yellow-gold with a very active stream of bubbles carbonating to the top. First taste, wow, immediate orange and then lemon. A bit of spruce seeping in. Hoppy, yes. All nice. The 9% ABV is lurking. Likely another Unapologetic in the near future.

 

 

 

 

 

Was excited to try this. I made a slightly uneducated mistake. Didn't notice the bottled date(8/12/16) till after I purchased it(4/29/17. With that being said, the botanical values are diminished (granted its 244 days past the "Enjoyed By" date).

Smell: strong hop scent with miniscule hints of fruit and pine.



Taste: citrusy hops with a smidge of spicy (with it being outdated its more a watered down version) there's no ipa punch to it. Just a flavored IPA beverage at most. As the overall taste has been compromised by 244 days past shelf life its compatible to (at said point) a New Holland's Mad Hatter. In my biased opinion

Feel: While flavor and smell can be altered abv cannot. No complaints in that category. Overall (aside my lack of common knowledge) Feel is great!
I look forward to trying other Stone IPA'S within the advised shelf life haha.

 

22 oz. Bomber

Pours a very nice clean/clear golden orangy color, very nice carbonation, with a pretty nice thick/creamy one-finger off-white head, which also leaves some sticky lacing behind. The nose is hoppy, citrus. The taste is hoppy, citrusy. Medium body, ABV hidden very well, with a nice dry/bitter finish. Overall, a pretty tasty brew.

 

 

 

Pours a rich amber with a medium, white lasting head with lacing

Smells of citrus, pine and caramel malts

Tastes of citrus and doughy malt with a faint pine bitterness. Well balanced. Finishes mostly dry with a short linger of resinous pine. Medium body and smooth medium carbonation.

 

 

 

 

22 oz bomber. Pours slightly hazy golden orange with a big creamy white head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is creamy malts with floral, fruity, slightly soapy, with piney hops and some alcohol.

The flavor is sweet sugary bready malts with some fruit and floral piney hops that have a good amount of bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with smooth carbonation.

Overall, an OK big bitter IPA. It's a bit too floral with some odd soapy minty notes.

 

Ba Bam! Perhaps the best I have had from this fabled brewer. Hoppy. Flavorful. Great nose. The site says this is "retired," but this was brewed recently and given to me as a gift. Major props and thumbs up!

 

 

 

 

From 22oz bottle dated 08/07/16. Most likely past it's prime but still mighty tasty. Thick and sweet with slight top bite. Bitterness abound. Solid DIPA. 4.00

650ml bottle poured into a sniffer. Bottled 08/2016, consumed 11/2016.

Mild hazy at first but turn out to be clear thereafter, charming amber hue as a showcase with thick white frothy head that stays with good retention before slowly sinking to everlasting foamy sheet atop, plenty of sticky lacing appears on the glass-side.

Nice tropical aroma, grapefruit, dried lemon peel, some spice, floral, pine, resin, grassy, and a little bit dank; all of these are derived from its hoppy goodness. Malt is underlying with a sweet breadiness.

Loads of hop covering the taste buds with notes of tropical fruit and grapefruit as a lead, then it is lemon, grass, pine, and resin. Malt acts as a base with sweetness and bread while hop wraps up again in the finish with some spiciness and quite balance bitterness (not too overpowering and not too weak).

Bold yet rather full body with some lively carbonation to carry all the things well, smooth mouthfeel with good crispness throughout the palate, finish is dry.

This beer is a hoppy bombard. It is fresh, juicy, and harmoniously coordinated well between malt and hop. Another top notch DIPA from Stone, you better catch if it is on your way.

Hmmm, not sure what going on here. Am I crazy in thinking that this IPA is meh? Bottled 8/12/16 , not sure where the hop bite is here, but thats ok, I'm bias. Very tasty malt backbone with softer pomme fruit notes intertwining between malt and juicy hops. I think I see what this collaboration was trying to do, but the execution leaves something to be desired. If this beer is as subtly dank as the good reviews imply, I blame distribution and the supply chain for this beer that has fallen from grace into my cup.

 

 

Picked up a bomber from TW Arrowhead in mid-September for $8.99. Bottled on 8/7/16 and received at TW 9/1/16.

Beer poured golden orange with a beautiful white head that is leaving some lacing behind.

Nose is juicy tropical and citrus. Definitely improving as the beer warms.

Taste is tropical and citrus up front balanced very nicely with a big malt base. Finish is mild resin that compliments quite well.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and smooth.

Overall this is a very nice brew. I somehow missed the original release but am happy to catch the encore!

Dark yellow colour with medium head.
Hoppy smell, very pleasant and refreshing.
Citrus aroma, combined with a lot of herbal, flowery hops, some bitterness afterwards (grapefruit) and hints of tropical fruits.
Very good, but not spectacular.

Still Unaplogetic IPA bottled 8/12/16.

Orange hued amber and gold color, heady thick foam cap.

The aroma popping out of the glass from these three hop strains is pretty awesome. Very spicey, dry herbals with light tropicals and sweet pine. Extremely fresh hop scented, big and bold. The malt is very honey sweet smelling, more tropical tang and sweetness pops out as the liquid warms. Some heat tingle and more sweetness later on.

The hop flavor goes on for miles, very complex indeed. The dominant hop flavor here is a very dry-earthy, herbal hearty edge, I personally love this certain hop effect. Old school hop flavor with pine, tropical fruit and musty earth coloring the edges. Malt is very crisp but giving the brew a full bodied, heavy feel with no lack of crisp bite.

Living in NH I was introduced to Stone around 1999. I really cannot believe its been that long. Happy birthday Stone and friends.

 

Bomber. Pours cloudy deep orange color, thin white head leaves some spotty lace. The aroma and taste are sweet candy malt. Big bitter piney hops come in and dominate as expected from Stone. Good overall.