Sanctimonious IPA
Stone Brewing

RB transfer

This whole quarantine/lockdown/fast cruise business has done wonders for me in terms of clearing out massive swaths of the backlog here at Chez Woody! This latest renewal of a long-standing love affair with Stone Brewing began with me simply pulling out a couple of CANs, but then it became like tugging on a pesky loose thread on a knit sweater. Soon, I was left facing a bundle of unraveled string in the form of a massive mess of Bottles (gasp!) & CANs! OMFG. I am now back to The CANQuest (tm), at least momentarily.

From the CAN: "Hop Worship Series"; "Amarillo & Simcoe"; "Stone Sanctimonious IPA represents the elevated state of reverence that Stone extols for the venerable and almighty Hop. Amarillo & Simcoe hops have been anointed to bestow their divine qualities on this sacred brew. This limited release is part of Stone's Hop Worship Seasonal IPA Series. Glory be to those who imbibe it in its freshest form and faithfully worship thy Hop in the beauty of blissful bitterness."

I Crack!ed open the vent & beCAN a slow, gentle C-Line Glug so as not to rouse any flocculate that may have settled onto the punt/kick. I was heartened when it quickly formed two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, bone-white head with excellent retention that slowly fell away, leaving loads of lacing in its wake. Color was Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 - 5) with NE-quality clarity & so I was joined by The Gelt Gang of Mammon, Midas & Croesus, all anxious for a taste. Nose was redolent with the Amarillo hops, giving off a tang of being in a citrus grove at the height of growing season! Also in the grove was that naughty little kitty, Simcoe, doing her catty business & acting like no one would notice. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was more like those CANdy jelly oranges than anything else, but I also got grapefruit & melon as well as a general cattiness. Mmm. Finish was dry, but not gasping. The flavors lingered well past the swallow with the cattiness intensifying as it warmed. Naughty Simcoe! YMMV.

 

This brew pours a nice light gold color with nice white foam that disapates quick, but leaves a nice lacing edge.
The aroma is very pleasant sweet fruity hops with maybe some apricot hints.
As for the taste it starts out with a slight bite to it and then the hops kick in and make it very enjoyable quaff.
The feel follows the taste with the slight bite and then the nice body that the malt & hops bring to the party.
Will enjoy this sixer, for sure.

 

 

 

L - Light golden with a decent amount of haze and a large off-white head that sticks around for a while and leaves behind a ton of lacing.
S - Piney hops, citrus, and malt - but not a particularly strong smell
T - Follows the nose with piney, floral, bitter hops up front and throughout with citrus notes - definitely a lot of orange, along with a malt backbone to tie it all together.
F - Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation
O - A good IPA, but nothing to write home about. Stone's unfortunately been putting out just a lot of good, but somewhat average IPAs over the past few years and this is one of them. Personally, of the Hop Worship Series, I thought the idolatrous IPA was the best by far. As a side note, the harsh review might be due to the fact that the beer was canned in October and I'm just now getting around to drinking it in April

 

 

 

Its weeeeeak. What's with all of these supposedly strong IPA's just tasting like bubbly hop tea? The flavors doesn't linger longer than 8 seconds. Color is okay, with a good head. Smell: nondescript. Just drink regular stone IPA, this does not stand out.

 

Pours a clear golden amber coloration with a medium, foamy head. Smells of biscuitly malt and orange blossoms, with a distinct, slightly floral orange aroma and just a hint of pine. Taste follows the nose, being dominated by biscuity malt and a flowery orange/grapefruit note, but there's also a certain grassy dankness and quite a bit of pine to this that was as apparent in the nose. Finishes with a medium bitterness and some pine lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

A very nice IPA with a strong citrus character, light dankness and a good, piny bitterness coming through towards the end for an aggressive finish.

 

 

Great IPA, as you would expect from Stone. Golden and slightly orange. Cottony head that lasts and leaves chunks of lacing. Crisp with great carbonation. Nice herbal aroma. Tangerine up front with a bit of a spicy finish and slight hop bitterness.