Pale Ale – San Diego Style
Stone Brewing

as good a straight up pale ale as ive had in some time, a little stronger, super fresh, and exceedingly well balanced, my first new one from stone in ages and of striking overall quality, on tap at the san diego airport during a brief layover, early in the morning, and it just absolutely hit for me. light copper in color, clear and with high shine, and an inch of lasting head on it that doesnt budge. the nose is a little understated compared to the flavor, just sort of smells like a beer, light baked character to the malt, maybe a hint of honey, light pine and some bitterness with it, subtle bread yeast and obviously very fresh, some minerality to it, simple in a good way, hop driven but really even with the grain. the flavor is punchy up front, the bitterness hits early and there are layers to the hops, woods after it rains, christmas tree, juniper berries, sweet orange, dried orange peel, even subtle saffron and hay to me, but then real clean the rest of the way, as more grain comes into the fold, toasted bread, toffee, and fresh and nutty crystal malt thats heavier than normal for the style these days, but is not even a little bit out of place. the beauty is in the simplicity and in the refinement, this is polished like a gemstone and totally professional. carbonation is awesome, the medium body is soft and almost creamy, palate coating but less sweet at the end than it tastes, the ferment is immaculate, and overall i was incredibly impressed with this. a pale ale i could drink every single day until the end of time, a gold standard level beer from one of the classics! they still got it.

 

 

 

On-tap at Chief’s Burgers and Brew in Solana Beach. At least I assume this is the beer they gave me. Pours like it’s going to be super malty but drinks like a properly hopped west coast pale. Great hop flavor and a perfect pairing with their jalapeño burger.