26th Anniversary Imperial IPA
Stone Brewing

26th Anniversary Imperial IPA26th Anniversary Imperial IPA
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From:
Stone Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
Ranked #1,003
ABV:
9.7%
Score:
92
Ranked #5,198
Avg:
4.14 | pDev: 5.56%
Reviews:
63
Ratings:
129
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 17, 2024
Added:
Aug 22, 2022
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  3
One of our favorite releases every year is in the summer when we celebrate our anniversary. This one is two-fold: 26 years of Stone Brewing and 25 years of Stone IPA. To honor that beer, we did this supped-up version with massive amounts of Centennial hops and 9.7% ABV! Cheers to us, cheers to you, cheers to Stone IPA, and cheers to another amazing year.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by msscott1973:
Photo of msscott1973
Rated by msscott1973 from North Carolina

4.51/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Sep 10, 2022
More User Ratings:
Photo of cyclonece09
Reviewed by cyclonece09 from Wisconsin

3.94/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Pours orange red with a small white head. Smells of citrus and piney hops. Tastes of grassy and citrus hops. Beer is light bodied and easy drinking, good carbonation. Overall, a very good beer.
Feb 17, 2024
 
Rated: 3.41 by Can_if_you_can from Minnesota

Dec 27, 2023
Photo of zeff80
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12oz can. Poured out a clear, golden orange color with a small, off-white head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass. It smelled of orange, grapefruit, guava and caramel. Nice toasted caramel taste with tropical fruit and a piney bitterness.
Oct 24, 2023
 
Rated: 3.9 by Walnut from Missouri

Jul 04, 2023
Photo of stortore
Reviewed by stortore from Illinois

4.02/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 ounce can into a tulip snifter. Canned 8/9/22, had 9/7/22.

Pours a clear golden orange, with a half inch foamy head and a good amount of foamy lacing. Active carbonation. Aromas of malt, orange, pineapple, some grapefruit, light pine. Has a fairly sweet aroma.
Flavors of orange, pineapple, lighter (for Stone) malt, some grapefruit, light pine, a light resin hop bitterness. Smooth, a very good lighter medium body, well carbonated.

Good, and pretty solid all around, but the lighter malt with low bitterness profile doesn’t put this at anniversary level.
Jun 20, 2023
Photo of EmperorBevis
Reviewed by EmperorBevis from England

4.34/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Canned in a little stubbie 330ml crafty craft can and purchased from Beermoth in Manchester City centre and will
Pours a crystal clear golden boldy with good white head
Aroma is grapefruit and green tea snd tootsie roll
Flavour is sweet then carob then grainy hops bitter with a positive hop creep
May 25, 2023
Photo of TooManyGlasses
Reviewed by TooManyGlasses from Canada (AB)

4.34/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a slightly hazy (chill haze?) orange golden colour with two solid fingers of off white/tawny uniformly tight bubbly head.
Aroma is fruity with ripe citrus, some caramel malt, and a piney resin and diesel hit on the olfactory system.
Tastes aggressively resinous and piney, notes of over ripe citrus and a touch of apricot ; there is a weedy dankness and a deliciously biting bitterness admixing with a diesel boozy kick.
Sticky full mouthfeel with tingling bright carbonation and a lasting bittersweet finish.
Very nice - kicking it old school.
May 24, 2023
 
Rated: 3.99 by wvsabbath from West Virginia

May 19, 2023
Photo of aleigator
Reviewed by aleigator from Germany

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Yields a clear amber-golden color with a huge, spongy, stable head.

Aromas are defined by cakey malts and lime zest, flowery vanilla and spicy garden herbs among ripe oranges.

Has a fuller, well balanced mouthfeel, with a late, vivid carbonation, making this complex and refreshing at the same time.

Begins relatively calm with balancing caramel malts, together with a drop of honey and bitter lime. Its resinous maltiness prevents the beer from collapsing then, as a real hop onslaught unleashes on the palate with a unique, well working intensity, featuring both noble hop, as well as higher alpha acid qualities, combining subtle spiciness with an honest dry- and bitterness. Finishes a little creamier, malty sweet with a tongue numbing, herbal dryness.

This is truly bold. There are many examples out there, which manage to fail in such a scenario. This is different. Everything in this comes well together, highlighted by a well working mouthfeel.
Apr 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by iftcoach from Germany

Apr 08, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by akk14 from Illinois

Mar 25, 2023
Photo of Suds
Reviewed by Suds from Missouri

4.34/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
This is an excellent beer. It pours a clear golden color with a frothy white head. The aroma has a clean boozy fruitiness. The taste is balanced and intense, with some warming but no hotness. The finish is also balanced, and the beer has heft without being heavy. Plenty of hop and malt flavors, and appropriate bitterness. This is just a straightforward, no-nonsense, well-made strong IPA.
Mar 10, 2023
Photo of LesDewitt4beer
Reviewed by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

4.23/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12oz bottle from xmas variety pk eb date 1/12/23 into a pint glass.
L: Pours lightly pale straight caramel w a 1/2" smooth off white head w good retention down to skin/thick edge foam, steady fine carbo to last drink, good lacing w banding and broken sheeting.
S: Very fruity, citrus, alcohol, candied caramel, pear, smells sweet.
T: Tangerine & grapefruit zest, candied caramel, pear, over ripe fruits, pine resin, orange marmalade, a hint of bread, light yeast w warming, moderately sweet w a slightly metallic & resinous structure, alcohol w warming.
F: Smooth w a gentle bite then lightly creamy and medium to med-full bodied, a slightly sticky long moderately dry finish w a long linger. A bit grainy at the absolute end.
O: Very long-lasting tastes and power in this American beer. Full flavored and robust, basically strong. It drinks more easily as it warms becoming less rigid and hop-centric though remaining resinous. More malt flavors rise up. I wish I had more of this as it is outstanding in its style.
Feb 08, 2023
Photo of izraelc
Reviewed by izraelc from New York

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a cloudy orange. Thick foam. Citrus aroma. Tropical fruit body. Citrusy and sweet with a heavy bitter hop finish. Typical Stone offering. Great as usual.
Feb 05, 2023
Photo of StJamesGate
Reviewed by StJamesGate from New York

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
CAN
Pale brass with a rimming steady carpet of white; lemon verbena + Madeleine on the nose; sugar cookie, huge blast of grapefruit sorbet, blood orange peel + mint oil, hints of Juicyfruit, finishing with pine bark; light, dry, bitter.

3.75 3.75 4.5 4 4.25

Looks paler than I’d recall or want, and doesn’t smell of much. But then it lowers the boom with - like the blurb says - everything about Stone IPA turned up to 25.
There’s the paper-thin malts, the turbo boosted citrus oil, the vague fruity esters of Cali ale yeast (think Racer 5), the twist of evergreen and the ruthlessly bitter linger.
Can’t really find fault: it’s a proven formula, it’s not around so much anymore, and this example has held up remarkably well after almost 5 months.
Now that Ruination is a bit tropical, there’s nothing else in their lineup like this, and that’s a crying shame.

West Coast hop bludgeon in the best way.
Feb 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4.28 by Ananabiya

Feb 01, 2023
Photo of DrDemento456
Reviewed by DrDemento456 from Pennsylvania

4.31/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Quite a heavy hitter here well within the 6 months IPAs last. Bitter but not aggressive smooth but packs a punch! Been with stone since the 13th anniversary and every anniversary has been a banger!
Jan 24, 2023
 
Rated: 4.24 by 12ozfan from Illinois

Jan 22, 2023
 
Rated: 3.85 by Vyvyan from Illinois

Jan 14, 2023
26th Anniversary Imperial IPA from Stone Brewing
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 129 ratings