Stone Beer 2013
Stone & Wood

 

A - Poured an oily almost black colour with terrific tanned two fingered head that retains and laces well

S - Burnt woody coffee, chocolate and cocoa malts with a slight hint of oak

T- Burnt and slightly metallic coffee hit, hints of toffee with a pretty earthy, smoked bitter chocolate finish

M - Medium to full body with medium carbonation, thick and oily.

O - An impressive looking dark ale that I found was a little offset by the real bitter finish that is fairly overpowering. However on a cold winters night can be consumed with ease. Worth a try

Great concept and excellent beer

aroma: caramel, toffee and spice

Taste: caramel, vanilla, chocolate, nuts, dark malt, vegemite, slight spice and lemon and slight cheese.

flavoursome, delicious beer with an array of flavours that change the closer you get to the bottom of your pint. Nice complexity and a very enjoyable beer

 

Wow, what a great gift for a craft beer lover to receive from their girlfriend - Stone & Wood 2013 release Stone Beer. This is it; the beer in the name "Stone & Wood", one of the top breweries in Australia. And what a presentation as well; a ceramic bottle with a flip-top, this is a keeper - I'll be drinking beer out of this for years to come... oh and the girlfriend is a keeper as well.

Poured from a very well presented 500ml ceramic bottle into a St Feuillien chalice.

A: Pours a very deep mahogany, very cloudy, with a sticky tan lacing which generally denotes a +7% ABV. Looks like a heavy set winner of a brew.

S: Bold dark chocolate malts backed by some earthy noble hops, chicory with the expected charcoal and stone aroma. In a literal sense a Stone & Wood beer. Quite inviting with its rustic charm too.

T: Glad I let this warm because it is a flavour sensation - smoky burnt wood, earthy hops, more earth from the stone, dark chocolate, chicory, a pepper back note and a bitter-sweet finish. I had this on tap two weeks ago however the ceramic bottle amplifies the flavour well, a perfect pairing of stone beer with its ideal receptacle.

M: Heavy and oily body with light but dense carbonation, to be expected from a dark 7.2% ABV brew.

D: This is one of the best dark beers I have had. It is a bit on the heavy side, and there is a touch of smoke so it might not be everyone's cup of tea/beer, however I relish a decent dark beer and this fits the bill perfectly. Well played Stone & Wood, well played.

Food match: German cuisine is the first thing that springs to mind as a German style, almost Rauchbier dark brew a bratwurst with senf, sauerkraut and kartoffel would hit the spot well. Or if we're into honouring an Aussie brew with Aussie food a grilled kangaroo steak would also work well. Vegetarians need only replace the roo steak with a large mushroom.