Big 'Stoner
Whetstone Craft Beers / Whetstone Station

 

 

This beer is over a year old so I may need to be adjust my ratings slightly. Despite its age, it's still a nice looking beer with loads and loads of foamy white head, excellent retention, and excellent lacing. Translucent orange. Aroma is piney citrus, and fairly one-dimensional. Flavor also has plenty of citrus and pine...more West Coast than NEIPA. Feel is a little thin. Overall, solid beer.

Thanks to Roy_Hobbs for this one, from his NBS BIF #15 hit. 16oz can (no date) poured into 14oz teku. Poured a fully murky and ugly burnt orange color with inch of slightly off-white head that had good retention and light lacing.

The anticipated frooty hops popped out of the can upon opening. On scenting from the glass, the hops were still the dominant factor, with no malt or grain base. Very similar on the tongue, with the pleasant addition of a slight bit of hop bite for contrast. There was also a notable alcohol taste, which was surprising given the sub-8% ABV.

The body was typical for the style; medium and mostly smooth, although the alcohol heat did add a bit of roughness. Drinkabilty was OK (except for the heat). Overall, a fairly average murkster.

Big Stoner (2021) from Whetstone. Received from @Roy_Hobbs in BIF #14. 16 oz can. Stored at home at 38 degrees. Reviewed 5/12/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated can. Served at 54.5 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 56.4 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Pale Gold (SRM 4), hazy and dirty.
Body – Pale Gold (SRM 4), opaque. When rear-lite, translucent.
Head – Average (Maximum four cm, aggressive center pour after rolling the can), floral white, diminishing to an eight to thirteen mm ragged crown with pieces of lacing remaining above and a thick partial cap. Second pour produces a 0.9 cm head.
Lacing – Good. Thick rings of tiny to small bubbles connected by thin sheets of lacing.
Aroma – 4 – Strong citrus, mostly orange with a bit of grapefruit dankness.
Flavor – 4.25 – Taste follows the nose but slightly bitter, no malt, no yeast. No ethanol (7.9 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. No gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Medium, watery, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 (After deducting 0.25 point off the top for undated container) Very enjoyable NEIPA, citrusy and somewhat dank. Ethanol is entirely absent from flavor or aroma. Very easy drinking but the 7.9% ABV may sneak up. If this were available locally, it’d be in my reefer.

Pours a completely opaque, matte dark orange color. Thick pillowy off-white head forms and then dissipates. Some residual lacing is left behind.

Aroma has notes of orange, citrus, a touch of dank hops and a distinct alcohol note.

Taste has notes of orange, citrus, marijuana, a crackery malt backbone and a moderate alcohol burn on the back end. Rather astringent on the back end as that alcohol burn interacts with the light hoppy bitterness on the finish.

Feel is full bodied, chalky, a bit rough. Mild carbonation.

The alcohol burn on this one is just hard to get past. Its ok, but not beer I would grab again.

On tap at the source.
Hazy yellow orange in color with a decent sized frothy white head. Alcohol on the nose as soon as my nostrils get over the glass. Bready malt with hints of caramel. Earthy citrus and tropical hops aroma and flavor with bits of aspirin like astringency. Little rough.

 

 

32 oz. Crowler take home. 3/11/20

Fat and hazy straw gold with orange and white hues within. All white foam cap, short but maintains constantly good cover and thick lacing.

Sweet citrus, honey with lemon and pineapple scented hops in the nose. Very sweet, creamy and tropical scented effect. Pinecone sap and vanilla golden maltiness rounds it out.

A rather superb mouthfeel, fresh and crisp malty bite, then smooth, almost creamy middle, juicy... Turning dry and earthy in the finish. I think you'll notice the smooth texture mostly.

Earth tones from both the grainy golden malt and bright hops hits home flavor wise. The malt is light, crisp but grainy and hearty, late summer style vibe. Hops provide a series of earth notes, dry grasses, golden wheat and maybe charred oats. Sour citrus, long talk piney notes and green grassy melon puree. (Gotta get creative) but totally spot on.

The Big Stoner is a bit of a cult classic in our section of New England.

On tap at the Vermont Brewers Festival

 

 

 

 

 

Had on tap from the source. Basically a bigger version of Whetstoner, with the same crackery malt bill and odd vegetal quality alongside a citrusy rindiness.

78/100