Stone Berlin Groundbreaking Collaborations

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by riko, Mar 31, 2017.

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  1. riko

    riko Pundit (756) Jan 18, 2008 California
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    So I bought a few of these collaborations back when they did the indiegogo campaign in 2014 and got an email this week that one is available for pickup.

    When I made the purchase, it was billed as a Lost Abbey collaboration that would be brewed by Stone, Tomme Arthur and a "brewer from a famous, long-standing Belgian brewery." I was hoping for a sour or maybe a Belgian quad.

    Then the email that came this week says the beer -- Sticks N' Stones -- was brewed by Tomme Arthur, Steve Wagner and Lee Chase. I have nothing but respect for Lee Chase, but this isn't what I expected or hoped for.

    Then there's the beer itself. The email didn't say what style it is, just that it was aged on oak chips (the sticks) and granite (the stones). I go to the Stone website and there are two descriptions of the beer inches apart, and they're different. One says dark imperial lager with German yeast, and the other says black Belgian style double IPA. Which is it? And if they built a brewery in Germany so they could serve fresh IPAs to Europe, why brew an IPA there and ship it back to America? Nevermind the wtf of aging a beer on granite.

    I emailed Stone about this and got an automated response saying I'd get a reply within 24 hours. That was a couple days ago and I haven't received a reply.

    Anyone else know anything about this? Or try it?

    Also, I see that another one of these "groundbreaking collaborations" was already released. Any feedback on how it turned out?
     
    #1 riko, Mar 31, 2017
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  2. Drunken_Master

    Drunken_Master Crusader (444) Mar 6, 2014 California

    this release sounded Very unappealing after I had read the email & simply tossed. More for other I suppose. Don't get me wrong, some not all, collabs they do are great whereas others are duds.
     
    #2 Drunken_Master, Mar 31, 2017
  3. Boomer4ES

    Boomer4ES Initiate (0) Jan 31, 2012 North Carolina

    I have had several beers where stones have been used in the process, but never for aging. That just sounds like a nightmare considering the measures most brewers take with water treatment. It sounds like aging a beer on stones would simply add back previously unwanted minerals. Who knows, though?

    As far as the first collaboration release, it was a solid beer, but the format was absurd and it was severely overpriced. I would rather grab literally any stout off the shelf and throw some toasted coconut in it.
     
    #3 Boomer4ES, Mar 31, 2017
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  4. SuperWhip

    SuperWhip Initiate (0) Jul 13, 2011 California

    I'll be picking up my bottle on Sunday and will grab my "free" taster so I'll let you know how it is.

    I will also say that the main if not only reason I grabbed this bottle for the exact same reason figuring that the "brewer from a famous, long-standing Belgian brewery" would be Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen given Tomme's relationship
     
    #4 SuperWhip, Mar 31, 2017
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  5. riko

    riko Pundit (756) Jan 18, 2008 California
    Trader

    Yeah, it does feel like a bait and switch.
     
    #5 riko, Mar 31, 2017
  6. dksl16

    dksl16 Zealot (734) Sep 12, 2008 California
    Trader

    Agreed. Just rewatched the video of Greg and Tomme discussing the collaboration and it's very misleading.
     
    #6 dksl16, Apr 1, 2017
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  7. deleted_user_1007501

    deleted_user_1007501 Initiate (0) Jun 30, 2015

    I don't know much about this beer, but I know that Stone has always been extensively responsive with all of my inquiries within a week's span. Godspeed!
     
    #7 deleted_user_1007501, Apr 1, 2017
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  8. riko

    riko Pundit (756) Jan 18, 2008 California
    Trader

    Did you get a taster? Did they clarify what style of beer it is?
     
    #8 riko, Apr 3, 2017
  9. Jugs_McGhee

    Jugs_McGhee Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,140) Aug 15, 2010 Texas
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    "Stone’s European beers don’t adhere to stringent flavor thresholds. 'With Berlin, we’re not as concerned,' says president Steve Wagner." (-BeerAdvocate, 2016.)
     
    #9 Jugs_McGhee, Apr 3, 2017
  10. Fltingrabbit

    Fltingrabbit Initiate (176) Dec 27, 2015 France

    I think the belgian style double ipa is the collaboration with Brewdog
     
    #10 Fltingrabbit, Apr 3, 2017
  11. SuperWhip

    SuperWhip Initiate (0) Jul 13, 2011 California

    Drinking it I couldn't make up what style it was even trying to be. When I looked on my bottle later to see Dark Imperial Pilsner, I shook my head in disgust.

    Overall it reminded me of a thinner bodied Arrogant Bastard, so glad I have 1.5L of it to drink. Even if I open this at a large tasting I doubt it will be even half emptied, by far the worst $30 I've ever spent on a beer and I'm a long time Bruery Society Memeber.
     
    #11 SuperWhip, Apr 3, 2017
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  12. SuperWhip

    SuperWhip Initiate (0) Jul 13, 2011 California

    Funnily enough that's exactly what I told my wife it should be called as we walked through the garden with the taster
     
    #12 SuperWhip, Apr 3, 2017
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  13. pinballplayer

    pinballplayer Maven (1,487) Jul 2, 2014 California
    Trader

    This is extremely disheartening. I hope collabs with Alesmith, Bruery etc. better represent what those breweries are capable of. An imperial pilsner that tastes like Arrogant Bastard lite???
     
    #13 pinballplayer, Apr 3, 2017
  14. riko

    riko Pundit (756) Jan 18, 2008 California
    Trader

    I wonder if they will offer refunds for people who don't want this, though I'm sure there was some "subject to change" language in the kickstarter.

    Meanwhile, I still haven't gotten a reply from them on the email I sent last week.
     
    #14 riko, Apr 3, 2017
  15. pinballplayer

    pinballplayer Maven (1,487) Jul 2, 2014 California
    Trader

    The Lost Abbey collaboration tastes good to me. A dark imperial pilsner with a woody/flinty taste just as described. Good stuff.
     
    #15 pinballplayer, Apr 8, 2017
  16. riko

    riko Pundit (756) Jan 18, 2008 California
    Trader

    It took a couple of emails and about 10 days but I finally got a reply from Stone. They are offering refunds for this. Two of my friends who bought it and I are going for the refunds.
     
    #16 riko, Apr 11, 2017
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  17. skunkpuddle

    skunkpuddle Initiate (0) Feb 14, 2011 California

    I'm not at all excited about any of these but I spent that money so long ago I as well have no interest in my measly $30 dollars. I'll just pick it up and if I don't like it I'll just cap it and walk around the streets of Vegas with it next week. Haven't been excited really about anything Stone is doing.
     
    #17 skunkpuddle, Apr 12, 2017
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  18. eldoctorador

    eldoctorador Pooh-Bah (2,096) Dec 12, 2014 Chile
    Pooh-Bah

    Dark Imperial Pilsner :rolling_eyes:
     
    #18 eldoctorador, Apr 12, 2017
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  19. riko

    riko Pundit (756) Jan 18, 2008 California
    Trader

    I don't care that much about the $30. It's also that I live in San Diego and Escondido is a haul for something I don't think I'd drink more than a couple ounces of. But mainly it's that they did a bait and switch with the whole brewer from a famous Belgian brewery thing.
     
    #19 riko, Apr 13, 2017
  20. pinballplayer

    pinballplayer Maven (1,487) Jul 2, 2014 California
    Trader

    Lee Chase is not Belgian? Was thinking he was but just looked him up and appears he is associated with Stone? If that is true and no Belgian brewer was involved then yeah that video is misleading with all the talk about Belgian brewers and yeast driven beers. The beer still tastes fine but man, bait and switch for sure.
     
    #20 pinballplayer, Apr 13, 2017
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