Stone Enjoy By 10.31.19 IPA

I see your point but EB just sits on shelves now, more often than not I see this beer and we are past the EB date.

 

I just got an email from Stone and I misread the original post. Nationwide draft release. Bottles in California. Definitely passing now.

 

The timing of Mitch Steele leaving Stone a little over 2 years ago really is when things went south for Stone. Was it his leaving the cause or he just knew when to move on due to the inevitable shift forthcoming? Their IPAs have been way off IMO from the past, not sure if it’s Richmond issues , my palette shifting , or new brewmaster not at Mitch’s level.

 

Yes. Let’s always celebrate this one.

 

That's on the store, not Stone itself. I mean sure, they brew too much of the stuff, but all breweries do that. That would be like blaming a bread company for the loafs in the supermarket not being the freshest. Idiotic in my opinion anyway. And I have trashed stone for their bullshit PR lawsuits and ridiculous limited releases previously, I'm by no means a staunch Stone defender.

 

I wish they did an enjoy ipa and not enjoy by dipa. Rarely do I buy 6 packs if a 9%+ ipa. It Would be nice to have a good fresh WCIPA I could pickup when it comes out.

 

Not just you. I pretty much stopped buying Stone beers when they started changing recipes and dropping a lot of their non-IPAs from their portfolio. That along with the beers being produced in RVA did not taste right but that may have changed in the past couple years.

Clearly it's not selling like it once was, that's why they need to just retire it and do something different. Look at how many EBs were done in 2013-2016, since then it's being released a lot less often and it still just sits on shelves (4.20.19 is available down the street from my house). https://www.stonebrewing.com/beer/stone-enjoy-ipa-series

 

This is probably exactly why they are only releasing bottles in CA and are doing draft only everywhere else. Presumably they made less and I'd imagine they have some data about draft selling better but have seen good sales numbers on the packaged stuff in CA. I'll definitely get a pour or two if it pops up on tap here and might buy a bomber

 

I can still pick up some EB April '19 if anyone is interested. No really, I can

I haven't purchased a six pack in a long time due to price and ABV, one or two is usually enough for me. If I see this on draft I may try it but not dying to try it or anything.

 

I’d had the same hope— that they would do a lower abv version every now and then (like for the summer release?). I’d pick that up in a heartbeat.

 

Well, no, it's Stone's along with their local distributor's responsibility to maintain fresh beer. They have a "REPORT OLD BEER" page and even say:

The NBWA agrees: "After delivery, the distributor continues to monitor retailer shelves to ensure product freshness and integrity."

Most large baking companies (like many dairies) do their own stocking of the shelves at local grocery and food stores and it's their employees who are charged with maintaining product freshness, pulling out-of-code stock, etc. Ditto for the large soft drink companies. I'd guess those profitable companies don't think it's "idiotic", even as it costs them money in time, labor and replacing stock.

 

Exactly! They did an “unfiltered”, and black
Ipa. I would take just a 6.7% enjoy by any day. I like the hop profile and flavor but for me it’s just too much.

 

Agree on this one. It used to be the cat's meow, and you needed to get it quick before it sold out. As far back as last year, I just don't drink Stone EB very often. And yeah, they sit on the shelves awhile. I found that basic "fresh" stone IPA to be a west coast go-to beer.

Perhaps EB does need to be looked at again by Stone and change tactics, the haze craze notwithstanding as this is still red hot and driving business away from west coast IPA's, although there are signs the pendulum is swinging back the other way.

 

Bought a bomber the other day. Shared it with a roommate. I enjoyed it. That is all. Carry on.

 

I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to get a sixer of Enjoy By.
I also secretly dream that Greg pulls a big stunt and says, “Fuck the current trends, we’re bringing old school Ruination back.”