No, I didn’t spell that wrong. Stone Brewing Company calls their 14th Anniversary Ale an “Emperial IPA.”  It is a “British-inspired hop monster” according to Stone, but don’t let that deter those afraid of the hop. It isn’t powerfully bitter, though it is powerfully good. Stone brews this one with all British ingredients except, as they point out on their typically fun bottle, the water.

I opened this one in celebration of the end of a long work week. I was immediately surprised by the color which is a light, yellow straw color with a big, thick white head. No, that’s not a bad pour in the picture.  The aroma also surprised me. Judging by the label, I’m supposed to smell hops, but that’s not what I got.  I got malt, trending toward the grain side and a bit of grass. It was gooooood. I spent far to much time with my nose stuck down in the pint glass. Probably concerned the neighbors. At 8.9% abv, there’s a lot of malt in this beer and there’s some sweet, earthy malt in the initial tastes, but is quickly followed by lots of spicy hops.  What kind of spice? I couldn’t put a finger on it. The bitterness level is a pleasant medium that allows both the malt and hop flavors to linger in the finish. I found it at Worden’s Market in Missoula.