Stone Brewing - Dayman IPA

"Jim Moorehouse, Nate Albrecht and Brad Zeller, three pals planning to open a Chicago brewpub under the moniker of Aleman, won first place at last year's Iron Brew homebrewing competition in the Windy City (judged by none other than Greg Koch, Jason Ebel of Two Brothers Brewing, and celebrated Chicago brewer, designer and author Randy Mosher). Their style-bending IPA artfully married the assertive tropical bite of Citra hops with amazing coffee flavor and aromatics to create something truly unique and exceptional.Serendipitously, Two Brothers recently kicked off a new adventure roasting their own coffee beans, and provided just-in-time freshly roasted java for the brew. The result is an innovative IPA that's well balanced and intensely flavored thanks to the felicitous blend of hops and fresh roasted coffee."

                                                        - Stone Brewing Company

Brewery: Stone Brewing/Aleman/Two Brothers  
Beer name: Dayman IPA 
Beer Style: IPA  
ABV: 8.7% 

     I'll be honest I had no intention of trying this beer. I mean I am open to try any and all beers but I had my reservations with this one. Mainly due to the fact that one of my favorite styles of beer was going to be fused with coffee, which I am not a fan of at all. How could the marriage of the two work? So I started reading about the beer on Stone's website and was sold on Greg Koch's, co-founder of Stone Brewing, description. 

     The off-white almost tan head mounts the orange'ish/amber body of this IPA giving it a rich and bold appearance. The aroma begins your journey of a delightful and majestic marriage of hops and coffee as the roasted coffee scent beautifully overpowers the fruitiness of the hops yet ever so gently. This hoppy coffee balance transfers smoothly into your mouth. Citrusy flavors course through your mouth followed by powerful toasty coffeeness almost like a match made in heaven. Its incredible how these flavors complement each other.

Aroma: 8
Appearance: 4 

Flavor: 7 

Palate: 4
Style Rating: 8/10 
Overall: 23/30

When Superheroes meet media. KCCO

Stone Brewing - Enjoy By 4.20.2013

"You have in your hands a devastatingly fresh double IPA. While freshness is a key component of many beers - especially big, citrusy, floral IPAs - we've taken it further, a lot further, in this IPA. You see, we specifically brewed it NOT to last. We've not only gone to extensive lengths to ensure that you're getting this beer in your hands within an extraordinarily short window, we made sure that the Enjoy By date isn't randomly etched in tiny text somewhere on the label, to be overlooked by all but the most attentive of retailers and consumers. Instead, we've sent a clear message with the name of the beer itself that there is no better time than right now to enjoy this IPA."                                       -  Stone Brewing

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company

Beer name: Enjoy By 4.20.2013
Beer Style: IIPA
ABV: 9.4 % 

    Being a hop head and holding Stone Brews close to my heart- they were a huge part of my roots in craft beer- it is very difficult not to go gaga whenever they introduce a new beer, especially an IPA. But Stone's Enjoy By series are....AMAZING!! My first Enjoy by (12.21.2012) blew my palate away with its intense hoppiness and I have been hooked ever since. Extremely hoppy from the first aroma to the last bittering taste, this beer takes your palate to hop heaven.Not only are they hoppy, they are jam packed with delicious citrus/peachy flavors.  All the while assisting in your buzz with their 9.4% ABV. 

   
         At first glance, this beer is the Kate Upton of sports illustrated, the Jennifer Aniston of Friends, the Anna Kendrick of...any movie she is in. It looks scrumptious, as you can all see by the picture above. Great sized white head, frothy and fully lasting. It poured as if in a commercial of great craft beers. The golden sparkling body was very welcoming. The aroma delights with heavy doses of fresh peach and grapefruit hoppiness. This is definitely one of the smoothest double IPA's I've ever had, as the moderate initial bitterness is taken over by the almost sweet bitterness of the end. Its a beautiful beer from head to toe and just as divine on the pallet. The fresh hopped IPA style, used also in Russian River's Pliny the Elder, is truly marvelous. I know these didn't get distributed in San Diego but get your hands on the next batch if you can. 

Aroma: 10

Appearance: 5

Flavor: 9

Palate: 4
Style Rating: 10/10

Overall: 28/30

Inject some Randomness in your mornings. KCCO