Last week, after hitting up The Bulldog's happy hour for three new beers, Jay and I headed over to Monjunis so Jay could do a little research on muffulettas for his next Town Favorites article. I do all the photo work, so on trips like these I usually enjoy the food as well... it's a nice perk! The manager / owner Blair Kornegay hooked us up with a sampling of the muffulettas available, but also to some wine and bourbon. As we were talking the topic of my blog came up and I mentioned the 365 in 2011 resolution... and sure enough, he had a beer in the back that I hadn't tried before! The Stone Pale Ale.
I know what you're thinking, and I was kinda surprised at myself too, but I'd never tried the regular Pale Ale from Stone. I've reviewed them as much as any other brewery on this blog, but it was always the Arrogant Bastard or Smoker Porter or Ruination IPA, etc... and never the basic APA. It pours a copper color, clear with a small white head. Pretty decent look to it.
The smell is a good malt hops blend that I've come to love from the APA style. Slightly on the hop edge for this one, but that's really no surprise from a west coast brewery like Stone. The taste is a little odd to me. It hits the tongue with hops, malts, then hops again instead of the usual malt taste up front followed by a hoppy finish. Still slightly on the hoppy side of the blend, just like the aroma. This isn't really a bad thing at all, just a little different, and something that a hop head would probably really enjoy!
It's got a good mouthfeel, great carbonation, not thin at all. Easy to drink, and not too strong at 5.4% abv. Another top notch beer from Stone, I'm a fan! This one ties the Squatters Fifth Element Farmhouse Ale for the highest score so far with 20 beers down.
The smell is a good malt hops blend that I've come to love from the APA style. Slightly on the hop edge for this one, but that's really no surprise from a west coast brewery like Stone. The taste is a little odd to me. It hits the tongue with hops, malts, then hops again instead of the usual malt taste up front followed by a hoppy finish. Still slightly on the hoppy side of the blend, just like the aroma. This isn't really a bad thing at all, just a little different, and something that a hop head would probably really enjoy!
It's got a good mouthfeel, great carbonation, not thin at all. Easy to drink, and not too strong at 5.4% abv. Another top notch beer from Stone, I'm a fan! This one ties the Squatters Fifth Element Farmhouse Ale for the highest score so far with 20 beers down.
My Rating: A-
Thanks again to Blair at Monjunis on Highland Rd. for the hospitality! The muffulettas were fantastic, but I'll let Jay cover the food side of things.
Cheers!
American Pale Ale
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