Stone 11th Anniversary Ale
87 / 100
I've been hearing the myths of the "black IPA" and at last I've found stock of them and am able to try it for myself.
My initially thoughts: Arrogant Bastard meets Ruination. Ruined Bastard? Kinda like the sounds of that. It pours "pitch dark" as the label alludes. Brilliant looking - full frothed head, lacing all over the fucking place. Just looking at it you'd reckon you're dealing with a Trappist quadruple. But that couldn't be further off. It's the roasted malt and caramel flavors of Arrogant Bastard meshed wit h the hop bang of an IPA. After half of a bottle the flavors have proved my "Ruined Bastard" presumptuous. There is a big hop presence, but not as far as Ruination.
As you can see this beer confused me. One thing I can say, is that it's a delicious confusion, drink some.
