Tag Archives: stone brewing

Grits Fullerton Changes the Beer Dinner Game

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A grit can be described as a small stone, just big enough to count with the naked eye. It can also be used to describe backbone, big enough to pull off a packed $135 per sitting beer dinner in downtown Fullerton…at a brunch spot…a few days before Christmas. Stone? Yeah, there was Stone, eight of them to be exact.

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For the price tag, Grits Fullerton had a lot to live up to. I went in thinking it needed flow, cloth napkins, and extended pinkies. I thought, we would all get to dive into Stone’s cellar and come out like masked robbers. Having been to two chef Cody Storts beer dinners and two “Dr.” Bill Sysak pairing events, I know the madness both are capable of.

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When the first beer is 2008 Stone Brewing Old Guardian Barleywine at 11%, the tone has been set. This isn’t going to be a hoity-toity affair. This is going to be a feast.

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Stone’s brand ambassador, “Dr.” Bill Sysak, ruled the beer side. Chef Cody mans the Christmas bush.

Various animals, grains and vegetables are shuffled and hit the table like a no-limit poker game. Plates like cards, beer glasses like poker chips. Do I go all-in or fold?

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Course 2 – cajun octopus with a dazzling candied citrus. tequila barrel aged cali-belgique IPA played off the citrus like a margie.

Amuse #1 and #2 down the hatch, “now the fun begins,” yells chef to applause. Smoked trout rillettes paired with Matt’s Burning Rosids, an imperial smoked saison, is served. I’ve seen this beer pulled out for a few events over the years and is drinking beautifully. RIP Matt, always glad to remember a comrade, your burning rosids beer and rillettes didn’t leave much for the dish cleaning crew…it was my fave of the night!

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Preview: Stone Stochasticity Project – Hibiscusicity

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There are beers in the world that can be pronounced no matter how drunk you are. “Bud”, “Coors” or even “Pabst” can be yelled at the noisiest of bars by the sloppiest of drunks and a fizzy yellow beer will slide across the bar in a frosty mug. With Stone’s Stochasticity Hibiscusicity, MIT students might even stumble. Hell, for the last project release of the Quadrotriticale I asked a bartender for a “Stone Quadruple Testicle” and she poured the right beer, smiling.

IMG_7038So anyways, my gargoyled friends in Escondido were inspired by a refreshing hibiscus beer and thought, lets take this bus to Stoke-a-stis-city Hibiscus-city. Instead of a Stone IPA, this beer comes by way of “Belgian Style”, which means it has some fruity/spicy yeast things happening. Knowing Stone and their library of beers, I can sometimes taste the beer before it’s been opened, but not with these Stochasticity Project beers.

On the pour, I’ve never seen a gargoyle blush, but this beer looks like it got caught masturbating on a pile of furbees after playing with mom’s makeup. It’s showy like a a hibiscus plant in Hawaii. If this beer were in a vase, I would probably drink it, then tend to my flower garden, with gloves for safety.

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IMG_7032IMG_7033The bouquet is like sticking one’s nose in a box of Krispy Kreme raspberry/strawberry filled donuts. Some caramel malts and a breeze of orange peel adds to the complexity. The first few sips bring out more of the jelly-filled donut notes, balanced with some bitter cranberry and yeast spice. I also caught a metallic note, no doubt part of the hibiscus flower. I seem to recall other hibiscus beers doing something similar to my palate.

Hibiscusicity is a refreshing beer and will be out 9/15, just in time for our never-ending summer. Since I don’t really do Pumpkin Pie beers, this makes a nice alternative. It’s definitely worth checking out, if you can pronounce it! Had it? Let me know what you think below or on facebook/Twitter!

 

Blind Taste: Easside vs Wesside Saison Shakedown

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P1060991When a preview bottle of Stone Brewing Co’s Saison is sitting on my porch while carrying a preview bottle of Allagash Brewing Co’s Saison from the car…I knew what I had to do: dig through my old CD pack and bump some old West Coast Gansta RAP…that’s right, SUCKAS! Ice Cube’s ‘Today Was A Good Day’ bumpin’ and the 40’s craft beers in the fridge, it’s time to do an Easside vs Wesside Saison Shakedown. BLIND STYLE.

Almost identical in name, release dates (now), ABV (~6%), IBU (~43), this Rialto born and bred beer blogger is armed and ready, beers chilled and sweaty; which Saison came to drop bombs? This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo*.

My old lady pours them into the same glassware, one with a SN logo and one with a FW logo. Both glasses freshly rinsed and beer poured at 43 degrees. My initial suspicion just on looks alone is a dead giveaway on who is who. “Would Allagash release a caramel colored Saison?” I chuckle pointing at beer #1. My wife walks away as I jot down notes on my kid’s doodle pad.

Visual/Aroma

Beer 1: Orange/caramel tint and clear as a bell. Aromas tinge on grassyness, slightly cheesy, peppery, salty, floral, herbal.

lemonheadsBeer 2: Light hay colored and cloudy, this beer smells like a fresh box of Lemonheads, citrus (lemon, orange) and a little hint of soap and cotton candy. Smells like spring.

(Calling it on the color/clearness alone, I think beer 1 is Stone.)

Taste/Mouthfeel/Finish

Beer 1: First drink is surprisingly tart, subsequent drinks not so much. Herbal notes poke through with rosemary, jasmine and wet hay. It’s a little bit on the chewy side for a Saison, then WHOA…the tip of my tongue numbs with a stripping bitterness that screams “Saisons are fizzy and yellow, that is why this beer is orange!”. The finish bites the tip of my tongue with bitterness, washing away the potential for flavors to develop. Ouch. There’s also a scoville pepper heat my wife detects, I am heat tolerant to the point of not detecting it, but it’s worth noting.

Beer 2: Flavors of fluffy light grain followed by pleasant yeast esters rule this beer. Fermentation induced fruit, pepper, citrus are blanketed with a kiss of barnyard. It’s a little bit thinner and dryer than beer 1. The finish cleans up nicely, lending itself to a nice refreshing sessionable beer. The hop is different for the style as well; Cascade, Bravo and Tettnang are actually surprisingly good in this beer and round out the bitterness/flavor nicely.

Now, before I go on, I want to state something about Saison’s in general. It’s such a broad term of a beer style that is interpreted thousands of different ways. If we were drinking real Saisons, we’d be working out in a field getting our gallon 3% beer ration to keep from getting dysentery from unpotable farm water. I’m stating the obvious based on my perceived bitterness: Beer 1 is clearly Stone’s Saison. My wife nods.

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Beer 1 = Stone, Beer 2 = Allagash. Nailed it.

I can see why arrogant bastards would prefer the Stone interpretation with its unabashed bitter bite and Stone Organic Farms picked goodies tossed in. I just think it’s a little too much for what I prefer of the style. I tend to reach for a dry, grainy, slightly funky beer. In the end, I want my Saison to compliment my food, not be decorated in it. I’d be interested in trying it next to Saison Du Buff and my other fave of 2014, Matt’s Burning Rosids Imperial Saison.

Allagash on the other hand has a handful of Belgian style ales. The addition of Saison to their line up seems like a natural fit. It’s tamed, balanced and sessionable.

Sorry West Side, Biggy Smalls wins this rap battle.

*sucka mc’d some lyrics from emenem’s Lose Yourself

Stone Brewing Imperial Russian Stout – Classic and Espresso (released 4/15/13)

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“Congratulations, the IRS has accepted your federal tax return.” Getting back around $1,600 this year, it’s time to celebrate with the real IRS; Stone Brewing’s Imperial Russian Stout. 2013, being an odd year, Stone comes hard with their second ‘odd beer’ release. Tossing in a few hundred pounds of espresso coffee beans into IRS is arousing. ‘Coffee’ and ‘Stout’ is something that piques my interest no matter what. Throw in ‘Russian’ and I go all perestroika on my shopping cart.

P1050429Now, this blog post is mostly pointless because A) I hate reading beer reviews and B) You will most likely buy these beers no matter what (which you totally should). The classic release is the same recipe Stone has been making for years on end. It’s a beautiful beer that has tons of character and ages well. Now that your cellar is devoid of Vertical Epic beers, is it worth filling with Stone IRS? Should you go all espresso or classic? That’s my goal in this post.

I line up shots of IRS in my traditional Russian glassware: Russian president shooter glasses! On the pour, both versions are black with a thick bubbly tan head. Aside from that, both drink like two totally different beers.

P1050424The classic release smells like a hot See’s Candy store clerk: dark milk chocolate and notes of cherry cordial and vanilla as she passes by the nose. The taste makes my cheeks rosy; some boozy warming chocolate, cocoa, roastyness and notes of cherry wood and currants.  The creamy bitter finish balances the whole situation and lingers for a while. Such a nice pleasant layered sip; this beer is really done well, but you knew that.

espressoThe espresso release is a totally different beer. The fruity/cherry notes make way for a rich coffee aroma. It’s such a pleasant relaxing smell as well; I’m inhaling this beer for a few minutes and can feel the tension of doing taxes melt away. On the sip, the espresso smooths out the beer and calms the heat. I’m shocked this much flavor can come from water, plants and yeast. I wish I had another one so my wife could say, “Greg never has a second Espresso RIS at home”.

P1050428Overall I prefer the Espresso release by a wide margin. Both are stellar beers, but the classic release needs to lay down for bit to calm the warming. At 10.5% ABV on the classic and 11% on the espresso, I would have thought opposite. The espresso release is great now! One thing to note: most coffee/espresso beers give me a slight dry metallic note, this beer doesn’t do that. Stone Brewing Co. manages to keep my ADHD interest high in this ever expanding craft beer landscape. First Dayman Coffee IPA and now this? 2013 is the year of the coffee bean.

For the cellar: My goal is to pick up a few of each, maybe an extra espresso bottle to sip with some friends.

Suggested Food Pairings:

  • Dessert: cherry cheese cake, bon bons, oreo sundae – anything chocolate
  • Soup: split pea, red clam chowder, spicy african peanut soup at the Gypsy Den in Anaheim
  • Meat: open flame seasoned steak, Las Vegas 3 A.M roast beef, Indian restaurant prepared lamb chops
  • Vegan: Thai coconut curry, tofu pad thai

Thanks Stone Brewing Company for the preview bottles!