Stone Brewing Enjoy By 01.01.16 Black IPA

Beer Name: Enjoy By 01.01.16
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, CA)
ABV: 9.4%
How sold: 22 oz. bottles
How received: My friend, Nuff (Main Event Pong) sent this to me from California!
Price: Unknown

Bottled on Date: November 25, 2015
Date Received: December 11, 2015
Date Opened/Drank: December 11, 2015

What's on the Label: "Bottled and consistently delivered faster than any IPA on the playter to ensure the ultimate in freshness, Stone Enjoy By IPA facilitated a paradigm shift in respect for and enjoyment of hoppy beers. Stone Enjoy By Black IPA is the onyx yin to that golden, freshness-envelope-pushing yang. It similarly rewards hoppy beer enthusiasts with the amazingly in-your-face dankness that only an uber focus on now can bring. Cracking open a bottle allows one to experience this beer's vibrant hop aromas and flavors to their fullest against a perfectly symbiotic, complex and roasty canvas. Stone Enjoy By Black IPA is proof that it's never too soon to experience the now. It's far better to be early than late with this deep, dark wonder!"

What's on the Website: "Just like its golden envelope-pushing counterpart, Stone Enjoy By Black IPA is intensely hoppy and should be enjoyed uber fresh to experience its vibrant stone and tropical fruit flavors and dankness. This double IPA's dark-colored malt canvas comes from German Sinamar and from Patagonia Black Pearl barley, which adds a pleasingly smooth taste. The hop profile is predominantly Australian, featuring down-under wonders Vic Secret, Ella and Galaxy. Stone Enjoy By Black IPA is shipped immediately to ensure hopheads get their hands on it as soon as possible, as it is brewed specifically NOT to last."

When brewed? One-time batch. Stone Brewing makes fresh batches of a different "Enjoy By" beer for various special dates. Look for more information here.

Where distributed: Stone Brewing shipped this beer to only seven U.S. states (AL, CA, IL, IN, MA, NC, and OH). This beer was NOT shipped to Oregon or Washington.

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured black into a pint glass. Several millimeters of frothy, light tan head. A bit of lacing remains on the glass. Such a stunning sight. 4.75/5

Smell (25%): Excellent tropical-hop aroma. Detecting grapefruit and pineapple. Slight malt and dank experience. For me, it's just about perfect. 4.75/5

Taste (40%): Initial tropical-hoppy flavors. Again, mostly getting grapefruit and pineapple. Aftertaste is mainly a controlled bitterness and actually very smooth. Not detecting much alcohol. Outstanding. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-full body with malty notes. Bitterness and carbonation pierce the tongue a bit. 4.5/5

Overall (20%): An outstanding Black Double IPA. I can't thank Nuff of Main Event Pong enough for sending me a bottle of this, as this is not found anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. Not surprisingly, Stone impresses yet again in their line of "Enjoy By" beers. Another Double IPA where the alcohol will sneak up on you; to me, it drank far lighter than its stated 9.4%. Two giant panda thumbs up. 4.5/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.575/5