Stone Brewing Enjoy By 12.25.16 (Unfiltered IPA)

Beer Name: Enjoy By 12.25.16 Unfiltered IPA
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, CA)
ABV: 9.4%
How sold: Six-packs of 12 oz. bottles; 22 oz. bottles; on draft
Where bought: Belmont Station (Portland, OR)
Price: $3.42(!) for 12 oz. bottle

Bottled on Date: November 18, 2016
Date Purchased: December 10, 2016
Date Opened/Drank: December 11, 2016
IBUs: 90

What's on the Label: "Our all-important, hop-driven quest to deliver the most devastatingly fresh IPA on the planet facilitated a paradigm shift in 2012 with the launch of Stone Enjoy By IPA. Not only did we brew this beer with more than 10 different hops, we brewed it specifically NOT to last. For this version of Stone Enjoy By IPA, we thought: 'We don't always have a filter, so why should our beer?' By skipping a step and letting this devastatingly fresh, golden-hued double IPA go unfiltered, the beer takes on a hazy appearance and its peach and tropical fruit hop aromas are intensified. So though it may sound like it, this missed step was no misstep."

What's on the Website: "In most cases, skipping a step is a bad thing. Not this time. This version of Stone Enjoy By IPA omits the part where we filter out the extra yeast, hop sediment and proteins that build up in beer as a natural result of the brewing process. Though it may sound like it, this missed step was no misstep. By letting this IPA go unfiltered, its peach and tropical fruit hop flavors are amplified while its golden-hued color takes on a hazy appearance. Like its filtered counterpart, this IPA is brewed specifically NOT to last, and is shipped immediately to ensure hopheads get their hands on it as soon as possible." Read more here!

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 almost all U.S. states. It can also be found in parts of Mexico. Check to see whether this beer can be found in your area!

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured mostly clear golden into a pint glass. Unfiltered; sediment clearly seen on the pour and in the glass. White head. 4.5/5

Smell (25%): Mostly tropical grapefruit and stone fruit, with complementing malt and slight dankness. Just about ideal, in my book. 4.75/5

Taste (40%): Hop-forward and tropical (grapefruit, tangerine, stone fruit, citrus peel). Some dankness. Tropical bitterness continues into the aftertaste. Drinks far easier than its 9.4% ABV. Very dangerous. Loving it. 4.75/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied; significant carbonation. Not too dry on the tongue as the citrus bitterness lingers. 4.5/5

Overall (20%): A world-class Double IPA. A step up from the Enjoy By 10.31.16 Tangerine IPA and a nice way to close out the Enjoy By Series of beers for 2016. One of their finest Enjoy By beers in terms of flavor. Still pricey at $3.42 for a 12 oz. single, but still worth trying for science. 4.75/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.713/5