Stone Brewing Merc Machine Double IPA

Beer Name: Merc Machine 
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co. (Escondido, CA) in collaboration with Miguel Ceja Andrade and Brandon Berube
ABV: 9%
How sold: 22 oz bomber bottles; on draft
Where bought: Craft Shack (San Diego, CA) ****bought online
Price: $8.99 for 22 oz. bottle

Date Bottled: October 30, 2017
Date Purchased: November 20, 2017
Date Received: November 27, 2017
Date Drank: December 16, 2017
When brewed? Limited-time beer. Part of the Stone Spotlight Series Competition.
IBU: 48

Food Pairings: Stone Brewing suggests dishes and flavors such as butternut squash soup, pulled pork sandwiches, creme brulee, oysters on the half shell, and chicken pot pie.

What's on the Bottle: "Mercenaries. The A-Team, Soldiers of Fortune. Rambo. Chuck Norris. Deadpool. These are just a few of the names that bubble up to the top when one starts to ponder who best to hire when you need something...accomplished. In this case, we at Stone Brewing needed something explosively hoppy. And slo-mo through the smoke walked our own in-house duo of destruction - Brandon Berube & Miguel Ceja Andrade - more than happy to rain down the hop grenades for us. Not a lot of talk, just all action. The team created a beer that is one of the most highly anticipated hop experiences at Sstone Brewing ever. Our dual disciples of destruction have yielded an inspired accomplishment from out of the murk, just what you would expect from Stone's crack team of ace brewers. Make sure to thank 'em if you see 'em, as it's best to keep on their good sides."

What's on the Website: "Since 2014, the Stone Spotlight Series competition allows our brewers to create two-person teams and vie for the chance to have their recipe brewed and distributed nationwide. This year, Brandon and Miguel rolled in like a team of mercenaries and were crowned champions. The victorious creation was the result of their mission to brew a play on the trendy unfiltered IPAs of the day, but make it their own. “How would Stone do this?”, they asked themselves. The result is one of the most intense hop experiences we at Stone Brewing have ever created. (And that’s saying something.)" Read more here!

Where distributed: Stone Brewing shipped this beer to approximately 20 U.S. states. Check to see whether this beer could be found in your area!

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Initially poured mostly hazy dark golden into a pint glass. Lots of sediment at the bottom, so the final pour is a very hazy dark peach to burnt orange look. Unfiltered beer. Off-white head; trace lacing at the top of the glass. 4.25/5

Smell (25%): Tropical sweet citrus (orange, tangerine, and grapefruit) with complementing malt. 4.5/5

Taste (40%): Balanced tropical citrus, dank, and malt to start. Citrus peel powers through into the aftertaste. Yet, it is not overly hoppy or bitter. Some octane detected after drinking half the glass. Easy drinking for 9%. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-full bodied; some carbonation. Slightly syrupy and some dry tongue. 4.25/5

Overall (20%): An excellent Double IPA. This beer has the aroma and flavor of a West Coast IPA, but not as bitter or hoppy as other IPAs would be from the region. I've mainly had the Enjoy By Series beers from them lately, so it was good to get a different Stone IPA in there for a change. Another quality brew from Stone Brewing. 4.25/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.313/5