Bottling Day and an Homage to the Inspiration

So my father and I recently brewed our second homebrew, a Stone Arrogant Bastard clone ale!  As of this morning, the fermentation had all but ceased meaning... Bottling Day!  and what better way to celebrate bottling than with a Stone celebratory beer: 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA!

..oh wait, did I mention I saved 2gal of the homebrew to dry-hop the shit out of!?  Hell yeah, these babies smell hop-a-rific!  (this also means I get Bottling Day part deux  in a week)  And here's what a gorgeously dry-hopped 2 gallons looks like:

oh so pretty, don't you agree?  I'll let all you thirsty freaks know how the non- and dry-hopped versions turn out!  But until then, why not sit back and enjoy a Stone 15th Anniversary? oh.. what's that?  sorry, I'LL enjoy one for ya!

#1.. it's a sick bottle.  #2: gotta love commemorative glassware  #3... awesome beer!

If you didn't get the idea, Stone has been around for 15 years..  do the math, I'll wait.  Yep, 1996.. good job!  They've tended to push the boundaries on their normal beers, so they gotta really break the mold for their anniversary beers.  This one is no exception.. black IPAs: check.  Imperial IPAs: check.  But combining them under the guise of an Imperial Stout..  well hey now.  A beast of a beer that is sooo dang smooth. 10.8% ABV and 100 IBUs.  Definitely a hoppy aroma, like every Stone brew, somewhat piney with vanilla and chocolate undertones.  Some barleywine-esque malt sweetness comes through as well with anise, black coffee, dark fruits..  everything!  And the taste does not disappoint.  The roasty goodness comes through on the forefront with dark malts, coffee, chocolate, but not strong.  I'd never venture as far as calling a Stone watery, but these are totally light for the flavor..then comes the hops.  Seriously complex here as they swirl with the malts and high ABV that occasionally pokes through.  Grapefruit/citrus, grassy, floral, piney...  all depends on the sip and how long the beer has been warming.  The most pleasantly bitter that bitter can be and ending oh so smoothly.  One hell of a beer!