Lovers of Stone Brewing are a varied and enthusiastic lot. The California based brewery known for its hoppy and eccentric beers has won international acclaim for its IPA, Arrogant Bastard Ale, Ruination, Smoked Porter, and countless others. Now, Stone Brewing has another new release, one that combines American ingenuity with a little help from our Aussie friends across the big pond. The new brew is Stone Ripper a beer that boasts flavors of citrus, passion fruit, and hoppy goodness- exactly the characteristics one would expect from this inspirational and influential west coast brewing operation.
Stone Ripper is a little bit San Diego and a little bit Australia, combining Cascade hops from America’s Pacific Northwest with Galaxy hops from Australia. The result is a beer that jumps in different directions but manages to pull everything together in the end. Flavors of citrus and pine trade places with mixed fruit and dankness for a taste that is a little edgy for a pale ale, but right in- line for Stone Brewing. Jeremy Moynier, Stone Brewing’s senior innovation program manager, says the opportunity for some of the Stone staff to visit Australia and experience the local hops firsthand is what gave rise to this new beer.
“A few of us on the brewing team were lucky enough to visit Australia over the last few years and were impressed with the quality of hops coming out of that region, and especially with the signature hop Galaxy,” said Moynier. “We started referring to it as ‘Australian Cascade’ in reference to America’s key hop and got the idea of combining the two together, bringing the bright, intense flavors and aromas from two hemispheres into one amazing beer.”
Stone Ripper has a somewhat frightening name, but don’t let the title scare you away. The beer is deep golden in color with aromas of orange, peach, pineapple, and floral notes. The tropical personality of this beer is complemented by hop resins and a sturdy malt backdrop, which gives way to a crisp, clean finish.
Stone Ripper will be sold in six packs of 12 oz. cans with release planned immediately in California, followed by national distribution in January, 2017. It’s the perfect marriage between Australian and American hops and with its dank, fruity personality, it’s bound to delight the legions of people who rank Stone beer among life’s greatest pleasures.
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