PUBlication: Stone Collaborations

Stone Brewing Company does many things well; they also play well with others. Stone has embarked on a number of collaborations over the years, two of the more recent offerings are, Sorry Not Sorry and NxS. Below are my thoughts on these two hop-centric IPAs. I was fortunate enough to have had each on draft and from the bottle. Cheers to The Garden at Community Market for having choice selections on tap.

Sorry Not Sorry | 4 Hands | Bale Breaker | Stone

Many beers tell a story. This tale includes St. Louis, Washington state and southern California. They all got together, so that we could enjoy the fruits of their labor. The owner of Bale Breaker was the first to commercially grow Simcoe hops, so you know they're in there. An unlikely partner to the ingredients is pureed peaches, mmm. The peach is subtle, cooperating in harmony with the hop characteristics. There's also a slight malt profile, which really helps to balance this big DIPA. A clear coppery color appears when poured. This one-of-a-kind goes well with seafood and poultry, think Jamaican jerk chicken or Baja fish tacos. 9.3% | 70 IBUs

Hops: HBC 342 & HBC 344  (experimental hops w/ stone fruit notes), Warrior, Simcoe, Mosaic

NxS | Sierra Nevada | Stone

An opaque head hides an elixir underneath, which imparts a subtle aged quality. The bitterness of this partially dry-hopped, and barrel-aged IPA, exacts itself on your entire palate from start to finish. You feel the lupulin-like impact a few drinks in. The pint glows with a yellow-copper warmth. This was one of my favorite partnerships since Collective Distortion. Portions of this brew were barrel-aged—50% gin-infused bourbon barrels and 50% rye whiskey barrels. This delicious ale pairs well with bold combination foods such as pizza, burritos, and roasted vegetable chili. 8.2% | 70 IBUs

Hops: Magnum, Amarillo, Chinook, Cascade, Centennial & Mosaic


Drink responsibly,

eightychoices.