Stone 10th Anniversary IPA!! Again!

It has been said that this Imperial IPA is way past its prime and has really lost it! As an IIPA, yes. As a world class strong ale it is still up in a class by itself!

It pours a murky bright orange, with a very slight head (not that I really care how much head it has, as I feel carbonation is very overated in aged beers), that continues to leave a layer of effervessence on the top as it sits.

The first whiff upon tipping the glass is of the slighty musty, aged scent you'd get from a fine port or aged whiskey, just to let you know that it has been stored like a genie in a bottle for 2 years and 3 months! Not a lot of the Summit hops in the nose, maybe just a bit of a hay bale sort of character that is strangely enticing.

As I sip this I cannot help but find the flavors almost indescribable! The hops continue to have a citrus (slight grapefruit/tangerine), as the well developed semi-sweet malts fight to overtake the ever present, but not as long lasting hop bitterness. I have said I would really almost classify this as a Barleywine, with its fruity-citrus and bitter hop, with the sweet malt that has the ability to age as this does.

As it warms and I sip, I still can't put my finger on it, but this is still developing into a fine, fine ale of great taste and quality. So, who cares if it's no longer an IIPA, who needs the beer reviewing sites anyway! Except for this one of course!

On BA this rates.. Oh who the hell cares why would I even bother to put a number on something like this, or hype some beer so you could only by it on EBay for $50-$400? I'll just think for myself, thanks, and just give you my thoughts on my experience and not on what I'm expected to say!

By the way, never expect me to rate something compared to those two rating sites. I feel it's unfair to some brewers and breweries and just plain takes the experience of trial and error out of an individuals hands! That's just my two cents worth!