Style: Unfiltered IPA

Pairs well with an open world game.

Welcome to another craft beer review for Games And A Glass! This week I am reviewing a beer from Stone Brewing Company, centrally located in Escondido, California, with numerous other locations, including Virginia and Germany. Their beer for this week will be their Enjoy By 7.04.19, an unfiltered IPA. But of course, before going into the review, let’s talk about Stone Brewing.

Their site details the huge success as one of the first microbreweries to enter the craft beer scene.

“Founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner, Stone Brewing has come a long way since opening up in San Diego, California in 1996. We have been listed on the Inc. 500 | 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list 11 times, and has been called the “All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine twice. Stone Brewing is the ninth-largest craft brewer in the U.S. and with our breweries in Richmond, Virginia & Berlin, Germany, we join artisanal brewers across the world in the quest to show the public that there are more…and better…choices beyond the world of industrial beer.”

Some of Stone’s year-round beers include their Stone IPA, Tropic of Thunder lager and the Ripper San Diego pale ale. Their specialty releases include this week’s Enjoy By series, their Totalitarian imperial stout and the Vengeful Spirit IPA.

Stone’s description for their Enjoy By reads, “For this version of Stone Enjoy By IPA we thought: “We don’t always have a filter, so why should our beer?” By skipping a step and letting this devastatingly fresh, golden-hued double IPA go un filtered, the beer takes on a hazy appearance and its peach and tropical fruit hop aroma are intensified. So though it may sound like it, this missed step was no misstep.

Like the other IPAs in this series, this version is brewed specifically NOT to last.”

And now onto my thoughts!

Nose: On the nose there’s an uneven ratio of hops and a fruity aroma that blend together. The hops are strong and it takes center stage in this beer’s performance. The fruit in question is definitely some kind of peach or another tropical fruit. For me, the hops are more present up front, and the fruit comes in as a second wave to balance the aroma out. Ultimately this makes me think this beer’s taste will either be heavy on the hops with a bit of fruit, or vise versa.

Palate: In a weird combination, the hop and fruit flavors seem to muddle out each other’s intensity to create one slightly fruity, slightly bitter taste. I like it, as I think it brings the best of both worlds to (Cue Hannah Montana) to this beer. On the back end, after the blend of flavors have settled, the hops come in as a second wave that leaves a significant bitter taste that lingers on the tongue longer than I’d like it to. Thankfully, I think this beer’s best characteristic shows up first, when it needs to.

Overall: This was an interesting beer to review. I like it, and I think it’s both pleasing on the nose and, for the most part, pleasing on the palate. The hops and fruit mostly mesh together well, I’m just not crazy about the heavy backend of bitter hops. At 9.4 percent ABV, this beer is definitely on the stronger side, so I would be careful to not drink more than one or two. Like its name suggests, this beer is meant to be enjoyed by July 4th, so there’s still plenty of time to try it out!

I’d like to thank you for reading my craft beer review. If there’s ever a craft beer you’d recommend I try and/or review, please let me know and I will try, to the best of my ability, to acquire it! And remember, like a fine alcoholic beverage or a memorable video game, please enjoy in moderation.

While you’re here, feel free to check out The Spirit Shop NJ on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and where I currently work, we have dozens of craft beers with new ones coming in weekly! Check us out!