Stone Brewing Company is not a brewery that rest on its laurels. It is constantly developing new and exciting brews that consistently blow the collective minds of beer lovers the world over. It is not surprising then that they announced two more releases on February 14, one new and one a returning favorite.
The first, Stone Jindia Double IPA, is a double IPA, instilled with botanicals like ginger, juniper berries, lemon peel and lime peel. The inspiration for the brew comes from ingredients traditionally found in gin.
The returning beer is Stone Pataskala Red X IPA, a red IPA brewed with a unique malt called Red X from Germany-based BESTMALZ.
Read more in the official press release below:
ESCONDIDO, CA (February 14, 2017) – Today, Stone Brewing announces two seasonal additions to its 2017 lineup of offerings with the brand new Stone Jindia Pale Ale, and the return of the much loved Stone Pataskala Red X IPA.
Making its debut as a Stone Imperial Seasonal, Stone Jindia Pale Ale is a double IPA, instilled with ginger, juniper berries, lemon peel and lime peel. The botanicals mix miraculously well with a double dose of the most delectable hops.
Steve Gonzalez, Stone’s Senior Manager of Small Batch Brewing & Innovation, jumped at the chance to create this beer as he had experience in his former job making gin blends. And he absolutely nailed it. The beer has the hop-forward component of a great IPA and also the complexity of aroma and flavors derived from gin botanicals.
“Our co-founder, Greg Koch, came up with the idea of an IPA with gin botanicals after we had done the Stone & Sierra Nevada NxS IPA, which had a portion of the beer aged in gin barrels,” said Jeremy Moynier, Senior Innovation Brewing Manager. “Along with hops, we added ginger, juniper berries, lemon peel and lime peel to create a truly unique beer.”
Returning for a second year, Stone Pataskala Red X IPA, is a red IPA brewed with a unique malt called Red X from Germany-based BESTMALZ. The beer features a backstory as vibrant as its hop bill. This specialty seasonal red IPA was first brewed in September 2015 as a fundraising beer to support music and arts education programs in Pataskala, Ohio, where co-founder Greg Koch grew up. People loved it, so it was added to the 2016 beer lineup and the name stuck. Rarely used in hoppy beers, the special German malt variety is typically reserved for German amber lagers, Irish red ales and other mildly-hopped beers. But that’s not the Stone way.
“We loved this beer and knew we had to bring it back this year,” said Moynier. “It’s a challenging beer to brew on the big scale with the amount of hops and Red X malt that we use. But I think when you taste it you will know it’s worth the effort! It has a beautiful balance of hops and malt and definitely makes you want to have more than one pint!”
Mosaic, Amarillo and Cascade hops provide this red IPA with an upfront fruity and piney aroma, transcending into stone fruit flavor and pleasingly lingering bitterness. Brewed with late hop additions and generously dry-hopped, the 7.3 % ABV beer is incredibly hop-forward, yet balanced by very unique cereal notes and biscuit undertones from the Red X malt. When all the ingredients are combined, this IPA showcases the signature qualities of classic hoppy Stone beers: citrusy, herbal, balanced just right.
Beginning today, both will be will be available in 12-ounce six-packs to retailers and on draft at restaurants and bars where Stone beer is sold.
STONE JINDIA PALE ALE
QUICK FACTS
Name: Stone Jindia Pale Ale
Stats: 8.7% ABV, 70 IBUs
Availability: Seasonal 12-ounce bottles in six-packs and draft, available now
Hop Varieties: Magnum, Cascade, Centennial
TASTING NOTES
Appearance: Copper and deep gold.
Aroma: Fresh botanicals combine with a ton of citrus. Fresh fruit, lemon, juniper, ginger, spruce, and slight caramel can be found on the nose.
Taste: Flavors of citrus, berries, juniper, ginger, red fruit and hop resin. The flavor components blend together nicely leading to a hop backbone and a strong finish.
Palate: A complex beer with a strong mid-palate leading up to a smooth, warm finish.
Overall: A truly unique beer combining the attributes from a citrusy IPA, balanced with botanicals reminiscent of gin. The flavor components meld nicely in this big, but well-balanced, beer.
SUGGESTED PAIRINGS
A full-bodied beer with immense balance and a lot going on with the citrus, citrusy hops, spicy ginger and fruity juniper. Tons of pairing potential with this beer. Pair with hearty soups, stew, and salad, just about any type of fish served with a squeeze of lemon or lime, roasted and herbed meats, and fresh or dried red and dark fruits. With the citrus and ginger combo, this beer screams to be paired with sushi.
STONE PATASKALA RED X IPA
QUICK FACTS
Name: Stone Pataskala Red X IPA
Stats: 7.3% ABV, 75 IBUs
Availability: Seasonal 12-ounce bottles in six-packs and draft, available now
Hop Varieties: Amarillo, Cascade, Mosaic
TASTING NOTES
Appearance: A beautiful beer! It pours deep amber with ruby red highlights and a tan head.
Aroma: A blend of dank, herbal and citrus hop aromas dominate, followed by a nice low-level toasted malt character.
Taste: The hops come across very citrusy, followed by a bit of dankness and stone fruit, then the malt flavors provide a nice balance and layers of complexity.
Palate: Dry and moderately bitter.
Overall: The flavor is mild, not intense like other red malts, but unique and adds a great component to a hoppy beer.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Chips and salsa, grilled cheese crostini, Pho, tomato bisque, Stone World Bistro & Gardens Bruschetta BLT, Kansas City barbecue, margherita pizza, miso ramen, Apple pie, raisin oatmeal cookies.
