Tioga-Sequoia 'Half Dome' California Wheat with Stone Fruit. 4.7% abv. 17 IBU. Pale straw yellow color. Hazy. Thin white head that falls to a sustaining collar and scattered surface. Fair retention, nice lace.

Nose of berry, light honey, wildflowers, white bread. A mild spice aroma emerges as the temp rises. Front taste of sweet melon, light grapefruit, banana, faint floral hops on the back end. Aftertaste is fruit resin, treacle, candied lemon peel, white wine grapes, with a dry finish. Light body. Mouthfeel is cool, round, resiny, juicy.

This is the second version of Half Dome, and like its predecessor, it serves as a wonderful session beer, a cool, relaxing, refreshing, and easy-drinking brew. It's perfect for backyard barbecues, or as a first beer to start off a nice eventing craft vertical. Mild and light, but pungent and flavorful, it's just rich enough in body and taste to satisfy both the newcomers to beer and seasoned craft enthusiasts. A crowd pleaser.

If you have a friend who has only had big corporate factory beers, but is looking to explore the world of craft beer, this is the one you hand them as a way to ease into a world of aroma, body, and flavor, a solid "bridge" beer superior to most. Well recommended.

NOTE: This version of Half Dome is its second recipe, one that is brewed with stone fruit from the San Joaquin Valley. Check out my review of the brewery's original recipe. Cheers!

From the brewery:

"Half dome in Yosemite National Park is one of the most iconic and recognizable images in California. Like the magnificent granite dome, our half home california wheat is an original. It has evolved over the years, and finally reached its peak through a partnership with the Fresno County Farm Bureau, which provides the locally sourced stone fruit that makes half dome so unique. go on an adventure with this smooth, refreshing and juicy wheat beer, flavored from the heart of California, and take your taste buds to new heights."
[source: tiogasequoia.com]

Stone Brewing 'Mocha IPA' Double IPA. 9% abv. 80 IBU. Amber cola color. Finger of white foamy head. Excellent retention and lacing. Nose of fresh ground coffee, sweet dark chocolate, earthy. Front taste of cocoa powder, fruity hops, bright spice on the back end. Aftertaste of molasses, bittersweet chocolate, botanical notes. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm, resiny, slightly sticky.

This is an outstanding and unique beer. The aroma promises fresh coffee and ample chocolate, and the flavor still delivers more than you expect. Under the rich mocha profile is a bed of herbal and floral hops that layers the taste with each sip. A superbly crafted beer that has a ton of tall flavor from beginning to end. Strongly recommended.

From the brewery:

"A style-defying double IPA with cacao and coffee. IPA with mocha indulgence. Clearly, style lines have been crossed. Is it half-IPA, half-stout? Not quite. It’s definitely all IPA, but it’s also the best of both styles, making this love child of a beer simply just a beautiful, pleasure-seeking meld of imperial IPA and mocha indulgence. How did we come up with this inexplicably delicious creation? Well, that doesn’t really matter. What matters is that it exists and that it’s here for you now, thanks to our deliberate disregard for brewing norms. Some things are not meant to be known, just enjoyed...thoroughly... 

"Liberty Station Brewing Manager Kris Ketcham was inspired by two beers to create this wonderful IPA. Aleman / Two Brothers / Stone DayMan Coffee IPA and Stochasticity Project Master of Disguise golden stout triggered an inspiration in Kris to brew an IPA with both coffee and cocoa influence. When he first brewed this in 2015, it was an instant smash hit. And now we’ve found a great home for it!"

[source: stonebrewing.com]

Stone Brewing 'Americano Stout' Imperial Stout. 8.7% abv. 65 IBU. Black in color. Finger of small- bead bubbly tan head. Excellent retention with thick ribbons of lace. Nose of bright freshly ground coffee, vanilla, cocoa powder. As the temp rises, aromas of bright herb and fruity coffee beans emerge.

Front taste of bittersweet dark chocolate, strong black coffee, earthy spice notes, bitter herb on the back end. Aftertaste of bitter herbal hops, sweet black coffee, dark fruit notes, resin sustain. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm, creamy, foamy, slightly astringent on the exit.

This is an outstanding beer, and a sterling example of its category. This is what a coffee stout should be. The coffee flavor is tall, bright, and fresh, as if the beans were roasted and ground mere moments before being added to an already excellent imperial stout.  The aroma is luxuriously coffee, evolving as the temp rises, becoming pungent fruity whole coffee beans.

This beer immediately brought to mind the first time I had Tioga-Sequoia 'Rush Hour' on tap, a local beer that incorporated fresh roasted coffee within 20 minutes. "The coffee was still warm from the roast when they added it to the beer," I was told. And man, did it taste like it. It took me by surprise and blew my mind. Stone says they achieve the same fresh bright notes by letting their blend of hops "invigorate" the coffee. The approach works. This beer grabbed my attention and made me think "Whoa, this is good." I love it when a beer does that. Strongly recommended.

From the brewery:

"A decidedly American imperial stout with espresso. The coffee notes in Stone Americano Stout are bold, rich and full of American swagger. For each 120-barrel batch, we incorporated over 250 lbs. of artisanal espresso-roast beans into the mash and added in Columbus, Chinook, Amarillo and Cascade hops to invigorate the coffee taste with a slight citrus and resin hop presence. When it came time to selecting our coffee, we chose the same local roasters who contributed to our sought-after 2013 Stone ESPRESSO Imperial Russian Stout. Their fantastic beans helped us achieve this dark, hoppy and wonderfully aromatic espresso stout.

[source: stonebrewing.com]

"Brewed with some serious beans. The coffee notes in Stone Americano Stout are bold, rich, and full of American swagger. We incorporated a mother lode of artisanal espresso beans into the mash and added in Columbus, Chinook, Amarillo and Cascade hops to invigorate the coffee taste with a slight citrus and resin hop presence. Coffee roasting, like artisanal brewing, has risen to be a true art form in recent decades. Techniques that blend art, science and ingenuity have allowed roasters to create coffees that offer incredible depth, complexity and nuance. When it came time to selecting our coffee,we chose San Diego roasters Ryan Bros. Coffee. These are the same guys who contributed their art to our sought-after 2013 Stone Espresso Imperial Russian Stout. Their fantastic espresso helped us achieve the perfect match to our beer, one that's certain to satisfy your coffee fixation. Rest assured... not a single decaf bean was used in the process."

[source: bottle]

Stone Brewing 'Arrogant Bastard Bourbon Barrel Aged' Ale. 8.1% abv. Dark ruby color with finger of foamy ivory head. Superb retention and lace. Nose of bourbon, vanilla, caramel, distant oak. Round botanicals and herbal hops emerges as the temp rises. Front taste of brown sugar, bourbon, mellow wood notes on the back end. Aftertaste of ample bittersweet herbal hops, toffee, burnt sugar. Full body. Mouthfeel is hot, round, creamy, carby, clingy.

This is an outstanding beer. The addition of aging in bourbon barrels transforms the well-known strong hoppy ale into a worthy barley wine. The wood expression and boozy notes are well established throughout, from the thick aroma to the sweet herbal aftertaste. Outstanding beer. Strongly recommended.

I had this wonderful beer side-by-side with the standard Arrogant Bastard, legendary beer in its own right. It was an interesting comparison. I've had AB numerous times since its creation. That delicious herbal hoppy profile was over-the-cliff in its day, and is still considered aggressive with its IBU today, but the barrel aging truly mellowed out the hop bite without completely smothering it in bourbon or wood. If you can, grab a bottle of each and have a little mini-vertical for yourself. 

From the brewery:

"I awake from a slumber that’s been anything but peaceful. I don’t take kindly to idling and I am anything but neutral. Life has nothing to do with killing time, and the knowledge that months have passed since the onset of my sequestering in this pitch-black oaken tomb (albeit a barrel flush with brilliant aromas of vanilla and char) does not sit well. But then comes a tingle followed by rejuvenating warmth, signs that something is different…something has changed…and for the better. I feel stronger yet somehow more nimble and refined. I feel even more self-assured, and my vision for what is good and right, honest and true, is as laser-sharp as the brawny, bawdy, liquid Arrogance that shall further advance my battle against all things mediocre and geared toward the lowest common denominator. I have been born anew and, in the process, anointed with vibrant, inspiring, previously unexperienced character, all while maintaining everything I am and have always been—bold, bullish, unadulterated, and yes, Arrogant. Are you Worthy of quaffing a beverage of this intensity, irreverence and quality craftsmanship? Not likely, but for those who “get it,” I know my time in this bourbon barrel has not been wasted. Cheers to you, enlightened imbiber. On second thought, cheers to me!"

[source: arrogantbastard.com]

“I didn’t give you permission to pick me up, let alone drink me. Being gropes as you mutter to yourself taxes my patience. While I am a master of social complexities and articulate thought, clearly you are not. I embody the pinnacle of intellectual and artistic fulfillment, while you bring the baggage of preconceived notions, which only distract. Yet, I’ll I’ve you one chance: Aspire to free your mind. Use a crowbar if you must. Approach me with openness, unsullied by your irrelevant “life experience,” or leave me alone. No, you don’t have to put up with this. Go tweet your precious insights about me. Thrill yourself by imagining your three or 30,000 followers hanging on your every work. OMG, they’re waiting to read the thought you just had. Now close your mouth and either set me down or do your worst. What’s that? You’re going to drink a fizzy yellow beer out of spite? Self-flagellate all you like, tiger. Proclaim your unworthiness to whoever will listen.”

[source: bottle]

Two Arrogant Bastards were tasted that evening. The classic standard and the bourbon barrel aged gem. Nice little flight.

Stone Brewing 'Stochasticity Project HiFi+LoFi Mixtape' Ale. 8.8% abv. 70 IBU. Deep amber color. Finger of white head. Outstanding retention, excellent lace. Nose of bread, stone fruit, notes of herbal spice and wood. Front taste of bitter earthy hops, amber malt, sweet stone fruit, dank back end. Aftertaste is flat earthy, light malt, tangy citrus sustain. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm-hot, tangy, slightly thick.

This is a good beer that fell slightly below expectations, inflated they may be. The aroma promises a complex mix of fruits and herbs, but the taste does not fully deliver. The sweet fruit flavor is present, as is a bready malt taste, but the spice bouquet and herbal profile are nearly absent, replaced by a dank bitter hop impression. There is some citrus riding the back of the aftertaste, but it is faint and not enough to make up for the lacking initial taste.

All this being said, I still encourage you to seek out this beer, especially its offshoots, which make good use of this beer as a solid base for further experiments. It's certainly a brew that invites discussion and even debate regarding its unusual flavor profile and ultimate delivery. Recommended, especially if you like experimental brews.

From the brewery:

"A beer that pays homage to a centuries-old tradition of combining new beer with aged “stock ales.” Freshly brewed beers of the day often were very smoky and bitter tasting, and were blended with older beer that had mellowed with age to produce more drinkable libations. This modern brew will showcase our brewers’ talents by blending a stock ale aged more than three months in oak foudres (large wooden fermentation vessels) with a fresh version of the same beer to create a perfect harmony spanning end to end on the taste spectrum."

[source: stochasticity.com]

"There is no happenstance or coincidence. Dumb luck is a fallacy and randomness a commonly accepted mistruth. Much of what seemingly falls into place and seems so natural is a result of Stochasticity, a concept embraced and exalted by this special and unpredictable series of beers, where exotic notions, ingredients and ideas coalesce at an interesting and often unexpected endpoint. Fresh and Vintage tracks combine for the perfect liquid playlist. Even before the science of beer was fully understood, those seeking to present the finest iteration of an ale had their ways of ensuring flavors and textures that were a cut above. In Britain, pub owners kept ‘stock ales’ on hand, beers that had been left to mature in vats or oak barrels. During this aging period, the beers would mellow and occasionally, develop a twinge of tartness. These publicans were unaware of the oxidative or microbilolicigal reasons for such changes, but found that blending some of their stock ales with fresh beers – which dented to be overly bitter and smoky – made ideal quaffs for their patrons. For this beer, we have taken a page from this tale of British pub life and blended a stock ale aged more than three months in oak foudres (large wooden fermentation vessels more commonly used by vintners) with a fresh version of that beer to create perfect harmony spanning end to end on the taste spectrum."

[source: bottle]

Stone Brewing 'w00tstout 2015' Imperial Stout. 13% abv. 45 IBU. Dark brown, almost black in color. Thin tan collar head. Nose of raisins, bourbon, chocolate, almond. Front taste of sweet milk chocolate, plum, molasses, black coffee. Aftertaste is rich chocolate, nutty notes, pecans, toffee, faint licorice, dark fruit, vanilla notes on the back. Full body. Mouthfeel is hot, thick, almost syrupy, creamy, clingy, with an alcoholic sustain.

This is an outstanding beer. The aroma and taste are complex, with lots of cocoa, dark fruit, and nutty flavors mingling about. The aftertaste is equally playful, giving you a varied flavor profile from nose to sustain. This is one of those exclusive big beers not to be missed, worthy of the hype. Strong recommended.

From the brewery:

"This righteously flavorful imperial stout has been a favorite among our fans—and us—since its inception in 2013. In celebration of its third brewing, we’ve upped the barrel-aging quotient for 2015, adding to the mix a version of last year’s vintage that we aged in bourbon barrels for a year. This whopping, complex stout will cellar beautifully—if you can wait that long. Eisner Award-winning comic-book cover artist Dave “The Reverend” Johnson created the fine art for the bottle in exchange for our donation to The Hero Initiative (heroinitiative.org), a charity organization that provides retirement funds for golden-age comic book artists."

[source: stonebrewing.com]

"Wil Wheaton first called us in 2004 to ask whether it’d be OK for him to put the Arrogant Bastard logo on his blog’s website (back when people still asked permission to do such things), and I just so happened to answer the phone (back when I still answered the main line sometimes). Since he was so damn enthusiastic about our beers, I said, “Sure, no problem,” all while thinking, “Hmmm…this guy’s name sounds familiar. • Months later, in a serendipitous turn of fate, I reached out to our 10,000th email newsletter subscriber…drumroll…Wil Wheaton. Turned out that since his gigs in the iconic “Stand By Me” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Will had become quite the renaissance man, adding author, w00stock innovator and homebrewer to his resume. His enthusiasm for the fermentable arts and our beer was such that after many occasions of sharing grog over the years, we decided it was time to brew in collaboration. • It was a no-brainer for us to choose Drew Curtis – known by many as the twisted mind behind Fark.com – as our third cohort. Drew was an old friend of Wil’s whom I had serendipitously met (when he saw me and told me, “Dude, I love your beer!”) and enjoyed many beers with at the famous TED conference three years in a row. The beer you hold before you is an Imperial Stout made with wheat (Wil pretty much insisted), and we also paid tribute to Drew’s Kentucky roots by adding rye and pecans to the mix and partially aging the beer in bourbon barrels. The result? Nothing short of serendipitous. • In celebration of the third brewing of this annual offering, we added a mix of the version of last year’s vintage that we aged in bourbon barrels for a year. Consider it a superhero version of this sudsy staple of Hop-Con, our imaginatively titled annual July w00tstout release event! • Brought in to put a personalized stamp on this year’s edition of w00tstout was famed comic-book cover artist Dave “The Reverend” Johnson. The Elsner Award winner, known for his work for DC Comics and the Vertigo series “100 Bullets,” created the fine art for this bottle in exchange for our donation to The Hero Initiative (heroinitiative.org), a charity organization that provides retirement funds for golden-age comic book artists."
[source: bottle]

Stone Brewing 'Ruination 2.0' Double IPA. 8.5% abv. 100+ IBU. Golden honey color. Two+ fingers of white foamy head. Excellent retention and lace. Nose of sweet citrus, fruity hops, pine notes, biscuit. Front taste of ample bitter fruity hops, mild grapefruit rind, tropical light fruit, strong pine and floral hops on the back. Aftertaste of citrus peel, bitter floral hop bite, sweet light malt sustain. Light-medium body. Mouthfeel is warm-hit, sticky, resiny, floral.

This is an excellent DIPA, a bolder, more complex successor to the original Ruination. The blend of hops shows in every sniff and sip, with a bitter fruit backbone accented by sweet, malty, and floral tastes. The mouthfeel alone elevates this to an imperial/double level, along with the notes of pine, tropical fruit, and strong citrus. Very good stuff. A must for fans of hoppy, complex beers. Well recommended.

From the brewery:

"Stone Ruination IPA was the first full-time brewed and bottled West Coast double IPA on the planet. As craft beer has evolved over the years, so too have techniques for maximizing hop flavors and aromas. For the second incarnation of our groundbreaking India pale ale, we employed dry hopping and hop bursting to squeeze every last drop of piney, citrusy, tropical essence from the hops that give this beer its incredible character. We’ve also updated the name to reflect the imperial-level intensity that’s evident in every sip. Join us in cheering this, the second stanza in our 'Liquid Poem to the Glory of the Hop.'"

[source: stonebrewing.com]

"When this double IPA first hit the scene in 2002, the hoppy beer landscape was far different than it is today. Ales offering an onslaught of resinous humulus lupulus were virtually unknown. Thankfully, that is no longer the case. Terms such as "lupulin" and "IBU" are well established in the craft beer lexicon. And with the knowledge of all that hops have to offer comes the desire to go beyond bracing bitterness. Fortunately, Stone Ruination IPA had always been crafted to celebrate all the facets of the hop - its beauty and poetry, it's boldness and might. As craft beer has evolved, so too have techniques for extracting the best and the most out of hops. So we modernized Stone Ruination IPA, coaxing every last drop of piney, citrusy, tropical essence from the Centennial, Citra, Simcoe and Azacca hops that give this beer its incredible character. Join us in cheering this, the second stanza in our 'Liquid Poem to the Glory of the Hop.'"

[source: bottle]

Stone Brewing Smoked Porter. 5.9% abv. Black in color. Thin beige head. Excellent retention and outstanding lacing. Nose of dark fruit, sweet dark malt, smoke. Front taste of smoked grain, dark bitter fruit, dark chocolate. Rich and meaty. Aftertaste is smoke, mild spice, bitter dark fruity hops. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm, rich, thick.

This is a good smoky beer, an ideal example of its category. The smoke flavor comes through nicely throughout without overpowering, accenting the malt grain taste, not replacing it. Notes of fruit and chocolate mingle well, adding to the somewhat complex flavor. Nicely crafted and delicious. Well recommended.

From the brewery:

"When first released, our smoky version of a traditional English porter was ahead of its time. Today, it's a highly regarded staple among craft beer fans and our go-to food complement; pairing effortlessly with all kinds of cuisine, from peanut butter and banana sandwiches to braised pork belly to apple pie. This worldly libation is dark, smooth, and complex, with rich chocolate and coffee flavors suffused with subtle smokiness from the addition of peat-smoked malt."

[source: stonebrewing.com]

Wonderful lacing on this smoked porter.

Stone Brewing IPA. 6.9% abv. 77 IBU. Color was a hazy apricot, reminded me of Hoegaarden. Bubbly brew with a thick head that dissipated in a couple of minutes. Decent retention. Excellent lacing throughout. Aroma of hops, fragrant citrus, mild floral. Front taste was a hoppy burst, balance bitter, citrus rind. Aftertaste of grapefruit, slightly sweet malt, floral hops. Thin body. Mouthfeel was sticky, lingering, slight carb. This is a  great California IPA. Recommended.

From the brewery:

"By definition, an India Pale Ale is hoppier and higher in alcohol than its little brother, pale ale-and we deliver in spades. Now one of the most well respected and best-selling IPAs in the country, this golden beauty explodes with citrusy flavor and hop aromas, all perfectly balanced by a subtle malt character. This crisp, extra hoppy brew is hugely refreshing on a hot day, but will always deliver no matter when you choose to drink it."