ESCONDIDO, CA – Stone Brewing has spent the past 20 years building a reputation with bold, big-character beers…including many groundbreaking IPAs. So it’s no surprise the San Diego-based craft beer company is revisiting one of its hoppiest Stone Collaboration beers for the latest installment of the Stone 20th Anniversary Encore Series. Brewed with two fellow hop-obsessed brewers from California’s Beachwood Brewing and Heretic Brewing Company, the Beachwood / Heretic / Stone Still Unapologetic IPA is making its way to select markets nationwide in 22-ounce bottles and on draft.
Given the phenomenal result the trio created in 2014, Heretic owner and Brewmaster Jamil Zainasheff and Beachwood Brewmaster and co-owner Julian Shrago were invited to rebrew a new version of the memorable collaboration beer with the Stone Brewing team. Since they share an affection for over-the-top, hoppy beers, the collaborators couldn’t resist the opportunity to explore familiar territory and revisit this double IPA…and the dynamic trio is still not apologizing for making another IPA.
“Our brewing team had a great time collaborating with Jamil and Julian to create this recipe,” said Jeremy Moynier, senior innovation program manager. “It instantly became a fan favorite, so we were thrilled for the opportunity to bring this back under our Stone 20th Anniversary Encore Series. Given how tasty this beer was the first time around, we decided to keep most of it the same save for incorporating some different hop varietals to up the hop intensity.”
Early in the brewing process, classic American hops Chinook and Magnum are added to contribute earthy, piney and resiny overtones. With Azacca and Motueka as late kettle additions and in the dry hop, this double IPA carries prevalent citrusy and berry aromatics that transcend into the overall flavor. Beachwood / Heretic / Stone Still Unapologetic IPA highlights a new hop varietal, Idaho 7, that creates tropical fruit and herbal qualities. In all, five different hops were combined and added at various stages during the brewing process, producing myriad aromas and flavors that flourish against the mild body provided by the malt bill.
To experience the hop intensity in its prime, fans should enjoy Beachwood / Heretic / Stone Still Unapologetic IPA as soon as possible.
Who says the world needs another IPA? We still do.
QUICK FACTS: 20TH ANNIVERSARY ENCORE SERIES: BEACHWOOD / HERETIC / STONE STILL UNAPOLOGETIC IPA
- Name: 20th Anniversary Encore Series: Beachwood / Heretic / Stone Still Unapologetic IPA
- Web: stonebrewing.com/stillunapologetic
- Stats: 8.8% ABV, 85 IBUs
- Availability: Limited 22-ounce bottles and draft, beginning August 22
- Hop Varieties: Chinook, Magnum, Idaho 7, Motueka and Azacca
- National Distribution: AK, AR, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT and WA
- International Distribution: Australia, German, Hong Kong, Japan Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand
- Find Beer: find.stonebrewing.com
TASTING NOTES: 20TH ANNIVERSARY ENCORE SERIES: BEACHWOOD / HERETIC / STONE STILL UNAPOLOGETIC IPA
- Appearance: Pours a golden color with a creamy white head of foam.
- Aroma: Intensely aromatic, with tropical and herbal notes, followed by blueberry, sage, grapes and mild malt.
- Taste: Tropical fruit, mango, passion fruit and hop resin, balanced with a crisp, clean malt finish.
- Palate: Dry with very smooth bitterness.
- Overall: For round 2 of this beer with Jamil of Heretic and Julian of Beachwood, we decided to change up the hop combination a bit. This time we included Idaho 7, a newer hop to come out of this exciting growing region. Idaho 7 tends to be intensely tropical along with resiny pine and herbal notes. To complement, we again used Azacca for the citrus and berry qualities from that hop and also added in Motueka, a New Zealand hop that also has intense tropical qualities along with lime and citrus.
It was awesome to be able to make this beer again with our friends, and since we are all hopheads, it seemed natural to alter it and try a different hop combination. The result is amazing. With each sip, you get more and more layers of different fruit backed by a solid malt and bitter backbone.
ABOUT STONE BREWING
Founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner in 1996, San Diego-based Stone Brewing is the 10th largest craft brewer in the United States. Stone has been listed on the Inc. 500 | 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list 12 times, and has been called the “All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine twice. The multifaceted company is the first American craft brewer to independently build, own and operate their own brewery in Europe (Berlin, Germany), and also opened a production brewery in Richmond, Virginia in 2016. Known for its bold, flavorful and largely hop-centric beers, Stone has earned a reputation for brewing outstanding, unique beers while maintaining an unwavering commitment to sustainability, business ethics, philanthropy and the art of brewing. For more information on Stone Brewing, please visit stonebrewing.com or the company’s social media sites: Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and The Stone Blog.