Review: Stone Enjoy By 12.25.16 Unfiltered IPA and Xocoveza
More new stuff from Stone, just in time for Christmas.
Stone Enjoy By 12.25.16 Unfiltered IPA – Like Stone’s other “Enjoy By” IPAs, this beer has a limited shelf life of a matter of weeks. For Christmas, Stone’s limited edition bottling is stuffed full of a whopping 12 different varieties of hops and is bottled unfiltered. The hazy double IPA takes on a distinct pineapple note up front, but the overall level of bitterness is surprisingly restrained. The finish offers some cereal character but is balanced by a ton of fruit, helping it to drink at a much more reasonable abv than its actual 9.4% would suggest. A / $8 per 22 oz. bottle
Stone Xocoveza – This oddity is a winter-spiced mocha stout, built around cocoa, Mostra coffee, pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and milk sugar. It’s a boozy, beery take on Mexican hot chocolate, which turns out both quite pleasing and holiday-appropriate. A powerhouse of a beer, Xocoveza is heavy with raw coffee ground notes, smoky cigar tobacco, and bitter chocolate shavings, making for an appropriately wintry, fireside experience. Something like may sound like it is probably best enjoyed in small quantities, though the overall experience, smoothed out by that lightly sweet milk sugar, is easier going than you would expect. 8.1% abv. B+ / $16 per six-pack
Stone Xocoveza
$16
