IPA Longweh

Well, I used to when I had the bladder of a younger man. Being of more advanced years now, it's more a case of IPA lot.

And speaking of lots of IPA, here's a bruising bottle of it from my old friends at Stone, North County, San Diego, California, USA. I believe it's a litre, so close on two pints, which should see me break the seal before bedtime.

The advantage of such a hefty vessel is that I'll get to the end of my glass, feel disappointed, then get an unexpected surge of pleasure as I realise there's almost another full glass left. OK, so not that unexpected, but you get where I'm drifting at.

As you may expect if you've been reading this blog, I'm quite looking forward to this one. The last Stone beer got a resounding thumbs up from me a few days ago and I'm hoping this one continues that tradition. With only two more to go after this, I'm pretty sure this is my last American ale, so it'd be nice for the seppos to go out on a high note.

One thing's for sure, I'll certainly be investigating more from this particular corner of California.

Beer: Stone Cali-Belgique IPA
Country: USA
Strength: 6.9%
Colour: Golden. Like the trailer to the film 'On Golden Pond'
Smell: Lovely sweet grapes picked from the ripest vines and squeezed by a vestal virgin. But with a whiff of grapefruit in there for good measure
Circumstance: Just back from Sainsbury's where it's utter mayhem and about to start wrapping Christmas presents, a task that will see me into the early hours
Tasting notes: One of the best IPAs I've ever tasted. Starts out flowery, with overtones of heather and passion flower, then switches from this Jeckyll into the Hyde of rampant, squint-inducing bitterness. It's turned into a snarling beast of a beer that's seized your tastebuds and is clinging on with the tenacity of a Jack Russell with lockjaw. It finally relents after you've spent a good couple of minutes pulling its tail and kicking it in the bollocks, whereupon you really fancy another swig.
Drinkability: It's a strong one, but despite that and its simmering malevolence, it's very easy on the tongue.
Gut reaction: Like any proper beer, this one will be fine. Trust me, you'll have no issue with this ale. Might need a wazz after the full bottle, mind.
Session factor: Higher than an ace. I could happily sit for hours in any weather, in any circumstance, and find myself grinning like a village idiot with a few of these lined up.