It is Friday night and we have another pack from Stone Brewing to review!
This week, is Stone Brewing’s “Hazy IPA Mixed Pack” which features four different IPA flavors (including one we’ve done and that we are revisiting). It replaces their “Tiki Escape Pack” which, for us, was the beer pack of the summer.
So, pour yourself your favorite alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage, sit down, kick back, and chill with us while we taste the “Hazy IPA Mixed Pack” from Stone Brewing!
Our first beer is…
BEER: Neverending Haze IPA
ABV: 4%
MATT: 3.75/5
DANIELLE: 4/5
LOOK: Amber and hazy
SCENT: An amalgam of hops, carmel, grapefruit, orange peel, and tropical fruit
MOUTHFEEL/TASTE: Thin mouthfeel with grapefruit and orange peel on the front end and that trademark Stone IPA bite on the backend for even more bitterness.
FINAL REFLECTIONS: This is a nice, light, refreshing IPA that doesn’t assault the taster. It has some nice front-end flavor and good carbonation with just enough of that bite that all Stone beers seem to have. This is an IPA for people who look at the word “IPA” and cringe.
BEER: Hazy IPA
ABV: 6.7%
MATT: 4/5
DANIELLE: 3.75/5
LOOK: Gold and hazy
SCENT: Light, pineapple and pina colada and cream
MOUTHFEEL/TASTE: Thicker mouthfeel than the last beer. Tropical sweet to it, cream there as well. Heavy pineapple-based flavor here. Bitterness on the back end. Refreshing and more of a summer beer than a fall beer.
FINAL REFLECTIONS: I really liked this. This is a friendly IPA which greets your tongue with a nice mango/pina colada flavoring, offset by a nice, mild IPA bite on the finish. This is an amazing beer and one which I found to be better than the last. Danielle didn’t think it was better than the last and thought it was just as good.
BEER: Tangerine Express IPA
ABV: 6.75%
MATT: 4/5
DANIELLE: 3/5
LOOK: Darker gold and somewhat hazy — though not like the others.
SCENT: Orange all the way…tangerine peel, what did you expect?
MOUTHFEEL/TASTE: Somewhat thick mouthfeel. You have a lot of tangerine and citrus plus bitter hops and alcohol. Very refreshing.
FINAL REFLECTIONS: I have grown to really enjoy this beer. Nice, crisp, refreshing orange peel and hops combo with a good amount of bitterness. Danielle is not so enthused — though she says that it’s enjoyable enough. This doesn’t really work as a fall-style beer, however.
BEER: FEAR.MOVIE.LIONS Hazy Double IPA
ABV: 8.5%
MATT: 4.5/5
DANIELLE: 3.75/5
LOOK: Dark gold, bordering on amber
SCENT: Pine, carmel, resin hops
MOUTHFEEL/TASTE: Slight thick mouthfeel. All the flavor I mentioned above is perfectly balanced and refreshing.
FINAL REFLECTIONS: FML (HA!) is one of the best beers Stone has ever produced and one of the best I have ever had. It has a great balance of hops, carmel, malt, and pine with the big bite Stone is known for at the back end. This beer is a meditative revelation. Outstanding.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Stone Brewing can do no wrong with their mixed packs. Everything here is deep quality. The only flaw is the timing. This is not really a Fall pack and tastes more like something you’d drink in the spring or the summer. Even still, this is a good replacement for the Stone Tiki Escape pack.
Hear our final thoughts here!: