Go To IPA – Stone Brewing

I know your probably thinking, another Stone review means another high alcohol hop bomb, but in this instance you’re only half right. Stone Brewing recently added their tenth beer to their year round line up, Go To IPA, a sessionable IPA with a big flavor. For a refresher on what a session IPA is, check out my review of Pizza Port Ponto SIPA.

So aside from being another Stone IPA, this beer has some other interesting characteristics. The first is right the sheer amount of hops in this beer. There are NINE different hops in this beer: Mosaic, Citra, Ahtanum, Cascade, Crystal, El Dorado, Magnum, Sterling and 06300 (an experimental hop with high alpha acids and a woody, earthy flavor). The word on the street is that this is one of Stone’s hoppiest (as in quantity of hops) beers ever produced, only surpassed by Ruinten for hops per barrel of beer. The other interesting facet to this beer is the use of hop bursting to get all those hops into the beer. Despite what the name might make you think, this technique does not involve any crazy gadgets, instead it is a process of adding large quantities of mostly high beta acid hops late in the boil to maximize flavor and aroma while limiting the amount of bitterness in the beer. Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele attests that “Hop bursting really helped us overcome the challenge of making a lower alcohol full-flavored brew that doesn’t taste thin or watery.”

The beer pours a clear yellow with a foamy compliment of white head. The aroma is definitely the trademark Stone hop punch to the face, with pine, melon, citrus, and peach notes and just a hint of pale malt. It has a light body with a good amount of carbonation. The flavor starts with a flash of pale malt that steps aside for an assault of hops similar to the aroma, with notes of peach and melon and wrapping up on a subtle mix of pine and citrus. The finish in on the dryer side, but with a pleasant bitter pine hop that sticks around just the right amount of time.

Holy bajesus! That’s the best way to describe this beer. It tastes like a double IPA but is at a dangerously drinkable level that a six-pack on a lazy Saturday would be very doable. This beer is able to deliver all the crazy hops that you expect from a Stone beer and I can definitely see why it got the name Go To IPA, as there are probably a good number of people that this will become their IPA of preference. I think every hop fan should give this brew at lease one try as it has an exquisite hop profile that you just can’t say no to. This beer will be available most places that sell Stone six packs and at the Stone Company Stores year-round.

Cheers!
Jeff Prosser