Beer Spotlight!

Stone 26th Anniversary IPA

$16.99 for the 12oz six-pack cans
Imperial IPA

Way back in 1997 when we were talking about O.J. verdicts, a small craft brewery in San Diego was indulging in its unabashed hop fixat … you know what? We’re going to let Stone tell you themselves.

“25 years ago we celebrated the 1st Anniversary of our fledgling brewery with a beer that was far away from the craft beer norms at the time. It was far too intense. It was far too hoppy and bitter. Yet it became the shot heard ‘round the world, and beer history was changed forever. We’re talking of course about our flagship Stone IPA. So, to celebrate the beer that (eventually) launched generations of hop fanatics, we present this imperial version of the beer that made our name among the (budding) craft beer legions. Loaded with gloriously bitter notes of piney, citrusy, resinous dankness, it’s everything we love about our classic West Coast style IPA … properly turned up to 11 [uh … strike that] 25 for the occasion.” — Stone Brewing Company

The Stone 26th Anniversary IPA is a single-hop Imperial IPA that doubles down on the Centennial hop. Still favored today in citrusy New England style IPAs, we first knew it as a bittering workhorse back when the only hops we cared about from New Zealand and Australia were being made by kangaroos. (Editor’s Note: Kangaroos are not native to New Zealand.) This brew indulges so much in the resiny character of Centennial, that you’d think it was a rye IPA. It’s a lot, but not too much — at least, not for hop fans, which, we guess, we are, considering how much we enjoy sipping on this brew.