Stone Brewing Departs Summer with a Vengeance

We brought you a peek at this beer back in June, and now some vengeful beer news coming from Stone Brewing in Escondido, CA:

ESCONDIDO, CA (September 29, 2017) – Stone Brewing announces the latest in its seasonal beers, this one paying homage to the ever-present Gargoyle with a tropical mythology. Stone Vengeful Spirit IPA explodes with the flavors of citrus candy and tiki-style cocktails. Find the beer now, nationwide in six-packs of 12-ounce cans.

Stone’s brewers have often been inspired to brew beers on a theme. In 2007 it was black IPAs. 2008 saw Belgian-influenced IPAs, and more than once it’s been Triple IPAs. Right now, it’s tropically-inspired IPAs, as represented by this beer, Stone Tangerine Express IPA and others waiting in the wings. The name of the Stone Vengeful Spirit IPA plays homage to the Stone gargoyle, who, since 1996 has represented an aggressive intolerance for commoditized beer, by protecting the brewery from the omnipresent forces of evil.

“This beer brings together a lot of what’s been new for Stone lately,” said Jeremy Moynier, Stone’s senior innovation brewing manager. “We included three hops most recently featured in our Stone Hop Revolver IPA series. We’ve really been digging the combination of pineapple and tangerine, similar to what we introduced with Stone Tangerine Express IPA. By experimenting with different add rates and much different hops, we’ve come up with a really unique flavor that’s juicy, citrusy and quite frankly, a little mind-blowing.”

The Gargoyle’s vengeance sets off with the pop of the can. An intense aroma of pineapple, citrus, passion fruit and guava fill the room. The robust fruitiness on the flavor is supported by a hint of malt. The beer is refreshing, smooth and appropriately bitter. It’s hazy gold, 7.3% ABV and brewed to be enjoyed fresh.

As it turns out, vengeful spirits can be awesome…when they’re on your side. 

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Stone Vengeful Spirit IPA
• Web: Stonebrewing.com/VengefulSpirit
• Stats: 7.3% ABV, 57 IBUs
• Featured Hops: Herkules, Mosaic®, Loral™, Mandarina Bavaria
• Distribution: Australia, Berlin, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and nationwide in the U.S.
• Find Beer: find.stonebrewing.com

TASTING NOTES

• Appearance: Hazy gold. Fine bubbles and a white head.
• Aroma:  When you open the can, you immediately get the intense, fruity aroma of this beer—anyone in the same room will! Massive aroma of pineapple with orange, citrus, passion fruit, guava, and also very floral. The aroma is intense and wonderful!  
• Taste: A medley of tropical fruit juices including pineapple, orange and citrus. There is a hint of malt to support the massive fruitiness that comes from both fresh fruit and hops.
• Palate: This beer is super refreshing and smooth. It has a nice medium finish with just the right amount of bitterness coming from the fruit and the hops. The finish lingers just long enough to beg for another taste.
• Overall: Another exploration into fresh fruit with a nice array of fruity and floral hops. This is about as refreshing as it gets with just the right amount of malt and bitterness to carry this beer through to another sip, taste, pint, etc.

FOOD PAIRINGS

A massive fruit bomb with nice structure that pairs well with dishes made of fresh ingredients. It especially shines alongside a variety of fresh fish.

• Starters: Egg Rolls with Sweet and Sour Sauce, Quesadilla with Guacamole and Fresh Lime, Spam Musubi, Spicy Tuna Hand-Roll, Deep Fried Olives
• Soups and Salads: Chinese Chicken Salad with Mandarin Orange, Fresh Fruit Salad, Quinoa Salad, Pho, Pork Pozole
• Main Courses: Banh Mi, King Crab Legs with Drawn Butter, Seared Ahi, Pork Katsudon, Sautéed Petrale Sole in Herb Butter Sauce
• Desserts: Mochi, Cheesecake, Crepe Suzette, Green Tea Frozen Yogurt, Bananas Foster

ABOUT STONE BREWING

Founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner in 1996, the groundbreaking San Diego-based Stone Brewing is the 9th largest craft brewer in the United States. Recognized as an award-winning, industry leader, Stone has been listed on the Inc. 500 | 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list 12 times, has been called the “All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine twice. The multifaceted company is the first American craft brewer to independently build, own and operate their own brewery in Europe (Berlin, Germany), and also opened a production brewery in Richmond, Virginia in 2016. Known for its bold, flavorful and largely hop-centric beers, Stone has earned a reputation for brewing outstanding, unique beers while maintaining an unwavering commitment to sustainability, business ethics, philanthropy and the art of brewing…and pledging to never, ever, sell out to the man.  For more information on Stone Brewing,  please visit stonebrewing.com or the company’s social media sites: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.