Stone Releases Enjoy By 02.14.17 Chocolate & Coffee IPA

We brought you the first peek at this beer back in early Nov, and now it’s hitting the shelves.  This from Stone:

Instead of opting for a more clichéd romantic gesture, we turned our attention to making this sought-after double IPA even more seductive to the palate. On top of our standard bouquet of a dozen hops, we piled on the chocolate and coffee to make a beautiful entwinement of IPA goodness and vice-satisfying richness.

These kegs are $123 + tax & refundable $100 deposit. Keg pumps are available for an additional $50 deposit.

It’s not unusual to see pronouncements of “I Heart Hops,” “I Heart Chocolate” or “I Heart Coffee” throughout #socialmedia, printed on T-shirts and, natch, emblazoned on coffee cups. Over the past couple of decades we have helped add “I Freaking Heart IPAs” to that lexicon. Today, passionate people can’t imagine a world without all of the above. For this special edition, we added chocolate and coffee to make this devastatingly fresh IPA even more seductive to the palate. We humbly suggest that you use this libation to proclaim your love for someone… and we suggest that someone be you. Loving yourself is exactly what this libation is all about. Love now; remember forever.

Here’s the full Press Release:

ESCONDIDO, CA (January 10, 2017) – For the love of IPAs, the revolutionary Stone Enjoy By IPA series continues to flourish with the newest addition: Stone Enjoy By 02.14.17 Chocolate & Coffee IPA. Available at bars, restaurants and retailers beginning this week, the newest variant is rich, decadent and a devastatingly fresh Valentine’s Day pleasure.

“The Brewing Team tested several fruit and chocolate variations before finding just the right flavors to complement the hops of our Stone Enjoy By IPA,” said Jeremy Moynier, senior innovation program manager. “The chocolate and coffee combination we finally hit on was inspired by what we had done recently with Stone Mocha IPA, but here it took on new life with the Stone Enjoy By series. This recipe was brewed specifically to add another layer to go with the complexity of the hops and the result is a very special hop-lovers dream alongside a cup of coffee and a bite of chocolate.”

Stone Enjoy By 02.14.17 Chocolate & Coffee IPA is brewed with San Diego Sunrise, a blonde roast from Ryan Bros. Coffee. Unlike brewing with espresso, the blonde roast provides a less roasty and more chocolaty flavor. It complements the tropical flavors of the hops, and allows the lemon and orange citrus notes to come through loud and strong. The beer is still intensely hoppy with light malty flavors and a decadent chocolate finish. As with Stone Xocoveza, Stone’s brewers went “Bean to Beer” incorporating chocolate processed straight from the cocoa bean on-site at Stone Brewing. Carefully sourced from Belize, the cocoa beans were roasted and shelled under the watchful eye of Stone’s team to make this a truly artisanal beer with which to celebrate ones devotion to craft.

The rich and indulgent Stone Enjoy By 02.14.17 Chocolate & Coffee IPA will be available in 22-ounce bottles, 12-ounce bottles in six-packs and on draft. The 37-day date code ensures this love affair will be fast and memorable.

QUICK FACTS

Name: Stone Enjoy By 02.14.17 Chocolate & Coffee IPA
Web: stonebrewing.com/enjoyby
Stats: 9.4% ABV, 90 IBUs
Availability:  22-ounce bottles, 12-ounce six-packs and draft, beginning January 8
Hop Varieties: Nugget, Super Galena, Simcoe, Amarillo, Delta, Target, Cascade, Citra, Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin, Motueka and Helga
National Distribution: AK ,AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MT, NC, NE, NH, NM, NV, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI
International Distribution: Japan, Korea, Singapore

TASTING NOTES

Appearance: Golden with a creamy white head of foam
Aroma: Coffee and chocolate meld with intense dank hoppiness, resin, peaches, and hints of tropical fruit
Taste: Distinctive coffee up front with hints of chocolate lead to an array of hoppiness, dank, tropical and fruit that rounds out with more coffee and chocolate on the finish
Palate: Smooth, hints of warming from the alcohol, and a perfect balance of bitterness and dryness on the back end
Overall: The best of both worlds! A hoppy beer that also has nice coffee and chocolate components. These aroma and flavors blend together nicely to create something unique in the Stone Enjoy By IPA series. Still a hop-lovers dream with the added bonus of a cup of coffee and a bite of chocolate. Perfect to share with someone special leading up to or on Valentine’s Day—or enjoy it for yourself!