Beer 318 - Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale (2.5 stars out of 5)

Brewed and bottled by the Stone Brewing Company, Escondido, San Diego County, CA.  Bought at HEB Cinco Ranch and opened to celebrate the official end of my sore stomach.  There were a couple of false starts during the week, when I thought I was over the problem, then last night I had a Shiner Bock with dinner and have been OK since then, so I a declaring the beer fast to be over and I am back recording beers.

This has been a fantastic weekend with Nicola here since Thursday night, and me taking Friday and Monday off work to be with her.  We have had a good time.  All three of us are quite tired after all the running around we have done, including dinner tonight at Star Pizza #2 on Washington Avenue.  Nicola has gone to be, Patricia is checking her grades on the computer and I am quietly drinking this beer.

the web site: http://www.stonebrew.com/sublimely/

The web site says: "We're brewers whose substantial mettle and idiomatic approach to brewing allows us to consistently create works of art such as this justifiably self-righteous ale. Its bitterness hits our sweet spot. Its blackness lightens our hearts. Its liquid dichotomy pulls it all together in this sublimely sacrosanct ale. Yes, we damn well know our stuff here at Stone, and it would be irresponsible of us not to acknowledge how remarkable this heavenly creation of ours is. Thus the name we are compelled to give it --- Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale --- serves as a reminder of just how good we are, in both liquid and verbal form.

We're certainly not perfect. Too often, we allow our modesty to get the best of us as we're simply not inclined towards senseless braggadocio. When you're good, you're good. And when you do something great, the least you can do is acknowledge it. Others benefit from knowing. In this case, we find that we are compelled to point out how amazing this ale is that we rightly call the Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale.

First brewed in 2007 as the Stone 11th Anniversary Ale, this ale was an instant hit. With us. Other folks with great taste loved it too, but we were focused on how much we liked it, and we felt it was truly sublime. That euphoria didn't last long though, as it was soon replaced with the grim reality that when we sold out of it there wouldn't be any more. For us. And that was simply unacceptable. So, we are now blessing ourselves, and you the enlightened, with this ale. Thusly, you may now revel in your own self-righteousness as you see fit with this glorious example of ours. You are genuinely welcome, as it is our pleasure.  First Release Date: January 2009

Hop Variety: Chinook, Simcoe & Amarillo

Stats: ALC/VOL 8.7%, 90 IBUs"

 

This a beer for so-called "hop heads" - those drinkers who enjoy a very bitter beer with a sour hops drowning out all other taste.  It is not for me.  I like balance in my beer, I like the hops to be noticeable but not dominant, I like to drink the beer without puckering my cheeks.  There is a place or this beer, many people seem to like it, but it is not for me.