My first Stone review from the recent South Bay Drugs & Liquor delivery.
Stone Cali-Belgique, or as it’s referred to on the bottle itself, Stone Cali-België. I think everyone outside of Belgium who doesn’t speak Dutch refers to it as “Belgique” because they can’t figure out how to type umlauts.
Interesting combination of what tastes like a classically yeasty Belgian Golden Ale with a strong and bitter IPA. I kind of like it. Starts off like it’s going to be sweet, like some Belgians, but finishes mouth-puckering dry. You get that “grape skin” tartness on the back and sides of your tongue. In small quantities, that characteristic is fine (and desired in an IPA), but too much is astringent. This falls somewhere inbetween.
Overall, the IPA definitely takes over this one. Distinctive citrusy hop aromas and tastes, but not as much as you might expect in an IPA. If you’re looking for a hop bomb, you won’t find it here. I suspect the Belgian part of this beer tempers it a little.
This is a pretty drinkable beer, light mouthfeel and somewhat refreshing. I have a feeling this isn’t one of Stone’s best, but I like it just fine.
Rating: B
October 17, 2008 at 8:55 am
Totally agree with you on this one. It was decent but not mind blowing. I was really hoping for more.
October 17, 2008 at 11:43 am
Yeah, better than most, but not something I’d look for again. I had their bitter chocolate oatmeal stout recently…that one was a little more what I was expecting from Stone. I’m posting the review soon.
October 17, 2008 at 11:46 am
It’s funny that you first experienced Stone through their limited releases. Far be it for me to judge your drinking habits, but I would have thought starting with Arrogant Bastard or Ruination would have been the best intro to the brewery! I think you’ll like those two.
October 17, 2008 at 11:53 am
I honestly didn’t even look at which ones were considered their year-round fare, versus limited offerings. I just grabbed one that looked cool and tried it.
October 23, 2008 at 8:10 pm
[...] that this is the third offering from Stone that I’ve tried, the other two being a limited edition and anniversary release. Wish I would have made Arrogant Bastard the [...]