HEY, STONE’S GOT A PALE ALE

So guess what? STONE BREWING have started distributing their Pale Ale in many more states and locales this Spring, including within mine in Northern California. I’d never seen the beer before. Their website actually dares to call it their “flagship brew” – ain’t they never heard of Arrogant Bastard?? – and says the beer was first brewed up in 1996. I had some on draft the other day at CITY BEER in San Francisco, and it was a good ‘un. It definitely has a bit more aggressive of a bite than your typical pale ale, which you’d totally expect from the Stone folks, but compared to some of their other offerings, this is a very back-to-basics, simple American pale ale. Not overpowered with hops, and with more of a biscuity, breadiness than I expected. Almost English, in fact, but definitely more intense than most session beers from across the Atlantic. I didn’t get up and do a victory dance or anything, but at the end of my glass I burped and pronounced it a 7/10.