Stone Triple Play - Enjoy By, R&R Coconut, and 17th Anniversary Götterdämmerung

Before we get into the brews, let me give a quick shout out. There is a place here in Virginia Beach called Grape and Gourmet. It is a small beer and wine shop that carries nothing (I assume, I know little about wine) great wines and (I know!) even better beers! The great thing is when they get something new in they post in on Facebook. A simple comment and they will hold one for you. If your from this area or are every here visiting, check them out! They're located on Virginia Beach Blvd. Anyways, they announced these three, and I am headed out to a Less Than Jake show tonight, so I figured what better way to get ready for the night then to split a few great bottles with a friend!

Now to the goods! Because it demanded it was enjoyed immediately, he first beer of the evening was Stone's Enjoy By (9/13/13) IPA. Poured into my IPA glass, this beer is a golden copper nectar with just about a half finger head. Huge notes of pine and almost grass clippings on the nose. Tastes of incredibly fresh, piney hops with a nice, malty sweetness throughout. This IPA is a nice change up from your average IPA that is much more citrus-like in flavor. The incredibly fresh flavor could be because this beer was bottled (on the other side of the country) less than two weeks ago. Go grab yourself a bottle, and enjoy it... NOW!

Next in line was from Stone's Collaboration Series, R&R Coconut IPA. Pouring the same color as Enjoy By with a slightly larger head, this one has a bit less on the nose. Just a hint of hops on the nose with a bit of tropical sweetness, though I would not necessarily say I smell coconut. This one shocked me with how bitter it is. Very hop forward with lots of fruit flavors to back it. If you get a hold of it, check out the label, it has a slew of fruits in it including apricot, orange and melon. The after taste hints of toasted coconut, but it is very light, so don't let it deter you if you're not a fan of coconut. 

Tonight we wrapped it up with Stone's 17th Anniversary Götterdämmerung. First of all, what a freaking name. Slightly lighter than the other two in color, and with a one finger head, this one was the most surprising of the evening. When I smelled this beer, I noticed mostly forward malt smalls with a hint of hops. Expecting big hops, I took a small sip and BAM! Super sweet malts! and there, in the distance, if I really push for them, are the hops. In my most humble opinion, I would not call this an IPA. Mostly because I have this impression that IPA's should be intense and hoppy. I'd call it the best pale ale I've ever had. A bit bitter, but very malty, this one left me a bit confused. Could have been the other two beers impacting me, but I am having a hard time classifying this one. Just go grab yourself a bottle. Put it into your own special category. I certainly liked it, despite my confusion.

Quick closing, Stone, you killed it tonight! Three great (though strange) brews! Now I'm about to go enjoy an amazing show. Cheers!