Stone Brewing ‘Ripper’ San Diego Pale Ale

Rating:

18581509_695599157290899_7223398438192117955_n“When it came to creating Ripper, we drew inspiration from the coastal surf cultures of SoCal and Oz. Sourcing classic Cascade from the Pacific Northwest and Australian Galaxy hops from…yes…Australia, we made a beer both lovers of frothy peaks and hoppy green buds will be stoked about. At the same time, we stayed true to our San Diego roots by pushing the hop boundaries of this style. While some might think it lingers on an edge far closer to an IPA, with all the dry-hop flavor and aroma, it’s actually right in line with the current-day interpretation of a West Coast pale. Ours just so happens to have an Aussie accent that’s cascading with a juicy amount of grapefruit and passion fruit hoppiness. So veg out or venture out. Either way, rip one open and taste this awesome golden nectar!”

Served in a shaker glass. She pours a lovely bold amber color that sports a fluffy three finger crown. It’s maintained well and weaves a thick lace as it ebbs.
Smelling fresh and super fruity with juicy ruby grapefruit pulp, burnt orange, berries, a hint of spice and some clean piney undertones. Nicely balanced too, getting a lovely caramel malt sweetness at the base. Fresh, juicy and summery. Building nicely.
We get a good consistency in the mouth. It’s held up well with a medium body and moderate Co2. Nice and assertive 40 IBU kicking in to gear midway, enduring well on to the rear palate.
A lot more malt driven initially – somewhat earthy somewhat sweet with a good dose of grapefruit bitterness forming through the mid. The citrus then returns with a vengeance as it delivers a sturdy finish with heady bitterness on a length.
Stone have definitely crammed a lot of character in here, really extracting the best out of the two hop varieties used (US Cascade and Australian Galaxy) pretty good overall balance with that assertive bitterness signing off. An all round beer that ticks all the boxes.