NOTES: Draft @ Churchkey in DC
STYLE: Pale Ale
ABV: 5.4%
APPEARANCE: Dark, cloudy orange/amber
HEAD: Big, frothy, bright white
LACING: Great lacing. Sticky and thorough.
NOSE: I was worried that Stone, which is famous for their overly bitter concoctions, would “over-hop” their standard Pale Ale. But they did justice to the style. A mildly floral hop profile is definitely present, but the nose is mostly sweet, caramel malt and a nice, well-rounded fruit aroma (tropical citrus fruits).
TASTE: Good biscuity/bready malt backbone accentuated by a slightly tart fruit flavor and an herbal, mildly bitter hop finish. The fruit/vinous flavor is a nice spin on the classic Pale Ale taste. I’ll say one thing about Stone…nothing they make is “by the books”.
MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied with excellent, sparkling effervescence.
DRINKABILITY: Not the best or worst Pale Ale I’ve had, but it does stand out from the pack and it’s supremely drinkable. Other than the Levitation, this is as “sessiony” a beer as Stone makes.
RATING: 3 Hops
ALEHEADS 
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/standard/display/slideshow.php?ftr_id=78535
neat story about Stone opening a brewery in Europe. Makes me proud to be an American i think we make the best beer in the world.
And what better brewery than Stone to be the first American ale factory to take their suds over the pond? They already think we’re Arrogant Bastards…they might as well drink ’em!
Good catch, Abba. This is actually a pretty big deal. Americans drink plenty of imported brews (some great like the Trappists…some absolutely awful like Heineken or Beck’s) despite the fact that we’ve become arguably the best brewing nation on Earth. It’s about time we show the rest of the world that we suck at soccer, but we brew a mighty fine beer!