Stone "Imperial Star Fawker" Hazy DIPA

When I first grabbed this can, I noticed the giant Stone logo, and I figured I couldn't go wrong. I then read the whimsical name, and then read that it was a hazy IPA, and I was sure this was the right choice. I then put it in my cart and checked out. It wasn't until after I poured the beer that I noticed that this was a DIPA. It actually says that this is a stellar hazy Double IPA. With the recent Boulevard Space Camper IPA, I am wondering if this is a new kind of hops that I haven't heard of. Maybe "Stellar" in "Space IPAs" is the next thing.

The hazy beer lives up to its name. This may as well be a Bearded Iris for as impenetrable as the beer is to light. The orange beer doesn't produce a ton of head, and it means no lacing in its wake as it comes down to a thin but complete layer of bubbles across the top of the beer. The aroma is more tropical than citrus, but it is definitely fruits galore. I'm looking forward to a ride in the spaceship.

First sip is a slurry of tropical and citrus fruits with their meat solid in the center of the mouth before a prominent yet muted bitterness takes over the mouth and leaves the brain yearning for the taste that it remembered of the fruit. Eventually, the bitterness subsides to allow the fruits to resurge, and the resurgence is delightful. Once again I find myself in the position of wondering if I would sip this all night, but I don't need to deal with that kind of nonsense, do I?

Tip-in is orange, tangerine, grapefruit, and peach. The middle brings the carbonation into the mouth as the fruit gets thick and absolutely delicious. The finish is a subsiding of the fruit so that the bitterness can take hold, but before it sinks its teeth in, fruit rind comes in to add a little more flavor for the trail off.

Bottom line: Stone is really good at making beer.

4.0/5