- Location
- San Diego
Stone has been brewing the Hop Engineer experimental series for quite some time: Single hop IPA's that are almost entirely available only on tap.
Once in a very blue moon they might can a version, but otherwise it's on tap only and even then they can only be found at the three national Stone breweries - they are not distributed.
That said, we were at Stone Brewing in Escondido yesterday, enjoying a cooler evening than we've seen in months.
Two variants of Hop Engineer were on tap, so I started with Hop Engineer w/Motueka Hops (8.0%). Motueka is a relatively new New Zealand hop (I'm sure Verdant are paying attention), which is a combination of Saaz hops with a NZ blend. This gave tropical and citrus notes with a hint of malt. A refreshing and zesty IPA, perfect for a cooling evening.
Next up was Hop Engineer w/El Dorado Hops (7.7%). El Dorado is heading towards "old school" hops and was one of the first in a line of fruity hops. With a soft, almost creamy body, this IPA was resinous with notes of stone fruit, pineapple, mango and berries. Another refreshing offering in this experimental series. The pic is of this one.
Lastly, we went to an Italian restaurant on Friday, where I took a photo of this fabulous print. When I was growing up in Gloucestershire, my mother kept a tin of lard on the kitchen window sill, so I can relate!
Once in a very blue moon they might can a version, but otherwise it's on tap only and even then they can only be found at the three national Stone breweries - they are not distributed.
That said, we were at Stone Brewing in Escondido yesterday, enjoying a cooler evening than we've seen in months.
Two variants of Hop Engineer were on tap, so I started with Hop Engineer w/Motueka Hops (8.0%). Motueka is a relatively new New Zealand hop (I'm sure Verdant are paying attention), which is a combination of Saaz hops with a NZ blend. This gave tropical and citrus notes with a hint of malt. A refreshing and zesty IPA, perfect for a cooling evening.
Next up was Hop Engineer w/El Dorado Hops (7.7%). El Dorado is heading towards "old school" hops and was one of the first in a line of fruity hops. With a soft, almost creamy body, this IPA was resinous with notes of stone fruit, pineapple, mango and berries. Another refreshing offering in this experimental series. The pic is of this one.
Lastly, we went to an Italian restaurant on Friday, where I took a photo of this fabulous print. When I was growing up in Gloucestershire, my mother kept a tin of lard on the kitchen window sill, so I can relate!