To start this post off, I want it to be noted that I'm a big fan of Stone's collaboration beers. Not all of them have been great, but I respect Stone for getting together with some of the best brewers in the world and trying out some crazy recipes. For one of their latest collaborations, Stone got together with Toshi Ishii of Ishii Brewing Co. and Bryan Baird of Baird Brewing Co. to make a beer for Japan. They ended up deciding to brew a Green Tea IPA with a dollar from every bottle sold going to the relief efforts in Japan. Definitely a great idea and a great cause. Now, let's see how the beer turned out.
Japanese Green Tea IPA pours a honey golden color with a thin white head that disappeared pretty quickly. The beer smelled fantastic straight from the bottle with big notes of fresh mango, citrus hops, caramel malts and a touch of green tea. Then, it took a turn for the worse. The more this beer warmed, the more it began to smell like green onions. And nothing else. Gross.
To my dismay, the taste took the same turn as the smell. When the beer was cold, I got a hard hit of citrus hops, some bready malts, green tea and a bit of earth. Slowly, the taste began to change and became completely malt dominated with a touch of (you got it) onions. Because a portion of the sale went to a noble cause, I'm not sorry I bought this bottle, I'm just sorry I tasted it. So do Japan a favor and buy this bottle if you see it. But if you decide to drink it, please drink it cold.
Final Grade: C+
Top 100 Beers Tasted: 25
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