Stone Stochasticy Project Grapefruit Slam Double IPA

Well, dear readers, I will break the news to you now if you didn't hear it already, but the clock is ticking away on my last days at the job I've held for over 15 years, bartending and bar managering (that's a word, right?) at the Blue Nile Restaurant & Lounge. I'll be stepping into the Front of House manager role at Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub, helping to fulfill my dream of never having to open a bottle of Heineken again. And, also, of course, to work with great people in a good neighborhood serving excellent ales, freshly made. I can't wait. I start Monday. Three more days to go. To celebrate, I'm doing what I've done best for many years, and putting together a beer event this Saturday, this one an iteration of what I'd been calling Imperial March since we started it in 2009 (I think), but since this is late April it will be called "Imperialized." Maybe these events will continue after I leave, I cannot say. I won't be doing anything like them at Northbound, for they carry their own beer and guest taps that are Minnesota breweries only, plus that just isn't my job. I'll be very happy to be part of the team bringing good beers to happy hands that pass them past hungry lips. 

So, this here Stone Stochasticity Project Grapefruit Slam IPA is one of the last beers on tap at the Nile that I will review here. Maybe. There are three other beers in the cooler right now that I haven't taken notes on, not enough time to get to them all before my time is done. Will I come in on my days off to sit down and write them up? And, who knows, perhaps I'll have trained my replacement well enough that he keeps bringing in great beers, and I'll be tempted to return as a patron? Stranger things have happened. Like having an Ethiopian restaurant with a beer program like the one I've been running for nearly 15 years, that's a glaring anomaly. Watch this space soon for the memoir you've all been waiting for, as I trip down memory lane to tell the tale of who I was and how I came to be....Meanwhile, here it is....the Grapefruit Slam...and here come the notes....

Stone Stochasticity Project (whatever the heck that means) Grapefruit Slam IPA. Ale with grapefruit peel added. 8.2% ABV. 95 IBU.

Clear, bright golden coloring, under a long-lasting, lace-leaving snow-white head.

Citrus and pine in the nose, beautifully, brilliantly bitter.

Taste: On the tongue, it rips and it roars, it spills and it peels, it blasts and it slams. Grapefruit peel essence is added to this one, with Centennial, Chinook and Magnum hops leading the show. Mouthfeel is medium, body, too. Sleek on the palate, dripping hop oil and exuding bitterness throughout, getting more and more intense as it coats the mouth and invades the senses.

This one's getting spicier, hotter, and more and more bitter as it slips down the throat and empties the glass. I'm in hop-head paradise over here. Great job, Stone, keep on doing hops like you do!