Stone Stone Cali-Belgique

Cali - Belgique. North county San Diego. The name Stone Cali-Belgique IPA both begs the question what exactly is that? And answers it thusly: Stone designates this IPA as one brewed by the Stone Brewing Co., Cali hints that it is a California-style IPA, and finally, this brew has an undeniable Belgian influence, indicated by the word Belgique (which is how Belgium's French-speaking population says the word Belgian; the Dutch-speaking Belgians say Belgie). There is of course the implicitly posed question of what exactly the Belgian/Belgique/Belgie influence is. And yeast is the answer. We carefully selected a Belgian yeast strain that illuminates a fascinating new aspect that is otherwise quite simply Stone IPA. The result is both completely new and different, while still being recognizable as a Stone brew - and Stone IPA in particular. Think of it as an otherwise identical twin to Stone IPA that was raised in a Belgian culture. Literally. Now all grown up and standing next to each other, they look the same, yet there is something unmistakably different. We'd say the Belgian one sounds a bit funny when it talks, but yeast and ales being non-verbal entities (except through you), that's not literally the case. Their aromas have some similarities, but the Stone Cali-Belgique IPA is decidedly a bit more, shall we say, funky. (No, we are not saying that Belgians smell funny - we didn't say or imply that at all in any way - no angry cards or letters please!) All in all, we find it fascinating, but we're brewers, and that's just the way we think. You might find it merely delicious. Actually we most certainly do too. Even though yeast cells are non-verbal and arguably have no firm affiliation that gives preference for either the Flemish or the Walloons, we don't want to accidentally misinterpret the little buggers. As such, approximately 50% of the Stone Cali-Belgian IPA bottles are labeled Cali-Belgique and the other had Cali-Belgie. We at the Stone Brewing Co. respect both cultures highly and equally. 6.9% alc/vol. Brewed & bottled by the Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, San Diego County, CA.