Stone Levitation Ale

Stone Brewing Co.

Stone Levitation Ale - 4.4%ABV

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

"It's been said that "Gravity Sucks." Simple enough. Well, we at Stone have identified gravitational forces in the beer world. And we have come to the conclusion that they, well, see above. So we avoid these less-than-desirable gravitational forces. We avoid dumbed-down flavor profiles and the vigorous pursuit of the lowest common denominator. We avoid big dollar marketing mentalities. We avoid additives, cheap adjuncts, stabilizers and chemical preservatives. So in the defiance of gravity we bring you Stone Levitation Ale. This deep amber ale has rich malt flavors, a big hoppy character, citrus overtones (courtesy of the hops and our special brewers yeast) and modest alcohol."

I'm starting to really like Stone Brewing and their beers. I've had 3 now and have enjoyed them all. I chcked out their website and there are some really nifty sounding ones they've done as collaborations with other breweries. Want to see if I can track some of them down, especially that Japanese Green Tea IPA. As for their Levitation Ale another winner. It pours to a nice dark amber/brownish color. It has a very nice thick head that lingers and a good amount of carbonation. Hell I'm writing this 30 minutes after pouring it and the little bit still in my glass STILL has a thin head on it. Nice. It has a slightly more mellow aroma of citrusy hops and floral/earthy notes. As for tatse it's got flavor and backbone. It has a slight bitter taste up front and at the end. Not unexpected with the big hop flavor in this beer. You taste the citrus and earthy hop notes all throughout but they aren't overdone I think. It's nice and constant but not overly so. Honestly a bit more hoppy for an Amber Ale than I expected. Almost IPA or American Pale Ale in taste in my opinion. Plus you'd expect a higher ABV with the strong hop prescnece but it sits at a 4.4%ABV. That means you can drink several and still walk which is nice heh. What does keep it an amber ale though is the slight malt presence. It's there but more subdued and blends in with the earthy and floral hop flavors. Just enough there though that you pick it out.

Overall I really enjoyed this one. If you like Pale Ales/IPA's and Amber ales this is a good one. It's got a very distinct and strong taste without being overly bitter or strong. Plus with it's lower ABV you can enjoy several at a time. This one sort of makes me think of it as a slightly more subdued version of Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ale (also good). This would be good with grilled or spicy foods I think. As for my rating I'm giving this one a strong 4.0 out of 5.0.