Stone Brewing and Rogue are known for their IPAs, and even some of the beers that they offer that aren’t IPAs taste like IPAs. These breweries are immensely popular, and their popularity is still growing.
The beers can be found in stores around town, and some are even on tap at Red Wave Inn.
Rogue: Dead Guy Ale
3 out of 5
One of Rogue’s flagship beers is Dead Guy Ale. This beer is hoppy like an IPA, but much much smoother than Rogue’s full line of beers.
Pictured with a skeleton on the bottle, this beer is great for Halloween, and simply every day.
At 6.5 percent alcohol by volume, this golden beer is easy to drink, but if you aren’t into IPAs it still might be rough on you. However, it’s a good place to start with hoppy beers if you aren’t used to them.
Dead Guy is hoppy enough for IPA enthusiasts and smooth enough for people only casually into beer.
Stone: Arrogant Bastard
3.5 out of 5
A non-IPA that Stone has to offer, Arrogant Bastard, is probably one of Stone’s most popular brews, perhaps because of its name. Arrogant Bastard is heavy at 7.2 percent ABV.
It’s hard to classify what type of beer it is. Not quite an ale and not quite an IPA, it’s really its own genre.
This is the beer to give your friend on his birthday. It’s funny, and also quite tasty. Part of the “Bastard” family, other beers available include “Lucky Bastard” and “Double Bastard.”
This beer isn’t for everyone, but it’s a must-try, at the very least.
Stone: Enjoy By
4 out of 5
Enjoy By is an elusive beer that doesn’t distribute locally every time a new version comes out. Having a limited release, this brew rarely disappoints.
With the slogan, “Brewed not to last,” the whole point of this beer is that it’s super fresh. These beers are brewed intentionally with a 30-day shelf life, so they’ll always deliver a positive IPA experience.
Every batch of this beer is different, and each has a different name. It’s named literally by the date that denotes its expiration. For example, the batches available in Fresno this year have included “Enjoy By 04.20.14,” “Enjoy By 07.04.14” and “Enjoy By 10.31.14.”
You can generally get a feel for what kind of IPA it is by the other small slogan on the side. The “devastatingly dank” and “devastatingly fresh” slogans printed on the neck of the bottle will tell you whether it’s an incredibly harsh IPA, or very fresh, citrusy IPA.
Regardless of the beer’s style, be careful with the speed you drink it because it is 9.4 percent ABV. If you’re a fan of IPAs, Enjoy Bys are always a must by.
Also, jumping on its own age-specific bandwagon, Stone is coming out with a beer “brewed to wait.” There’s a new Enjoy After series coming which you are supposed to wait a year to drink.
