Baird / Ishii / Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA 10.1% (2015, 2022)

Our style of brewing has always been about taking chances. It’s an extension of our “what-if” mentality, wherein we ask ourselves what would happen if we did things differently in the brewhouse, such as fermenting with a different strain of yeast or, in the case of this beer, incorporating whole-leaf green tea imported from Japan. The answer, embodied in this IPA when we first released it in 2011, was something truly magnificent, delicious and well worth brewing again. But what if we changed it up a bit? This time around, we exchanged Pacifica hops from New Zealand for Helga hops from Australia. The result is an IPA that’s as bright, herbaceous and bitingly hoppy as the one that’s had our fans requesting its return ever since its depletion from store shelves, but with a modern, hop-driven twist that makes this second draft unique and tasty in its own right.

3.7

329 reviews

Escondido, United States

Community reviews

4.0 AR: Hopfen, Frucht, Tropenfrucht, Tee, blumig, AP: klares orangegold(gelb) TA: Hopfen, bitter, Tee, erdig, blumig,

4.1 Can. Color: Slightly hazy golden, white head. Aroma: Very hoppy, herbal. Taste: Very hoppy and bitter. Floral and herbal / bit spicy notes of the Green Tea leaves. Dry mouthfeel. Over medium bitterness at very dry finish. Light sweetness. Boozy hints. Subtle citrus fruit. Medium body, average carbonation. Great IPA for 'old-fashioned' bitter IPA lovers like me. Very nice.

3.7 Can. Hoppy aroma and taste, malty notes, light tea notes in aroma, resin, medium bitter. Medium to full body, malty and hoppy bitter finish. Ok.

3.9 10 days before the BBD. The aromas are lightly oxidized west coast style resin hops and malt. Not a fan of most tea beers but this isn't too bad. Nice interesting combination of tea, pot and hops with a little sweet at first and growing bitter towards the end.

3.8 Can. Golden pour. Aroma of herbal green tea, caramel, orange zest, grapefruit, pine, bready malt and grassy citrus. Taste has bitter caramel, yuzu, herbal green tea, grapefruit, bitter orange zest, pine, citrus, soft vanilla and bready malt. Good bitter west coast stuff with a nice herbal touch from the tea that combines very well.

4.1 Can at home, recommended by the BeerTemple, Amsterdam, consumed at home, 5th June 22. Pours a clear light bronze. aroma is resinous pine, aromatic, pith. Taste is bitter rind of citrus, pine, resin, some tea and a little relief from the bitterness malts. Lovely Stone, and so nice to get a bitter IPA, bring back IBU

3.9 0,355L can bought from Beer Corner, Kwun Tong, HK. Appearance: Pours a translucent, deep golden colour with a very dense and soapy, tall, off-white head that has very good retention and leaves a lot of lacing. Aroma: Full of resinous and herbal hops, with ripe apricot, grapefruits and citrus. Definitely some tea aromas as well. Moderate pine. Subtle earthy, grassy notes with bits of mild honey and caramel malts, too. Taste: Medium to high bitterness (it’s Stone after-all). Interestingly the herbal and grassy tea flavours starts mid to late in the flavour and blends well with the resinous and piney hops. Light honey caramel malt sweetness, too. Palate: Medium body with moderate carbonation. Rather strong resinous and herbal bitterness lingers nicely in the aftertaste. Light hints of alcohol, too. Overall: Complex yet clean and balanced. This time, the classic, Stone west coast IPA bitterness with its signature strong resinous and piney elements are added with green tea. And what I like about Stone is that even special ingredients such as green tea are added, they will not twist or overshadow the flavours of what an IPA should taste like. Glad this is being re-brewed.

3.7 Can from Drankenhandel Leiden. Aroma is resinous hop with vanilla, green tea, herbal notes, jasmin, light citrus, pine resin, malt. Flavour is bitter (it's Stone after all) with a little sweetness. Body is medium. Strong but drinks easier than the 10.1% would suggest.

4.0 Keg at Euston Tap. Clear copper. Aroma of big Jasmin, candied peal and chewy malt. Really interesting flavours. A lot of sweetness coming from… somewhere. Then the bitterness really kicks in and the tea flavours come into play. Classic Stone - this beer will walk you around the room.

3.8 Can from Brewcraft. Drank on week 32 (7.5 months) with R, day after Sophie’s hen. Pours a limpid light brown with a small fizzy white head. Clear and crisp. Aroma: pine oil, tea bags, light orange and honey malt, some booze. Very herbaceous and astringent. Taste: moderate resin, some green tea - leafy and soft and herbal (almost minty), finish has tea astringency and light pepperiness and booze. Body: medium, a bit of slickness and chewiness but quite refined, smooth. Not bad, but remember liking the old version (2019? 2015?) better. Very Stone style West Coast hops, incredibly smooth, tea lends an astringent and very herbal/leafy character. More delicate than the juicier West Coast style IPAs but tea is overall less complementary to pine/resin. Very well done.

3.6 12 oz can, canned 2/24/22. Pours slightly hazy golden orange with a big fluffy white head that retains well and laces the glass. The aroma is sweet floral malt and minty tea with some hops. The flavor is sweet bready malt with a little fruit and some minty tea hops and the alcohol is not obvious. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with smooth carbonation. Overall, an interesting IPA.

4.0 Clear golden pour, frothy head, nice lacing. Honey/tea aroma. Flavor is similar. Honey, tea bags, earthy with resinous hops. Moderate bitterness. Leathery mouthfeel. Nice.

3.6 Taster at Shade City Brewfest. Pale hazy yellow with a thin white head. Green tea features prominently in the aroma and taste, leafy, grassy. Hard to believe it's 10%, barely noticeable.

3.4 12oz can picked up at Total Wine in LV. Pours cloudy golden with a medium sized off-white head, light lacing. Citrus peel, green tea, alcohol, resin, bitter. Ok

4.0 12 oz can. Nice smell. Getting citrus, pine, tea. Light orange in color with light haze. Tastes of citrus, grapefruit, and the tea comes in. Quite nice, the flavors play well together. Finishes with a but of sweet and some tea flavor. Well done!

4.0 I felt the alcohol in the first sip, but it mellowed out somewhat after that. I don't know that I really felt the "tea" flavors, probably because of the strength. still a nice double IPA, even if it didn't hit the intended mark for me.

3.8 Can. Pours a clear orange with a thick white head. Aroma of herbal notes, dank hops, crackery malt, earthy hops. Flavor of green tea, dank hops, grassy hops, citrus. Green tea is fairly mild here but plenty of herbal and grassy notes. Nice. Surprised by the abv. 7/4/8/4/15 (3.8/5)

3.8 Draft at Stone on Kettner in San Diego. Nose is citrus, green tea, and lightly piney. Orange with a medium lightly lacing off white head. Flavor is moderately bitter with iced tea.

3.7 Decent flavoured IPA. Green tea adds an interesting element here without getting too lost in gimmicks. Golden. Pour with decent head. Some citrus peel. Bitter finish. Tap at Stone in Richmond.

3.7 12 oz bottle that was part of the 2021 - 12 Days of IPA mix pack. The pour is a mostly clear golden yellow with a 1/2 inch white foam head that falls quick. The aroma is a round sweet fruit hop, along with grassy earthy green tea. The taste is big green tea, herbal, floral, and orange sweet. There is also a dry grass bitter finish that has some alcohol poking through. The palate is medium bodied with soft carbonation and the big green tea finish with the earth, grass and some smokiness. Interesting and surprisingly easy drinking beer.

3.6 7 January 2022, bottle. 12 days of ipa purchased from Target. Not a big fan of tea in beer. Rating 3.6

3.4 (Bottle) Clear orange-amber body with a small, diminishing white head. Hoppy aroma with pine resin, orange pith; backed by earthy notes; tea is definitely noticeable; some alcohol. Flavor has more pine resin and orange pith; alcohol is very forward; astringent. Medium body, slightly oily texture, low carbonation. Interesting but a bit too astringent.

3.6 Bottle, Stone 12 Days of IPA mix pack, Kroger. Slightly hazy deep gold with a small white head. Nose is grapefruit, pine, floral hops, green tea buried deep. Flavor is grapefruit, green tea bitterness, pine, orange peel. A bit boozy, but might also just be bitterness from the tea. Nice.

3.7 12 ounce bottle from Total Wine Greenfield, 12/1/21. Says 2015 but I guess this is back. Slightly hazy orange, large creamy tan head, good retention. Aroma of grapefruit, tea, pine. Taste is grapefruit, tea, melon, pine. Juicy, booze well hidden. Could use more prominant tea notes, they are delicate. Overall pretty good.

3.7 Very good off style ipa, refreshing and Piney bitterness makes this very drinkable not bad for a switch up!

4.1 Included in the 2021 12 Days of IPAs box. Looks to be the same ABV as the 2015 edition, so I’ll log it here. Green tea works exceptionally well in this IPA, adding woody, herbal depth to a citrus-n-pine-forward Stone pint. Caramel and stone fruit round out the profile, while a lingering pine bitterness clings to the palate. Killer IPA.

3.6 Bottle pours out golden topped with a white head. Nose is nice green alfalfa hops tea notes spice and some nice malts. Taste is more of the nice spice green tea notes and a sweet malt.

2.9 Aroma; mint, malt, soft hops, tea note. Look; off white head, misty golden body. Taste; mint, hops, vgtbls, tea, spirits, herbs, and finishes tea-floral. Feel; normal body, semi-dry, normal co2. Overall; dangerous, it feels as 4% but it's 10... [tasted@BishopsArms Luleå, easter2018] 5363'11

3.5 Pours a hazy yellow with a very large off-white head, and very good lacing. Smell is of tea, hops, and some citrus. Taste is of green tea, hops, caramel, and malt. Ends thick and bitter.

3.6 Bottle @home (rating backlog). Pours yellow, golden, slight haze, white head. Nose is citrus, tea, green tea, floral. Taste is green tea, bitter finish, fruity. A touch thin.