Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA

20120711:
My friend and I came to Slater's 50/50 today and I originally wanted the Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean (CA 4.4% ABV 53 IBU), but they ran out. Thus I started off trying samples of the Stone Levitation Ale and the Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale.

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA - bottle and full glass (20150329)

Noooo! While editing the Stone Levitation Ale post, I realized I had erased my note on the Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale (I mindlessly pressed ctrl+C (copy), ctrl+V (paste), and then clicked on publish). Argh! Oh well, it was only a small taste test anyways. I'm 75% sure I liked the Sublimely Self-Righteous more than the Levitation.

I ultimately ordered a beer flight.

Beer Flight:
1) Wells Banana Bread Beer
2) AleSmith (Nautical) Nut Brown Ale
3) Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale
4) Lightning Thunderweizen

(20130102)

[20121228][20150520 Edit]

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20130102:
There was some confusion as to which beers were which, but after doing some analysis at home (20130121), I determined that the order of the beers was simply the reverse of the order given at the restaurant.

Beer Flight: (listed left to right) (number in parentheses indicates turn order)
Avery The Czar (2)
Deschutes Red Chair NWPA (1)
TAPS Toasted Santa (3)
Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale (4)

Fourth, I tried the fourth from the left (#4).
I wrote: "I can smell the hops. And definitely taste them too! Strangely, this beer is listed as a stout."*
*As mentioned above, there was a confusion, but I tasted the truth and Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous is listed as a Strong Ale.

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA - front of the bottle (20150329)

I later wrote: "#3 is sweeter and milder than #4."
I finally wrote: "#4 has a good sort of IPA taste."

[20130121]

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20150329:
This beer had a hoppy, chocolate smell. Pouring another glass, I confirmed that it had a nice hoppy smell. It had a dark red color with a brownish-colored head. Upon tasting the beer, I was surprised by its smooth taste. It had a stout-like texture and an unintentional burp revealed a coffee taste. 6:09PM PT

At the time I found this weird because I thought it was an American IPA. It is, however, a Black IPA.

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Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA
formerly known as Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale
formerly known as Stone 11th Anniversary Ale

Stone Levitation (left) and Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous (right). (20120711)

Relevant Links:
Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous (Stone Website)
Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale (BeerAdvocate.com)
Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA (RateBeer.com)
To Be Discontinued: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow (Stone Brewing Blog)

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Website Information:

STONE SUBLIMELY SELF-RIGHTEOUS ALE
We're brewers whose substantial mettle and idiomatic approach to brewing allows us to consistently create works of art such as this justifiably self-righteous ale. Its bitterness hits our sweet spot. Its blackness lightens our hearts. Its liquid dichotomy pulls it all together in this sublimely sacrosanct ale. Yes, we damn well know our stuff here at Stone, and it would be irresponsible of us not to acknowledge how remarkable this heavenly creation of ours is. Thus the name we are compelled to give it --- Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale --- serves as a reminder of just how good we are, in both liquid and verbal form.

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA - back of the bottle (20150329)

We're certainly not perfect. Too often, we allow our modesty to get the best of us as we're simply not inclined towards senseless braggadocio. When you're good, you're good. And when you do something great, the least you can do is acknowledge it. Others benefit from knowing. In this case, we find that we are compelled to point out how amazing this ale is that we rightly call the Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale.

First brewed in 2007 as the Stone 11th Anniversary Ale, this ale was an instant hit. With us. Other folks with great taste loved it too, but we were focused on how much we liked it, and we felt it was truly sublime. That euphoria didn't last long though, as it was soon replaced with the grim reality that when we sold out of it there wouldn't be any more. For us. And that was simply unacceptable. So, we are now blessing ourselves, and you the enlightened, with this ale. Thusly, you may now revel in your own self-righteousness as you see fit with this glorious example of ours. You are genuinely welcome, as it is our pleasure.

QUICK FACTS
FIRST RELEASE DATE:
January 2009
HOP VARIETY:
Chinook, Simcoe & Amarillo
STATS:
ALC/VOL 8.7%, 90 IBUs
AVAILABILITY:
22oz Bottles, Four Packs & Draft