Stone Coast Brewing Company - 420 IPA

While the "blazin'" fiery sunburst image and the name might imply references to a certain illegal substance, the label states "we tried 419 batches before this one". The brewery also makes an "840 Imperial I.P.A.", brewed with 840 oz. of hops (that's 52.5 lbs!). However, we have our doubts that the "420" referenced on this beer comes from the hop dosing, which is not to say that it isn't loaded with hops—it is. Expect some very peppery hops as well as a sweet, caramel backbone sturdy enough to balance the big Pacific Northwest hop aromas. Some "resinous" pine tones and alcohol-soaked citrus notes round out the nose. Look for bitterness to strike early with malty grains quite evident as they tame what would otherwise be a very unruly display of hop prowess. Hops are slightly floral on the palate, but mainly herbal with faint tea- and lemon-like notes. The finish is tremendously bitter, targeting and sticking to the back of the tongue and throat (quite like grapefruit skins), leaving a floral and herbal quality behind as the slightly sweet malts give up their struggle against the bitter hops. Great with hot wings or grilled burgers topped with spicy Monterey jack cheese.

The roots of the Stone Coast Brewing Company go back to 1992 when their founders conceived of the Sunday River Brewing Company—a very successful brewpub nestled at the base of Maine's Sunday River ski area. With their dedication to creating great microbrews and serving them with good food and fantastic service, they've become well known in their region. In 1995, the company owners expanded by creating the Stone Coast Brewing Company in downtown Portland. Under the stewardship of Grant Wilson, an entrepreneur known for his love of great music, great beer and baseball (specifically, the Red Sox), the Stone Coast Brewing Company experienced a number of important milestones and continues to contribute to the local community. For one, the Portland location was for many years host to some of the best up-and-coming music acts of the region, doubling as a small-to-moderate capacity performance hall. Wilson also owns the State Theater, a downtown Portland building dating from the 1920s that hosts musical performances on a regular basis. His nurturing of local music acts probably had something to do with the genesis of the "theme song" for their 420 IPA—which you can hear by visiting their website (URL below). In 2003, they expanded again, building their own full-scale, state of the art brewery. In 2004, brewmaster Tom Kostovick and operations man Skip Hopkins got a new canning machine to play with (which made them one of the first microbreweries in the country to can beer, something we expect to see more of in the coming years). And another major milestone we should mention—one of the Stone Coast beers, Knuckleball Bock, is now served in a sports bar which is housed in the basement of Fenway Park—certainly the realization of a dream of Wilson's (as a Red Sox fan). If you're ever in the Portland area of Maine, we encourage you to check out both the Sunday River Brewing Company brewpub in Bethel ((207) 824-4235), and the Stone Coast Brewing Company restaurant in downtown Portland ((207) 773-BEER). And of course, if you're interested in taking a tour of the Stone Coast brewery, they start on Friday afternoons at, not surprisingly, 4:20pm. For more information about the brewery, check out their web site at http://www.stonecoast.com/.