Since today is International #IPAday (click here to read more about it), I thought that I would write a review of a beer that most Craft Beer drinkers know very well: Stone Brewing Company’s India Pale Ale.

Actually, #IPAday is my second reason for writing this review. My first reason is because of a Twitter conversation that I had last night concerning the subject of Comfort Beer. Here’s a brief snippet of what was said …

Brewniversal: Would you rather sit at a bar that has 100 different basic #craftbeer taps or a bar that has 10 special/limited taps?

Ryanhudak: I’d go with the special/limited at this point. The basics you can find anywhere anytime.

Boozedancing: New phrase… #ComfortBeer

Brewniversal: I like that… #beersecurityblanket

Boozedancing: Good, but a bit tough to say when your done with a few elusive #CraftBeer and need a #ComfortBeer.

Ryanhudak: What are your #ComfortBeers? Great Lakes Eddie Fitz is definitely one of mine.

Boozedancing: #ComfortBeers : @oskarblues Dales Pale Ale, @GLBC_Cleveland Eddie Fitz, @smuttynosebeer Finest Kind IPA, @BPbrewing Sculpin, @greenflashbrew West Coast IPA, #SaisonDupont, @VictoryBeer Prima Pils.

So what is Comfort Beer? Comfort Beer is the beer that you select when you don’t want to take chances on a new beer, and instead pick something that you are familiar with, and that you KNOW will be good. Stone IPA definitely falls into the Comfort Beer category.

Here’s what I think of this beer…

Appearance: Cloudy, pale orange color. Fluffy one inch head that dissipates slowly. Lots of fast rising bubbles. Very little lacing.

Cloudy, pale orange color. Fluffy one inch head that dissipates slowly. Lots of fast rising bubbles. Very little lacing. Aroma: Big dose of orange and grapefruit. Honey. Piney hops.

Big dose of orange and grapefruit. Honey. Piney hops. Taste: Medium carbonation. Starts off with some citrus and honey sweetness. The hops take over at mid-palate and lead you to a pleasant and lingering bitter finish. Thanks to a solid malt backbone, the bitterness is never overwhelming.

Medium carbonation. Starts off with some citrus and honey sweetness. The hops take over at mid-palate and lead you to a pleasant and lingering bitter finish. Thanks to a solid malt backbone, the bitterness is never overwhelming. ABV: 6.9%

Since this is such a well known beer, I was a bit hesitant to write this review. What could I possibly say that hasn’t already been said? It has been reviewed 2,440 times on Beer Advocate and has an A for its overall rating. It has been reviewed 2,515 times on Rate Beer and is currently ranked #6 against other IPAs. Although I will occasionally go against the crowd, this is not one of those occasions. Stone’s IPA is a delicious and well balanced beer that does a really good job of hiding it’s relatively high alcohol content. Although you could probably drink this all night, I wouldn’t recommend it. This beer will definitely creep up on you.

What will you be drinking to celebrate International #IPAday? Let us know in the comments below.