23 February 2016 - Best Beer HQ

Stone Brewing & Sierra Nevada unite for new beer

Stone Brewing & Sierra Nevada team up for limited release beer

Popular California breweries Stone Brewing and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. have teamed up to produce a limited edition beer.

The new beer by San Diego-based Stone and Chico-based Sierra Nevada – Dubbed “NxS IPA” (North by South) – is a barrel-aged IPA blended with a fresh, dry-hopped batch of the same IPA.

Specifically, batches of IPA were brewed with magnum hops before a three-way late-kettle addition involving amarillo, chinook and cascade hops. The first batch was then split down the middle – with half being aged in gin-infused bourbon barrels and the other half in rye whiskey barrels. The aged portions were then blended with a new, fresh batch of IPA, which was generously dry-hopped.

The resultant beer sits at a whopping 8.2% alcohol by volume, and 70 IBUs.

It’s the first time that the two breweries – both ranked among the top ten largest craft breweries in the USA – have collaborated to produce a beer.

Stone brewer Mitch Steele commented: “Since Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. has been an inspiration for Stone, and me personally, for our entire brewing careers, we were thrilled to be asked to brew a beer with one of the most admired craft brewers in the world.

“When brainstorming this collaborative recipe, there was no doubt that we should brew a memorable IPA and we wanted to combine unique elements from each brewer. For Stone, that meant barrel-aging a portion of the beer at our barrel warehouse.”

The breweries are already churning out 22-ounce bottles of the beer, which will be available at selected retailers in the United States, as well as internationally in Australia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Thailand.

Stone & Sierra Nevada NxS IPA

ABV: 8.2%

IBU: 70

Hops: magnum, amarillo, cascade, chinook, centennial, mosaic

US distribution: AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT and WA

International distribution: Australia, Korea, Singapore, Japan, Sweden, Thailand and the United Kingdom

Tasting notes by Mitch Steele

Appearance: Pours deep gold with amber hues.

Aroma: Peach and citrus hop aromas followed immediately by the spicy, piney notes of gin and the vanilla aspects of oak.

Taste: A blend of fruity hops, oaky vanilla notes, and finishes with a pleasant hint of spicy spirits and good hop bitterness.

Palate: Medium body and bitter with a little bit of warmth.

Craft Beer / News USA /

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