ESCONDIDO, CA – Each year Stone Brewing partners with the American Homebrewers Association to host a member rally and homebrew competition, which, for years has yielded a beer worthy of the national stage. Judged by Stone co-founders Greg Koch and Steve Wagner (and members of the Stone Brewing team), this year’s champion is the Paul Bischeri & Patrick Martinez / Abnormal Beer Company / Stone Neapolitan Dynamite, available beginning this week in 22-ounce bottles nearly nationwide.
The striped ice cream box of childhood was polarizing, as the cavalier scooped horizontal while the more conservative opted for vertical. This Imperial Stout offers no such preferential freedom. Brewed with vanilla, strawberries and chocolate plus a grown-up addition of coffee, Paul Bischeri & Patrick Martinez / Abnormal Beer Company / Stone Neapolitan Dynamite is the ice cream sundae of beer, with no tolerance for ‘vanilla’ tendencies.
“Our Stone Homebrew Competition is one of my favorite Stone events,” said Greg Koch, Stone Brewing co-founder & executive chairman. “Yes, Stone and Abnormal Beer Company contributed to this beer, but our homebrewer competition winners Paul Bischeri and Patrick Martinez deserve the biggest scoop of the credit here. They dreamed up this beer, and they really nailed it. Perhaps we should strictly serve this gem frozen in a non-high fructose corn syrup waffle cone. Wait, does that even exist?”
An integral part of bringing the American Homebrewers Association – sanctioned Stone Homebrew Competition winner’s beer to fruition is to pair the winners with a like-minded guest collaborator. The decision was made collaboratively with Paul and Patrick, choosing San Diego’s Abnormal Beer Company. Abnormal’s reputation with stouts is superior and Stone had brewed successfully with them in the past, making for a seamless partnership.
The Paul Bischeri & Patrick Martinez / Abnormal Beer Company / Stone Neapolitan Dynamite pours black and opaque. The aroma melds fresh-brewed coffee with milk chocolate and strawberry. Vanilla and silky milky sweetness shine through in the flavor and creamy body. It’s as smooth as the ice cream of our childhood and as aggressive a liger. Duh.
QUICK FACTS
Name: Paul Bischeri & Patrick Martinez / Abnormal Beer Company / Stone Neapolitan Dynamite
Web: Stonebrewing.com/NeapolitanDynamite
Stats: 8.5% ABV
Availability: Limited release in 22-ounce bottles and draft
National Distribution: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, IA, IL, IN, KS, MA, MD, MI, MO, NE, NH, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA RI, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI and Puerto Rico
International Distribution: Australia, Costa Rica, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan
Find Beer: find.stonebrewing.com
TASTING NOTES
Appearance: Deep, dark, black and opaque. Rocky brown head with fine bubbles that dissipate quickly.
Aroma: Fresh-brewed coffee up-front. Milk Chocolate and strawberry with a hint of nuttiness.
Taste: Strong coffee flavors up-front and an intense mid-palate of fresh strawberries. On the finish there is a lot of strawberry with chocolate, vanilla, and milk sugar. As it warms, these flavors integrate and become even more pronounced.
Palate: Thick, creamy, and syrupy. Some sweetness and a faint tart hint. Full and heavy and ultra-smooth. There is lower carbonation resembling a nitro beer.
Overall: The American Homebrewers Association-sanctioned Stone Homebrew Competition is something we have been proud to be a part of for several years. These are wonderful beers created by passionate brewers who, like us at Stone Brewing, are innovative and always pushing the boundaries of flavor and beer. This year’s winners, Paul Bischeri and Patrick Martinez, created an awesome stout with an equally awesome name. We all agreed right away that Abnormal Beer Company would be the perfect third collaborator because of its wide range of beer experimentation and the several killer stouts that the team has brewed. It’s been a pleasure to bring this beer to a bigger scale so that our fans can share this unique experience.
PAIRING NOTES
A full-bodied, big stout that pairs will with equally full-bodied foods.
Starters: Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp, Smoked Salmon, BBQ’d Burnt Ends, Baked Brie Bowl, Swiss Fondue
Soups and Salads: Beef Bourguignon, Texas-Style Chili, Fresh Strawberry Salad with Vinaigrette, Icy Cold Summer Fruit Soup
Main Courses: Filet Mignon, Coffee-Rubbed BBQ’d Beef Rib, Rack of Lamb, Monk Fish Liver Sushi and/or Uni Sushi, Carne or Carne Asada Tacos with Lime
Desserts: Neapolitan Ice Cream (of course!), Wild Strawberries with Crème, Chocolate Mousse, Strawberry Shortcake with Chocolate Chips, Chocolate Crepes, or make a beer milkshake with this astonishing beer!
ABOUT STONE BREWING
Founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner in 1996, the groundbreaking San Diego-based Stone Brewing is the 9th largest craft brewer in the United States. Recognized as an award-winning, industry leader, Stone has been listed on the Inc. 500 | 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list 12 times, has been called the “All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine twice. The multifaceted company is the first American craft brewer to independently build, own and operate their own brewery in Europe (Berlin, Germany), and also opened a production brewery in Richmond, Virginia in 2016. Known for its bold, flavorful and largely hop-centric beers, Stone has earned a reputation for brewing outstanding, unique beers while maintaining an unwavering commitment to sustainability, business ethics, philanthropy and the art of brewing…and pledging to never, ever, sell out to the man. For more information on Stone Brewing, please visit stonebrewing.com or the company’s social media sites: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.