Stone Thirteenth Anniversary Ale

My coworker Ben asked if I wanted in on a case of Stone Thirteenth Anniversary Ale and I agreed. The beer pours a dark brown with reddish hint. The Ale is very opaque with a thick head after the pour. The aroma is floral and strong, warning of the hop content in the beer. This beer has hops all around on many levels. There is the minor hop bite at first, then a strong and powerful hop accent, and finally a hop finish, all complete with a slight chocolate under tone (it is very subtle and easier to pick up the warmer the beer is). The alcohol content is 9.5% ABV. I had last year's anniversary ale, the Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, and was a huge fan. This year is a little more difficult to fall in love with, as the beer has a bitter taste, plenty of hops, and finishes with an alcohol kick. The beer attacks your taste buds and leaves them unable to taste anything for a couple of hours. I did find the overall experience enjoyable, but the beer is a little too high for my hop liking.