Stone Ruination IPA

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Escondido, California USA

Bottle @ GBBF 2009. A clear golden colored beer, with a thick white head. The aroma of fruits, like citrus/pine. There are some spices with a lot of hop bitters. The taste of bitter hops with many fruits, citrus/pine and mango. There are spices like pepper in the back. The aftertaste is bitter and spicey.

11/08/2009. 12oz. Beerstore.co.nz. Stewed jelly-like barley malt dominates, like the IPA, and again there is good hop bitterness but the hop flavour and aroma is muddied - and soapy as all buggery - behind the oxidised malt. Good but time has been the ruination of this once great beer.

355 ml bottle. Pours a light clear cooper with an adequate course white head. Loads of citrus and floral hop aroma and a very slight hint of alcohol. Medium body with a silky mouthfeel. Initially the balance leans heavy to the hop side then levels out a bit into a clean rather smooth finish. Very drinkable.

Bottle at the Rake with the Stone guys. This is the first really convincing double IPA I’ve tried. The hop strength goes without saying but rather than stripping the palate it installs itself somewhere in the back of the head, allowing you to enjoy a nice balanced beer... and maybe another one...

Good, but slightly short of great. For 100 IBUs, it’s a very well balanced beer. I think I could probably drink this all night. Odd that there’s no palate ruination going on here, given the reputation. I’d had this once before but not in any good state to rate it. Something slightly funky in the aroma, like a garden after a rainstorm. Clean malt, clean bitter hoppyness. Very tasty, and very more-ish.

Very nice aroma of hops. Flavor is very clean and hoppy, with a bracing mouthfeel. Overall is a clean, very hoppy IPA, but not much else, not particularly special.

Pours a lighter gold with just under half an inch of head. More full bodied beer. On the aroma I am getting hops and more hops. Also I am getting floral aromas there as well, indicative of a west coast double IPA. On the palate I get hops and a citrus bite to the finish there as well. Also strong hop floral flavors are coming out through every part of the beer. Very strong hop finish. This beer is aptly named as I had a beer after it that I had had many times, yet having this one before it ruined my palate. Awesome!

This is crazy I thought you could have too much hops. It knocks you down before it touches your lips. Then a perfect balance on the palate. Now dont get me wrong you have to love some hops.This beer was much better than I ever thought it could be.