Stone Ruination IPA

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

22 oz bottle. Very fruity, citrus aroma cut with a bready malt smell. Slightly murky gold/orange with a small white head leaving a tiny bit of lace. Bitter taste with a light sweetness and a long bitter finish. This is a medium bodied beer with a creamy mouth feel, average carbonation, and an astringent finish. This Imperial IPA is different than most due to the dominant hop profile and a slightly lower alcohol content that most. Very good.

Light amber beer with a little vanishing white head. The aroma is sharp , pungent floral and citrus hoppy, with a sweet underlying touch. Full bodied, warming, starts sweet and then explode in a strong drying bitter everlasting end.

So, if you’re new to the brew tasting scene, this product will definitely fulfill all of the lavish promises and vague threats written on its packaging. What I’ve noticed, however, is that old-time hops adventurers actually reach a place where the Ruination begins to taste quite sweet and smooth. The hops are still there, of course, but their resinous bitterness is so tasty and so well balanced with delicious malts that the end result is like a mystical Nectar of Life that quenches thirsts both physical and spiritual -- or is that going too far?

On tap at the Capital Ale House in Richmond. Pours a golden orange with a thick 1 inch white head. Intense hop aroma. Taste is not well balanced at all; full assault of bitter grapefruit. Just awesome. I will say, however, this is brutally bitter and not for everyone.

12oz bottle. Wow. This is my kind of stuff right here. I’m a big fan of this style and is a fine example indeed. Needless to say if you like hops you’ll like this but what surprises me is that even with the 100 IBUs it is still so tasty and drinkable. I still give the edge to Dogfish 90 in this category but this one can fill in just fine.

Strong, excellent citrus pine aroma, but kind of a weak head. Bitterness definitely isn’t my favorite beer characteristic, but this IPA doesn’t taste like 100+ IBUs... other spicy/tangy/peppery flavors mask the raw bitterness. Just like their Arrogant Bastard, this one has a complex, intriguing flavor, but this one isn’t as full-flavored by comparison. In the end, like other IPAs, it was hard for me to finish the 22oz bottle.

On Tap at Stone .Pours cloudy orange with medium head. Huge hop aroma citrus grapefruit. Taste is citrus, grapefruit. I have not had this one in a few years, and its still good as ever.

An extremely hoppy/bitter double IPA, and with such a high IBU with a small ABV the bitterness is high. Only for the hop lovers, it smells of rich california hops with a floral and citrusy aroma. Flavor is very complex and deeply bitter, but not as overbearing as advertised. Would like a more balanced finish, but my hop crazy palate loves it and can’t get enough.