Stone Ruination IPA

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

22 oz. bottle. Beautiful gold color with a lasting creamy white head. Aroma is very hoppy and "earthy" with an almost evergreen hint. Flavor is a very nice strong hop flavor with a slight bitterness that finishes very clean with a mild "hop bite" onthe back of the tongue. A great beer.

Sampled courtesy of MmmcKay. Clear amber pour with minimal whitish head. Massively floral hop aroma, near perfect! Wildly bitter hop bomb. Citrus, pine, floral. Nice showing of just how hoppy you can make a beer. but not well balanced by any stretch of the imagination, but ain’t supposed to be! So i can certainly appreciate it for what it is, even though i’m not a hop head.

I was extremely fortunate to try two pints of this from a cask at Rustico that was dry hopped with both Columbus and Amarillo hops. The difference was amazing. The aroma was outrageous, so much so, that I was savoring my pint and people standing around me were intrigued by the aroma and asked what I was drinking. From the cask it poured a hazy, orange, amber with a slightly, spittle head. Aroma was of liquid hops, grapefruits, mangos, pine, lemons, resin, oranges, limes, a bit of juniper. The aroma from the dry hopping was unbelievable. Flavor is bitter, but also fruity, citrus fruits, some light toast and caramel with more pine. Finish, as you’d imagine, was bitter and slightly dry with just a touch of oil too. Good in the bottle, great dry hopped on cask.

[12 oz. Bottle] Pours a clear gold with a smallish off white head. Aroma is a lot of citrus hops with a touch of skunkiness, some caramel, and grapefruit. Really a bitter front on the first sip. This bottle might be a little older, because some of the hop flavor has faded and leaves an astringent bitterness behind. Lighter body than I was expecting. I think this will need some updating if I can get my hands on a fresher bottle.

22 oz bomber acquired via trade with fogdog. Icing on the cake that is the rest of the trade. Pours a highly hazed amberish orange hue, medium bright white head that laces well. Aromas are prominent as soon as the bottle is popped: orange and grapefruit hoppy bouquet is prominent with a touch lighter sweet carmel malt and some piney resinous qualities that remind me of Juniper. Initial is bitter up front, a touch empty, moving into nice grapefruit, lemon, and piney resin. The malt falls back a little, as the bitterness takes center stage. Florals, juniper, and sharp but pleasant bitterness take hold, malt does what it can to balances, but falls a little behind. Nice bitterness on the finish with a touch of carmel sweetness. Bitterness, florals, pine remain in the aftertaste. A very good DIPA that I bet would rival others I’ve rated if I had it as fresh as those. Cheers!

Enjoyed via 12 oz bottle. Pours a light copper color. Actually somewhat lighter than many IPAs. The aroma was absolutely wonderful. Citrusy hops create tremendous notes. The palate is pretty thoroughly dominated by hops, but not to an extent that is overwhelming, as there is a reasonably strong malt backbone in the finish. Overall, an expensive but absolutely wonderful imperial IPA.

22oz bottle, clear gloden-orange color, with a white-beige head, leaving some lacing, caramel, toasted malt, resinous, coniferous, cedary floral hop nose, with some citrusy, candied lime, lemon, grapefruit peel accents, with a pine niddle, grassy note, with a hint of minty leafiness in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a sweet toasty, caramelized malt, fruity, hoppy, juicy piney, coniferous character, with a zesty, lime, citrusy, lemony flowery hop, resiny, spearmint leafiness note, with some candied orange, peach, apricot accents, leading towards a malty, fruity, candied citrusy, hop piney, resinous bitterness finish.

bottle: 12oz Amber pour with medium head. Nose was very citrus with some pine and grapefruit. Flavor matches smell with a hard long lasting bitter bite, with an underlay of malt. Nice and smooth with a punch.