Stone Ruination IPA

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

Bottle in NYC. Slightly hazy dark gold. Oily resin bitter IPA, a bit tongue-numbing. It’s a bit like drinking a pine forest, and the extreme aroma is what they have aimed for, too. Interesting? Yes. Enjoyable? Yes. Well balanced and moreish? Nope.

I bought it in WI when I was in the area for the Autumn Brew Review. Amazing brew. Citric hints, devilish hops, beautiful thick head. If you have a chance to try or even pick it up, do so.

10/2/2008: 330 mL from the Bottle Shop in Carrboro, NC. This is the next level of IPA. Everything you would expect in a superior IPA: citrus overtones, hops demolition, creamy, cloudy yellow pour, massively thick head, floral notes, grapefruit. But take one good first sip and you’ll realize this is a new dimension. You have the normal intense IPA feel like Dogfish Head 60, and then before it is over you are warped to the next level. There is an onslaught of bitterness and hops that is hilariously overpowering. Maybe some pine resin in there like the Arrogant Bastard Ale. The aftertaste is entirely off-balance. But hey, who needs barley anyways? 8/17/2009: Aroma is less amazing than I remember: lacks the honey sweetness and fresh citrus of say Port Hop-15, Ballast Point Dorado, Bells Hopslam. Has some caramel sweetness and nutty bitterness. It is definitely still a hop-bomb though. Taste is more herbal hops and raw hops than grapefruity, fresh hops. I guess it’s all about personal preference.

Bottle purchased at BevMo in Redlands, poured a clear amber color with a decent off-white head. Pure hops in the aroma and a ton of them, wow! Flavor was much of the same, pine resin hops and a massive amount of bitterness in the finish. Wish I could find this one in FL.

MMMmmmm...The aroma is of piney and citrus zest and juicy citrus. Can’t barely detect any barley in the aroma. It pours an almost clear golden hay color. With a thick and creamy but slowly dissapating head. The off white head leaves in its train thick, beautiful lacing. The flavor is pretty bitter but not realy harsh, but not smooth as a babies behind either. There is grapefruit and pine resin in the flavor. Nice lingering dry bitterness in the finish. Another great big beer from the brewers at Stone. Thank folks. Thank the Lord Jesus for the hop harvest.

man - can’t believe I hadn’t rated this. have tried several times now. rating from on tap at taphouse grill in seattle. clear orange pour with small white head. strong pine and floral aroma. taste is citrus grapefruit, pine and more pine. sort of backed up with light bready and caramel malts. sticky texture. very bitter. very awesome.

Pours a honey gold with a one finger off white head and cool lacing. The nose is full of grapefruit hop and only a small amount of caramel malt. Flavor is truly hop dominated with floral, pine, and grapefruit notes. Resin and biscuit. Some sweetness is evident but the hops so dominate the source of it is ill defined. Bitterness is evident but not overpowering. If there is a hop flavor it is here in spades. The brewers pull that off with some amazing smoothness in taste and feel. Hops is the name of this game and Stone plays it very well.

A massive DIPA but without the sickly sweetness that sometimes plagues the style. Extreme piney hop nose portends the Ruination that will assault your tastebuds. Very bitter with a long aggressive hop finish. Malt character is biscuity but does little to temper the tsunami of hops that follow. Pours a gorgeous light amber with THICK off-white head. Great heaps of sticky lacing. A very drinkable DIPA, Ruination hides its 7.7% content very well. Extreme, but well crafted as well.