Stone Ruination IPA

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

Good lord. The hops in the nose are so massive it makes my eyes water as I pour. Stone, just let me say, I love you deeply. Lovely, golden copper color with a sticky cream head. Nose, again, is massively hoppy, simply amazing. Rich, piney, grassy hops. Initial taste is puckeringly tart. Beatifically luxurious in both its softness and agressiveness, like drinking a goblet full of velvet wrapped around spikes. The huge IBU rating is balanced by its monster malts, giving hints of sweetness to the finish. Absolutely wonderful and, if I may speak in the tone of the Arrogant Bastard for a moment, if it’s too hoppy, you’re just a big wuss.

Bottle: This reminded me of Keith Richards guitar solo on "Sympathy For The Devil" - all treble and no bass. In fact, I recommend listening to that song while you drink this beer. Starts with one of the freshest hop aromas I've ever experienced - clean and bright as if you just rubbed some hop cones in your hand and smelled them. Orange color and foamy head. Light and quick malt body that is rather thin. This beer cuts right to the chase quickly: hops, hops and more hops. Grapefruit finish with a bitter tang at the sides on the mouth. This actually dried the front of my teeth. You almost need a toothpick afterwards to get the hops out of your teeth. Kowtow to the hop! God bless the hop!

Light copper color,citrus-piney aroma. Leaves clingy sheets of lace in the glass.Hoppy as hell but still very balanced, I love it. Thanks herbjones.

Another Hurray to Joe and Shell who were able to convince the beer shop owner to give this nice brew for them out of his hidden private stock! HURRAY!Nose is unbelieveable: like rolled hops petals in your hand - the kind of thing I do while visiting a brewery - makes me totallý high. Orange color, huge foamy head. Hoppy bite, dry, bitter grapelike short finish at end of the tongue. What a nice brew. More enjoyable without an Guitar solo from Keith Richards (sugarlips pivo :-))

First let me praise Stone Brewery. Although I love their other products(Bastard and such), no two of their beers tastes the same. In that I mean, when I drink a Sam Adams of any rendition, I know I'm drinking Sam Adams. So with the adventurous Stone, there are no limits and every single brew is its' own entity. After having the Stone IPA, which I feel is a premier IPA, Ruination started showing up at my local. Thank God.....pours nice with beautiful golden color, lace throughout the glass, long lasting. The smell, takes over a room...bold hops, hint of malt. The taste is all hops, with a tremendous mouthfeel that's oily on the hops but finishes dryer than a Sahara Caravan, but within the center of all this, is a tinge of fruit (citrus) that not only rolls out the red carpet to the best hop finish I have every had. Some describe the malt at the finish, I sense it in the center with the citrus....pitching a tent for the ever lingering hops. This beer finishes clean, crisp...at 7.7ABV% don't underestimate this demon of an IPA

Fantastic. Although I hear humans can only taste up to 90 or so IBUs, some of the other characteristics of the hops come through. The grassy, herbal taste is somehow even more pronounced. It’s a very sharp and bitter ale. The thing that surprised me, thinking this was a gimmick beer, was how surprisingly balanced and complex Ruination is. After all the hops, you can taste a definite malt presence, with a lot of subtlety. I highly recommend this, particularly if you take pleasure in an almost painful drink. Ha.

Drank pints in the Drafting Room in Exton pa because the weather was too bad to drive to Downington to eat at..... NEWS FLASH.....BEWARE VICTORY HOP-DEVIL !.... Read no more - drink this ale....one of the top 5 brews to ever pass across my palate !

Pours light orange/yellow, aroma is pure hops. Taste is powerful, something for which you have to be in the mood. But it is very drinkable for an Imperial. Truly a great taste and a great beer.