Also featured at our ski weekend, and really the highlight of the weekend, was Stone Brewing’s Ruination IPA. BeerAdvocate rates this one a solid A, and I am not about to disagree with over 1,000 reviewers. Stone’s website gives a little insight into the name, and what to expect from the bottle:
So called because of the “ruinous” effect on your palate! This massive hop monster has a wonderfully delicious and intensely bitter flavor on a refreshing malt base. One taste and you can easily see why we call this brew “a liquid poem to the glory of the hop!”
Uh, yeah, what he said. Poured from a 22oz bottle, this hazy orange brew with a thick white head gives a huge shot of citrus (grapefruit, mostly) in the nose. Stone’s monicker of “hop monster” is entirely backed up by the wonderful smell of this beer. Some nice lacing and streaming bubbles up the side of the glass make one look forward to the first sip.
The taste brings more grapefruit from the hops. The malts underneath do balance the bitterness to some extent, but this beer is not for the faint of tongue. The 7.7% ABV gives a nice warming sensation in the mouth and as it goes down, and there is a slightly bitter hop finish. Eminently drinkable, with just enough malt to prevent your taste buds from staging a coup, this is probably the best IPA I’ve had yet (though Russian River’s offering are still on my “to-drink” list). Highly recommended!
My Rating:
