Stone Ruination IPA

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

i had this ale for the first time two years ago in a downtown denver pub with my good friend herb harjes. on a mission to try as many beers in one weekend as possible, i skipped my hope for various tastings and guzzled down several pints of stone’s ruination ipa. this beer is the muthaload. the shadowcaster. the unbastard son of bell’s two hearted ale. and i’ve waited two long years to taste it once more. finally, the wife and i flew into denver once more to visit herb and cara. herb and i took in a quick trip to a local beer store yesterday, scoring hopheavy treats completely unavailable in my native tejas. and, finally, after a two year wait, i found stone’s ruination ipa. herb and i split the 22-ounce bomber into two large flute shaped glasses. blazeningly bright copper in color with a thick white head, this beer appears every bit dry-hopped and well-nurtured. the aroma speaks of huge hops and flowers and grapefruits: a citrus lover’s ultimate fantasy. herb and i sipped this beer on his denver front porch last night, watching the rain and brisking the evening chill as it wafted in and challenged the onslaught of summertime grove tree winds. we sipped as slowly as we talked, listening to the drizzling skyline temper the weathering peaks of a draining week. and the ale helped also. two long years in the waiting paid off: but i’d rather have this on a consistently therapeutic tap.

Love the amber/gold color. Strong resin nose. Citrus note for sure on first taste. Mouthfeel is a little watery. I like it, but I think my expectations were too high. Worth another try though.

bottle thanks to swalden_28. poured a clear gold with a white head. aroma of strong citrus. flavor was hops, grapefruit, and some fruits. overall this is a great IPA.

Draft at Hopleaf...Hoppy bitter deliciousness. Great full body with some citrus in the nose. Crisp clean finish. Fantastic!

Bottle. Poured nice deep golden color with nice foamy white head. Aroma is Hoppy along with citrus and malts. Taste is kind of bitter along with many flavors. Smooth but nice crisp clean finish. Tasty!

Good, good, God! This beer is so full of hoppy goodness, that I bought out the store stock. At $16, I’m ruined.

OLD bottle of Rui which I believe may have been bottled ~2004 (San Marcos bottle), poured into an OG tulip glass. Appearance is crystal clear light orange hue, head is frothy spotty white foam that sustains about half its mass, big thick lacing on the glass. Smell is sugary sweet malts (oranges, pine) and a mix of bready and caramel malts, slight grapefruit and brown sugar. Taste is surprisingly mild hop presence, more sweet than bitter, and a decent bread/caramel malt body, finishes with very slight bitterness and a little bit of alcohol warming. Mouthfeel is light-to-medium bodied, watery thin texture with a touch of oiliness, moderate carbonation withstands the test of time. The alcohol is barely perceptible and the hops are sweet-over-bitter, the malts are surprisingly present for a DIPA, Stone RUI is always a great choice and its been a treat to sample this aged version, the hops have held up well over time much like is seen in some of the older Stone Anniversary beers, I’m always coming back for more of this!

Bottle from S&K Beverages in Plano, TX. Pours a very nice looking clear deep gold with off-white head. Aroma of floral and high citris hops. Flavor is semi-sweet with malt, fruit, grapefruit, nice clean bitter finish. Palate is med-full, very crisp. Overall, great IIPA!!!!