Stone Ruination IPA

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

Tremendous pine and citrus hop aroma. Medium body, good sharp carbonation. 100+ IBUs gives a whole mouth bitterness, just incredible.

22 oz bottle $6.50 from whole foods. Very hoppy smells great. Pretty bitter up front but calms down. A great beer but your going to need some huevos to really enjoy it.

Bottle. Pours hazy amber, with a thick, pungent head. Aroma is overwhelming at first, but settles out after a thorough pour. Very bitter nose, almost completely consumed by the dry-hops. Very firm body, with balanced carbonation. I expected much better from Stone. Perhaps the bottle’s warning was correct; I may need a few more tastings to fully appreciate this beast.

Pours deep murky orange, medium carobonation and very little white head. Aroma is bitter, herbal, grainy hoppiness. Taste is indeed bracingly bitter, hoppy and herbal, very dry, but enjoyable. Some background fruit and sweetness provide a slight counterbalance. Enjoyable IPA.

Pours a nice golden color with a white head. Has a bit of pine and yeast smell to it. Has a little citrus taste to it and is pretty bitter. An okay DIPA

VERY hoppy flavor. No aroma to speak of. The aftertaste lasts forever and ever.

This is a seriously good, and *serious* IPA. I wouldn’t recommend this to someone who has never had an IPA (or worse a craft beer) before- that would be like learning to drive on a Lamborghini. In fact, this beer reminds me a lot of a Lamborghini- over the top, out of the box, eccentric and maybe a bit ridiculous. But if you’ve had a good sampling of IPA’s before you’re going to love it. It is extremely hoppy. I can smell the hops after simply popping the cap off the bottle. Pours a nice amber. The floral aroma and flavor are filled with hops, malt, and citrus. This isn’t what I would call a very "clean" tasting IPA like Pliny, but it has tons of flavor notes even though it may be slightly heavier. If you like beer you have got to try this sometime.

US trip Aug/Sept 2009 - Notes indicate i found this one big, bold and slightly muddled. Pint at the yardhouse in LA