Ruination IPA - Stone Brewing Co.

SPLITGRIN

Kentucky

4.18/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I have had this beer in many forms many times, but it is time for a formal BA review.

A strong pour gets a fat fingers worth of fuzzy off white head that lasts for a few minutes and leaves no lace. The body is the tone of hazy honey that leans a little more towards amber. Nose is beautifully hoppy with the hops more of a pine veggie feel. First sip is very fresh and crisp up front then with a nice hop character that is like orange rind marmalade. With following sips the hop profile builds in strength, complexity and bitterness. The piney bight comes to the front as you drink also. The hops become so dominant that the whole mouth is overtaken creating a hugely bitter hoppy whole mouth feel. I don't mean for this to come off as a bad thing though, because through all this it is a wonderfully drinkable brew targeted at hop lovers.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2009 01:31:28 | More by SPLITGRIN

iCabaLLero

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -19.4%

05-25-2013 07:41:16 | More by iCabaLLero

4ster

Quebec (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Best by date 06/21/13. Poured into a tulip. Served fairly cold out of the fridge.

A: Bright, orange-gold coloured, slightly hazy, some carbonation bubbles, nice bright white head, large frothy bubbles that stick around for awhile and leaves a nice lacing....

S: Straight out of the bottle, floral hop notes, light on the citrus, grapefruit bitterness, with a touch of malts....

T: A beer of 2 stories (or 3)... starts off very hoppy, grapefruit-citrus, light tropical fruits.... then moves into the malts which while mild and not overly sweet, are noticeable above the hops.... As you finish your sip, the hops return with a bit more grass, pine bitterness... It also seems that cold out of the fridge I personally get more malts coming out, and as it warms up it gets much more hoppy... it also becomes more flat and not as tasty...

M: Bright, fresh, well balanced in carbonation and mouth feel for something with such high IBU... only a slight dryness on the finish.

O: Haven't tried other Stone IPA's, but would say this is fairly representative of a California IPA... It has an amazing smell, looks great and overall tastes pretty good, though I did find how it changed over temperature a bit of a downside. Overall a well balanced beer that leans towards I feel a more malt forward DIPA, that has plenty of hops but is not as smooth or complex as some of the big named DIPAs. A solid offering though.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 00:54:14 | More by 4ster

msinger1002

Ohio

5/5  rDev +15.2%

05-24-2013 23:16:33 | More by msinger1002

Spaz7

California

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

05-24-2013 19:57:06 | More by Spaz7

Roguer

Connecticut

4.09/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A - Beautiful sparkly copper/orange color, actually some decent carbonation, but a wee bit difficult to see through the translucence. Poured a thick head (almost three fingers) on purpose. Beautiful thick lacing on the glass.

S - Strong grapefruit rind, bitter, not particularly sweet, no alcohol scent. Clean.

T - The bitterness hits immediately, with grapefruit and other citrus rind hitting all parts of the tongue. I'm surprised to find very little sweetness. Three phases: initial citrus bitterness, followed by a bit of a malty flavor over the tongue, and finally a thin wave of slightly sweet bitterness that cleanses your mouth. This is a step up (for me) from their normal IPA, but I would prefer some more sweetness to balance it all out.

M - First off, the 7.7% is completely hidden; completely. Feels good in the mouth, fairly easy to chew and toss around. The malty second portion is a little oily on the tongue, but that isn't at all unpleasant. I can take in a large mouthful, toss it around, and then gulp it down easily.

O - I prefer this to Stone's IPA; the malts are definitely subdued, and the hops are clearly center stage. However, I don't like it nearly as much as their Enjoy By; some sweetness would give this beer a nice complexity that would improve the experience tremendously (for me). As it is, it's a beautiful, extremely bitter beer, somewhat limited in flavor profile (one obvious hop profile for me, one subdued caramel malt profile).

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 19:44:54 | More by Roguer

Dirksen

California

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-24-2013 18:40:59 | More by Dirksen

SwG237

New York

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-24-2013 03:58:29 | More by SwG237

Jeremy_H

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

05-24-2013 01:57:00 | More by Jeremy_H

TranceTF

Maryland

4/5  rDev -7.8%

05-24-2013 01:07:19 | More by TranceTF

Thecasehead

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-23-2013 23:34:10 | More by Thecasehead

Michael_20P

California

5/5  rDev +15.2%

05-23-2013 23:22:22 | More by Michael_20P

In_Control_Mike

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

05-23-2013 21:57:53 | More by In_Control_Mike

visionaries

California

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

05-23-2013 17:16:21 | More by visionaries

pisano

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-23-2013 13:41:13 | More by pisano

AaronBricking

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

05-23-2013 05:12:52 | More by AaronBricking

Wally

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

05-22-2013 23:59:14 | More by Wally

aty11b

Texas

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-22-2013 23:01:25 | More by aty11b

jjd315

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-22-2013 20:41:04 | More by jjd315

velcrogrip

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

05-22-2013 18:24:45 | More by velcrogrip

backbaybrewer

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

05-22-2013 17:07:02 | More by backbaybrewer

BigbROB

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

05-22-2013 15:45:27 | More by BigbROB

RichGord

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-22-2013 13:04:31 | More by RichGord

scottyu27

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-22-2013 13:03:35 | More by scottyu27

IPeteA91

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

05-22-2013 05:27:09 | More by IPeteA91