Ruination IPA - Stone Brewing Co.

bstave

Washington

4.53/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured 22 oz bottle (best by 6/25/12) into Dogfish Head Tulip Pint. I have had this beer numerous times and am just getting around to rating it.

A- Pours a wonderful glowing orange copper with big two finger white head that dissipates to a nice coating of sticky lacing.

S- Smell is big citrusy hops. Some nice earthy hop notes as well.

T- Taste is smack you in the face hops. Definitely a true West Coast style IPA. A bit of malt to hold the hops at bay, but not much.

M- Mouthfeel is nice and dry. Not sickly sweet like some DIPAs tend to be.

O- One of my favorite beers of all times. I have only bought one case in ten years and this was it a few years back. Awesome DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 04:02:06 | More by bstave

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