Ruination IPA - Stone Brewing Co.

utopiajane

New York

4.3/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a tulip it’s spun gold, clear with a 2 finger head, decent retention and has champagne bubbles rising from the bottom. Delectable hops nose with a good bitterness up front. Fruits are tropical, piney. Sticky lacing and good malt underneath. Finely carbonated and a medium light body. Lots of oily bitterness and a strong finish. This beer bombs your taste buds and that’s no lie. Pair it with subtly sweet foods because it’s superbly bitter.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 11:02:32 | More by utopiajane

Tonmeister

Georgia

4.68/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured on a 16 ounce Goose Island Glass

The appearance is light amber, with a thin white head as a result of how I poured it. The lacing is maintained when tilting the glass. look very bubbly.

The aroma is very piney, citrusy, with a huge burst of hop presence.

The majority of the taste definitely come from the hop presence. it is very hoppy, sweet citrusy, piney. I can't taste the alcohol.

the mouthfeel is medium--not really thin or thick. It is somewhat highly carbonated and bubbly.

Overall This is most definitely my favorite beers by Stone Brewing Co. It is also definitely one of my favorite DIPAs. It is perfect for any hop head, but for others it tends to be really bitter. The more I drink it. The sweeter it gets. This is, at the moment, my favorite DIPA no doubt about it. I just wished they made an unfiltered version. I love being able to see those little hop particles floating around in my glass. I

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 15:33:33 | More by Tonmeister

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

4.41/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Stone Ruination IPA

Thanks to Ncketchum... Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a CBS snifter. Served chilled...

A) Nice looking Amber. Over a finger of head with a light orange tint. Decent retention and light lacing.

S) Mango, pineapple, and peaches. Quite a medley of fruit. Nice malty sweetness. Whiff of alcohol.

T) The initial taste is near the nose, but that follows a wonderfully bitter kick of hops, including some pine and citrus rind on the finish.

M) Medium bodied, zesty palate coater of a beer. This has some hoppy zing, that definitely hangs for a bit. Better take another sip...

O) Really enjoyed this brew. Probably should have enjoyed more of this when it was distributed to Wisconsin. Glad to recommend.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2013 23:29:36 | More by RoamingGnome

Cobrito

Georgia

4.96/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Enjoy by 8-8-13.

The 5,888th review of this classic. Can I possibly add anything?

Every time I think I'm only going to have one of these, I eagerly want a second, and maybe third, etc. Astoundingly drinkable for such a dank-tank, in-your-face paean to hop bitterness.

Competes with the best single malt scotches, tequilas, vsops etc. in the what do I want to have for the perfect late night exclamation mark on the day drink.

The Harley-Davidson custom of IPAs? The dream racing bike with the best shimano or campagnolo components ipa? The triple-header White Stripes-Stevie Ray Vaughn-Thelonious Monk of IPAs? Something like that.

One of San Diego's contributions to world culture. Just do it.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2013 03:29:52 | More by Cobrito

yamar68

Minnesota

4.29/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Glowing copper body with perfect clarity and a milky white head that produces all sorts of lace.

Very lush smelling stuff... fleshy tropical fruit, mildly sweet... I like where this is headed...

Loads of melon, appropriate hop abrasion, some sharp conifer notes tied into the bitterness. Such a classic flavor profile. I'm surprised this one isn't imitated more often. Clean, unique, relatively easy-drinking.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 00:40:23 | More by yamar68

RyanCave

Virginia

4.34/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: beautiful golden, well carbonated, even after 15 or so minutes of being open still a decent amount of head and bubbles
S: fresh hops! Grapefruit, very piney, little butter
T: fresh hops! small amount of licorice, malty slightly bready finish, hop bitterness
M: well carbonated, not viscous, appropriate for the style
O: the bottle says "enjoy by 7/30" and this tastes fresh! great IPA, what I look for in an IPA, very strong (and desired) flavors making an extremely refreshing and satisfying brew!

I would ABSOLUTELY seek this out again

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2013 22:52:48 | More by RyanCave

davidsumner

Virginia

4.45/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

With an aggressive poor, we get a 1 1/2 finger head. The head and lace in my opinion are not the best qualities of this ale. But a small lining remains throughout the glass which leaves a light lacing.

The nose is decent but not overly impressive; a little malt, bread, oat, and a little hop; lemon but mostly grapefruit, some hemp, herb, ginger, clove... a nice balance imho.

I love the taste of this ale. Much more then the regular Stone IPA. Very smooth and well balanced. It has a very classic West Coast IPA flavor but not an overwhelming grapefruit presence. The malt and hop are well balanced and the flavor is a nice light, smooth, sweet, citrus melody. In my opinion the flavor is the shining quality of this ale.

Along with the fact that I can find this almost all the time on my local grocery story shelf. That is a definite plus for me. There are better beers available in my area but I have to go out of my way to get them. Which allows Stone Ruination to have become a regular in my beer fridge.

The finish however for me is a little too bitter. Which is totally subjective on my part. I tend to look for IPA's that don't leave a really bitter after taste; which I know is "uncharacteristic" of an IPA. But I prefer a more smoother, less bitter finish.

All and all though, this is a great beer and one that I'll be drinking for a long time.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 13:24:38 | More by davidsumner

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

4.38/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. No freshness date.

Appearance: Poured into a tulip. The color is gold with a bronze tint. Two fingers of head left a bubbly and spotted lacing, a ring around the edge, and trails of foam on the glass.

Smell: Elegant West Coast citrus and tropical fruit: grapefruit, orange, mango, tangerine, pineapple, all of which are tinged with a splash of lemon zest. It also features a little pine spice. Surprisingly, pale malts, caramel, and toffee are also present.

Taste: It is more of a mélange than a hop bomb, though it does offer quite a bit of hop bite and spice. It is tame at first, with much of the maltiness and citrus upfront. Sweet caramel, toffee, grapefruit, tangerine, mango, orange, and lemon zest. Then the bitterness comes into play. It is piney and also a little catty, and the bitterness lingers long after each sip. It mellows as the beer warms, though.

Drinkability: Okay… I thought this was supposed to “ruin” my taste buds. Perhaps it has and I just do not know it yet, but one thing is for sure: it is a damn good brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2013 03:56:17 | More by TheQuietMan22

4ster

Quebec (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev -3%
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

Roguer

Connecticut

4.09/5  rDev -5.5%
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

Bauzen

New York

4.35/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Hazy and golden pour, with heavy carbonation that produces generous, fluffy, two-finger-deep head.

Intense, buttery and bitter hops hit contour the aroma. I detected notes of citrus and pine, but you can tell it's going to be super sharp and bitter.

Flavor follows the nose, and just as I thought it would, Ruination proceeds to wreck the palate at first sip. It's very bright, and makes it hard to pick out the flavors and components once you've begun. Some would say it grabs your attention, I prefer to say it kills any possibility of enjoying other beers after this one (at least in the same evening).

Overall, I enjoyed Ruination, but not as much as other offerings from Stone... Like Enjoy By.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 02:29:13 | More by Bauzen

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.11/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a clean light copper, visible carbonation, 2 fingers of white fluffy head which gave off an intense amount of lacing. smells of pine, simcoe?, grapefruit, caramel. definitely getting lots of that typical simcoe cat-pee flavor, which i happen to love. a minty/piney/grapefruity hop experience. i really miss this beer. wish it weren't so damn expensive, i'd make it my go to. medium body with modest amount of carbonation.. creamy/sticky on the lips.

a wonderful beer. it'd been about 4-5 years since i had it, not because i was sick of it or anything but because i just wanted to try new beers. still as solid as i remember it. like i said, wish it were more wallet friendly.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 01:11:12 | More by facundoCNB

RaulMondesi

California

4/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Kind of like having a hot girlfriend; at first you're all kinds of stoked, but after a while you take it for granted. Ruination is a solid beer that I love getting freaky with, but after a while, you kind of get bored. I'll keep up with the booty calls, but for the most part you want something new.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 04:03:11 | More by RaulMondesi

MeneerBeerSnob

District of Columbia

4.2/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a bottle into a tulip

A-Dark molten gold with finger of white head that quickly fades to a rim with visible lacing.

S-Overwhelms the nose with the hops that will ruin your palate. very faint sweet resin and e tropical citrus.

T-Bitter hops assault the palate with very little citrus zest holding back the ruination.

M-Smooth body with light carbonation.

O-If you don't like hops, beware. I really enjoyed and will have again, but not my favorite DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 23:14:43 | More by MeneerBeerSnob

Roman5150

Michigan

4.53/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

bottle into tulip

appearance: amazing golden yellow, semi cloudy, a great looking DIPA. 1 finger white head

smell: heavy grapefruit, citrus, and floral notes. You can smell the bitterness. One of the best smelling beers out there.

taste: Follows the nose, but more bitter than it would imply. Huge grapefruit notes with some lemon, citrus, and even coriander on the back end. Not much malt presence, masked by the bitterness. Very flavorful beer, this would appeal to even people who may not like 'beer'.

Mouthfeel: perfect amount of carbonation

Overall: One of my favorite hop bombs, if you like bitter simcoe hoppiness (floral and tropical notes), you will love this. I prefer the Stone IPA over this because it's a little less bitter and allows the fruitiness to come through more. Still, this is a benchmark by which other DIPAs should be judged.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 20:15:03 | More by Roman5150

johnnydicfore

Ohio

4.34/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a pint glass

A: pours a nice copper color with very little head

S: floral, citrus, and hops

T: upfront is grapefruit bitterness followed earthy/grassy notes and finishes with pine and faint alcohol warmth

M: medium body, high carbonation, with a dry/crisp finish

O: doesn't quite live up to the hype but is still a fine DIPA

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 23:09:24 | More by johnnydicfore

Siriusfisherman

Montana

4.44/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

L: Clear deep gold with a slight touch of haze. Head starts very creamy and lush, but soon breaks up into soapy bubbles. Good lacing.

A: Big floral, citrus, and slightly tropical hop notes. A little resiny, touch of pine and spice as well, extremely well rounded character (I love Centennial). Sweet, somewhat toasty malt is in the nose as well, not overbearing or boozy.

T/M: Firm bitterness upfront, moves into a blend of sweet fruity/floral hops and some toasty malt. Some grassy notes are also present in the finish, and the sweet malt becomes more drying. Nice fruity esters as well, great balance.

Overall, a fantastically easy IIPA to find, and drinks as well as just about any. Some have a more cutting edge hop character, and some may just be flat out better. But few can bring these standards to national distribution.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 03:23:32 | More by Siriusfisherman

DenverHopHead

Colorado

4.43/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

This is a sexy looking beer! Bubbly gold, thick head and the ring upon ring of lacing decorates the glass! The smell is disappointing however. Incredibly easy to drink considering the 7.7 ABV. Hop presence lingers long after the beer is gone, which I really appreciate. This is certainly a palate wrecker. Nice job Stone!

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 03:45:50 | More by DenverHopHead

WunderLlama

Massachusetts

4.11/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle outed into a Sam Adams glass ( no this is not blasphemy)

Solid two fingers foam cap that slowly settles down to a thick white lid. Strong , pumped up lacings grab ahold of the sides on the way down. Deep honeyed orange-yellow hue.

Pine with citrus aroma. Clean, crisp, hoppy.

Sharp hoppy bite on the front of the tongue. Hop happy with a strong aftertaste on the back of the tongue. Medium weight on the tongue. You KNOW you are drinking an IPA after the first taste. Classic hop bitterness. If you like IPA 's , this is a beer for you.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 02:25:08 | More by WunderLlama

LambicPentameter

Kansas

4.09/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured out of a 12 oz brown bottle into a large snifter. No discernible 'drink by' or 'bottled on' dates.

A - Head is present, but a little weak--three-quarters finger and disappears into a lace on top of the liquid about 60 secs later. Lacing is prominent but also fades quickly. Body is a beautiful orange-yellow glow.

S - Piney, herbal, some alcoholic ether bite as well. I like the smell but wish it was a bit stronger.

T - More pine, hoppy bitterness, maybe some grapefruit as well peeking through.

M - Aftertaste is bitter but the body is smooth and makes this a very drinkable DIPA, in spite of its "ruinous" reputation.

Overall, a very solid beer. There are other double IPAs I would probably drink first but this one is a quality crafted beer that has no major criticisms from me.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 23:54:27 | More by LambicPentameter

jamescain

Texas

4.08/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I can't count the number of times I've had this beer and I still can't believe I've never reviewed it. Well I guess now is the time. It pours a hazy amber-yellow with a white head about a finger thick that slowly fades to a thin lacing. The smell is straight up piney goodness with hints of grapefruit and citrus. The taste is pallet crushingly bitter. But its more then that, there is a complexity you wouldn't think you would get from a hop bomb. Grapefruit is the predominate flavor with subtle malty notes still not lost amongst the hops. The mouthfeel is medium and approachable with a dry finish. Too often DIPAs are sweet and sticky. Overall I've always enjoyed this beer but now I've finally reviewed it.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 16:17:27 | More by jamescain

jdhowe

California

3.15/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

Enjoy by 06/27/13 printed on the bottle.

I've had a lot of trouble with this brew. I was initially unimpressed but supposed maybe I'd just gotten a bad bottle and gave it another shot. Then I was sold an out of date package only to later realize that the beer was not so fresh as would be intended. Thanks for having inscrutably small "best by" labeling, Stone -- now I know where to look, but to a consumer in a store one might miss it entirely as I did on first pass. So now I've picked up the freshest single I could find and am ready to review this beer, giving it the full benefit of the doubt on all previous attempts.

Poured a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Pours a nearly clear amber with a bubbly but flimsy half-finger head, which dissipates very quickly leaving minor lacing. Points here for the clarity and color, at least.

S: I quite like this. Pine, some spice, citrus, and malt sweetness are strong and portend a flavorful experience.

T: Really a let down. The taste is thin on flavorful hop oils and malt, dominated by bitterness, which is lasting but not in a way that makes me excited about continuing. The pine, malt, and citrus from the nose are all evident (in roughly that order) but everything is just dominated by the bitterness of the hops, forming a poor balance. I've certainly tasted much worse beers and much less flavorful IPAs, but this is not a strong showing for Stone and the negative tenor of this review is probably coming from an expectation that this beer just can't fulfill. On warming the citrus shows a little stonger, the pine and bitterness mellow a bit, but the bitterness still dominates.

M: Again very nice. Well balanced carbonation with a smooth-finishing body make this a very drinkable beer.

O: If it only tasted better, this really could have been an excellent beer. As it is, I'm ready to write this one off as another offering of Stone's that just isn't nearly as good as their best.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 07:20:29 | More by jdhowe

rlee1390

Indiana

4.29/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A-Clear orange, two finger head that leaves some lacing.

S-Good deal of hops, citrus, grass and pine with a nice balance.

T-Great balance, mild malt, citrus notes, grass a nice bitterness in the finish and a sharp hop bite.

M-Medium bodied, nicely carbonated and some hop resins.

O-A great DIPA. The day I had it, it was a little too warm out but I'll seek it ago again. This time the beer was roughly 2 months old so hopefully I can find it even fresher.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 01:41:00 | More by rlee1390

diddly

New York

4.74/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bomber to a tulip glass

Slightly hazy, gold color, with a thick, bubbly white head, which dissipates. Lacing on the glass is fairly thick and long-lasting.

Smells richly of hops - little bit of that cat urine aroma, but also some grapefruit notes, and a little bit of clove, for what that's worth. There's also a nice sweet scent to the beer, just to show it's not all hops.

The taste is exactly what I'm looking for in the style. Beautiful, rich hop tones right up front and at the end. There's balance, as well, but hops are obviously what this beer is about. Grapefruit and pine are the dominant flavors, with good sweetness for balance.

Feels medium to heavy, medium carbonation, not too sweet or bitter.

Overall a great imperial IPA, and one of the best out there. Great hoppiness, but simultaneously balanced.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 03:44:06 | More by diddly

Alextricity

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Enjoy by 6/27/13 ... this seems to be a pretty fresh bottle. 12oz bottle poured into Samuel Adams Perfect Pint glass.

Appearance: A crystal clear yellow-orange color. I had about three fingers of a creamy head that lasted quite awhile. Lacing is very nice.

Smell: I find it subtle, but good ... no thanks to my aggressive pour, the head was so thick that I could barely pick many aromas out of this one. Once it died down, I got some more. Pretty sweet smelling, but definitely more piney and spicy than grapefruity.

Taste/feel: It's a good one. The taste has quite a bit of sweetness at first, but the bitterness lingers on the back of the tongue upon swallowing. Given that it's 100+ IBUs, you can expect it to be pretty damn bitter. I get a LOT of resinous, piney hops in this one, but there's malt sweetness to keep it from being too bitter... I even get a somewhat biscuity taste on the finish. As it warms up, the malt becomes more pronounced, and there's a slight alcohol burn on the finish of each sip. It's definitely not a balanced beer, as it's more bitter than sweet, but that's not a bad thing -- unless of course, you can't stand a bitter beer. Despite the bitterness, Ruination is an easy drinking, smooth beer. As good as the beer tastes, the burps are even better, I think... supper hoppy deliciousness. Only Hopslam has a better tasting burp! The taste of this beer lingers quite awhile after each sip, but I don't mind at all, since it's pleasant.

Ruination is another beer from Stone that I definitely approve of. At $3.29 a 12oz bottle though, it's kind of hard to recommend, as there are plenty of IPAs, I think, that are just about equally as good (and more balanced) for about $2 a single or $10 a sixer. At the same time, Ruination has something about it that isn't quite like other DIPAs out there, so I'd definitely recommend trying it. Excellent beer, and the high ratings are justified, I think.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 15:21:35 | More by Alextricity