Friday, August 6, 2010

Review: Stone Ruination IPA.



After nine hours driving a van full of High School and Junior High students I figured I’d earned it. Tacos and an imperial pint. The tacos were great, because they were tacos. Oh how I miss Tucson, (See previous). The pint was Stone Ruination IPA.

Stone is well known for “arrogantly” crafted beers and this is no exception. The label claims 7.7 percent alcohol by volume, but as I write this after finishing my pint, I wonder if that is a conservative calculation. For I am positively swimming.

Hoppy beers seem to be very much du-jour, and this is in the class of new, hoppy beers. It is an IPA, and it is a “west coast IPA. Perhaps, the standard of that sub-genre. But unlike many of the Johnny-come-lately uber-hopped beers, of which this is the best I’ve had, it is more complex. The hops are definitely the theme here, but Stone did not throw all other beer elements out the window. On the first sip, hops are overwhelming. But as one gets into the pint a subtle sweetness is detected. It complemented my tacos (and lots of hot salsa) very well. I appreciated how light the beer felt despite such a complex flavor. It added to my meal, without, (as the label claims) overpowering it.

Stone Ruination IPA is another beer of which I don’t think I would enjoy a whole six pack. It is a special occasion beer. (Especially given the price). Wait until you’ve done something particularly taxing, then treat yourself to one. It’ll be worth your toil.

1 comment:

Tom Askew said...

Great review, Dave. I have come to prefer IPA's over just About anything (or the hops), but try to reserve them for special occasions. I introduced Steve Johnson (of Barleymen fame) to Dogfishhead 90 minute recently and now he gets it at every Barleymen's. He made the mistake of ordering a second one right before The Resistance meeting on Wednesday,and I had to finish the second one for him (en route to going home to take a nap!). Let me know if you are in Tucson during any of the upcoming holidays!