Stone Ruination 10th Anniversary IPA

Stone is easily one of my favorite breweries. They are masters of the hops and are not afraid to make beers they like, in the face of market demands. And this beer was easily one of the most anticipated releases of the year by hop-lovers such as myself.

Stone Ruination, one of the beers that paved the way for the imperial/double IPA style, turned ten years old this year. How did Stone celebrate? They amped-up EVERYTHING. The malts, the hops, the IBUs, the ABV. This is more like an older brother to Ruination than a birthday celebration, but you won't hear me complaining.

Ruination Tenth pours a beautiful, mostly clear sunset orange with about a finger to two fingers of a solid white head. Without a doubt this should be poured into a tulip or snifter to maximize the beauty of the beer. I haven't seen anything so bitter look this good since Avery Maharaja.

The aroma that rose from the glass was like that of incense to the gods: heavenly. Strong citrus aromas, flowers, and some tropical fruits, like mangoes. This is probably the closest I've come to smelling a bunch of whole hop cones. And I absolutely love it. The taste on the Ruination Tenth is just as impressive as the nose. This one is definitely bitter and not for the faint of heart. With the bitterness there is a lot of citrus, mostly orange, and a pleasant sweetness lies underneath all of it with some sweet mango and soft caramel notes.

Despite being a MASSIVE beer, Ruination Tenth has a medium body feel in the mouth and is rather slick feeling with a very mild amount of carbonation, so the flavors linger and are not scrubbed away. The finish on the Ruination Tenth Anniversary is actually a bit dry, as if it were wood aged, but not before a blast of bitterness punches your palate. Well worth the price, and was cheaper than I expected.

Stone Brewing Company
Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA
TCSH - 9.5/10
Aka - Liquid perfection. If you still have a chance to drink this, do not wait any longer.

Dallas