We had a request awhile back from one of our friends to review more Stone beers. This is a nod to our friend Zimmer, Stone fan and erstwhile cameraman for the show. Which is still in production, I promise. It was a hot day here, in the mid-80s with a stiff breeze, so an IPA sounds fantastic. This has been calling me all day long... heck, even since last night, when Nathan decided to opt for bed instead of reviewing another beer, as he was feeling the effects of two 8% beers. Pansy.
Of course, I say that as Nathan is feeding me caramel-filled chocolate bunnies, which my child recently sold for a school fundraiser. He allegedly just wanted to bite the head off a bunny. Maybe he's not such a pansy after all.
On to the beer. It pours a hazy orange color with a mild white head. The nose is lemon, grapefruit, and pine... pretty much all hops. Huh. This pairs really well with caramel-filled chocolate bunnies, as it cuts the sweetness so well. Too bad that fundraiser isn't going on anymore... now we're onto a jumprope marathon for the American Heart Association. If you want to donate, hit me up before April 26 on Facebook. Or email. Or Twitter. The kid is motivated to raise a bunch of money. Good for him. Wait, where was I? Digressing, as I usually do while consuming beer. Oh yes, this fantastic brew. This is fabulously hoppy. Lots of pine and lemon, and yet it tastes nothing like Lemon Pine-Sol. It finishes very bitter, kinda like me. It's very clean-tasting, and yeah, it's perfect for a hot summer day. Even though it's only April. Go figure, Ohio. It's not as sticky as many double or imperial IPA's... it's very smooth and balanced. There's a solid malt backbone, but nothing to deter from the sheer hop pleasure that is happening in my mouth right now.Say what you want about the west coast-east coast battle of IPA's... this is a classic illustration of the west coast style. Don't let it turn into a Biggie-Tupac kind of battle. Good thing most craft brewers tend toward the peace-loving hippie stereotype.
I had this last over a year ago, and I forgot how much I enjoy it. Another reason that Stone is one of my favorite breweries. Makes me want to book a trip to Escondido (California, where Stone is headquartered). Side note, I really want to meet Greg Koch someday, hopefully while filming a Stone episode for the show. When you pick up some Ruination, pick up a tasty caramel-chocolate confection for a true delight for your taste buds.
4.9/5 caps
-Jennie
Rebuttal to Jennie calling me a pansy- why try and review a beer at 12:30am, when taste buds have been thoroughly rocked previously by 2 good beers? That's when we move onto the cheap beer. And I do believe the bedtime was awesome (notice to reader- take that for what you want. All I know is reading Hunter S Thompson is amazing). And, yes, I wanted to bite the heads off bunnies that I sold for the kid (thanks again to my coworkers who needed a chocolate fix). That's mighty white of you, Jennie, to try and act like you're all high and fuckin' mighty. But I digress. Onto this brew.
This has had time to warm up while I was eating and White Devil was taking lead on this review. The color of this is a hazy orange, with a small amount of white devil, er, I mean white head. If the aroma were a woman, I wouldn't need White Devil anymore. The aroma is something you offer to the deity of your choice as an offering of good tidings and fortune.Grapefruit, lemon, pine, but mostly the citrus. Like a sucker punch in the face from Mike Tyson, the aroma nails you, sending you into a blissful dreamland that you won't recover from. The taste is different than the aroma. There is an earthiness up front that gives way to some citrus blending with a nice malty backbone. That leads to some bitterness that reminds me of how bitter The White Devil will be when she proofreads this before posting. Suck on that Jennie. The finish is dry, like my love life will be after The White Devil proofreads this, but with a little bit of resiny awesomeness.
Possibly a final sign off from me (as White Devil will surely kill me).
4.9/5 caps
-Nathan-
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