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It’s the tenth anniversary of Stone’s Ruination IPA, and they developed a new version of it for the occasion. I saw a lot of people online raving about this beer, so I had to run out and get one for myself. It’s only been in the beer fridge for a week or so, and I noticed that today was #IPADay. So, it made it the perfect occasion to crack this one open. It’s a great, somewhat relaxing evening, and I just got back from the gym. So, I think I’ve earned this one.
Location: Poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 10.8% ABV, 110 IBUs, ~ 330 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s very clear and mostly orange in color. There’s a little bit of carbonation in it, but not much of a head – only a ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass. The aroma is big citrusy hops, with a good bit of pineyness.
Taste & Feel: The body is full, and the mouthfeel is smooth with a little bit of hop crispness. There’s a rush of sweetness up front with honey and a mix of citrus flavors. It quickly turns strongly bitter in the middle, and it finishes with an intense citrus-pine hop bitterness and flavor which lasts for a while in the aftertaste.
Overall Impression: I really enjoyed the citrusy aroma, as well as the sweetness and hop flavors up front. I consider myself somewhat of a hophead, and appreciated the mix of hop flavors. However, at 110 IBUs, it finished with a pretty intense bitterness that made it fall outside of being easily drinkable to me. Overall, I enjoyed it, but bringing out more hop flavor (instead of bitterness) would have made it a little more enjoyable for me.
Food Pairing: While I had this, I had a pepperoni pizza, and this went nicely with it, as the cheese and pepperoni cut through the hop flavors a bit, and the pepperoni spiciness surprisingly worked together with the citrus flavors. This is a big, bold, intensely bitter beer, so any food pairing has to match up to it. I think I’d go with sweet and sour chicken or pork mixed with pineapple chuncks, as the sweetness from the sauce and pineapple would match the bitterness, and the pineapple would bring out some of the citrusy hop flavors.
My Rating: 
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