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Beer specs

Beer details
Rating: 87

Ruination IPA

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company · Escondido, CA
Variety: Ale · American Ale · American Double / Imperial IPA
Alcohol: ABV 7.70% / ABW 6.16%
Preferred vessel: Pint glass
Color: Nut Brown (English Brown Ale) (20 SRM)
Added by Phil Dokas

So called because of the immediate ruinous effect on your palate. 100+ IBUs. Bracingly bitter. Thick, pungent hop aroma. We would say that no hops were injured in the brewing of this beer, but that would be a massive lie. In fact, the words “Stone Ruination IPA” are what older hop vines use to cause little hop vines to quiver with fright and lose sleep at night . We at Stone honor the brutal massacre of countless hops with this “Liquid poem to the glory of the hop!” Paganism at its best!

Citrus, Bitter, Hoppy, Grapefruit, Floral

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Reviews

  1. Review by [ s . m . m ]
    Rating: 90

    [ s . m . m ]

    drank this beer from a Stein (Mug) in Redmond, WA
    Jan. 14th, 2009 at 3:41 p.m.
    Comment:

    Not to be confused with Stone’s (standard) IPA, this is the Chuck Norris of IPAs: it will kick you off your barstool but leave you smiling about the experience. If you’re a huge hop fan like me then an occasional Ruination is perfect. High alcohol makes this one not a casual drinking beer.

    Characteristics: citrus hoppy thick
  2. Review by Mark Eagleton
    Rating: 95

    Mark Eagleton

    drank this beer from a Pint glass in Woodland, CA
    Jan. 14th, 2009 at 8:47 p.m.
    Comment:

    I drink one of these every week.

    Huge hops perfectly balanced (in California terms) with huge malt backbone. Drink one today.

    Characteristics: balanced citrus hoppy pine
  3. Review by mikegee
    Rating: 90

    mikegee

    drank this beer from a Snifter
    Jan. 15th, 2009 at 6:30 a.m.
    Comment:

    Characteristics:
  4. Review by Brad Chmielewski
    Rating: 95

    Brad Chmielewski

    drank this beer from a Pint glass in Chicago, IL
    Jan. 20th, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.
    Comment:

    Poured from a 22oz bottle into an Imperial Pint. The color is great, it is a cloudy light golden color. There is a nice creamy small white head the builds and quickly resides. Nice lacing. The smell is of course hops. I also get a ton of grapefruit some sugar and a very nice pine aroma. Just all around nice and earthy. Oh the taste! Hops all the way and I love it. The bite is great and I was shocked at how moist it left the mouth. The Runination is very Drinkable for an IPA, I wish I had another to have tomorrow. Recommended for all, especially IPA fans.

    Characteristics: grapefruit
  5. Review by Rob Hudson
    Rating: 91

    Rob Hudson

    drank this beer from a Pint glass in Eugene, OR
    Jan. 21st, 2009 at 2:38 p.m.
    Comment:

    One of my most favorite IPAs (of many). Great hop character and good malty backbone to hold up all those hops.

    Characteristics: hoppy
  6. Review by Ryan
    Rating: 91

    Ryan

    drank this beer from a Pint glass in Lexington, KY
    Jan. 26th, 2009 at 3:33 p.m.
    Comment:

    I’ve had the Ruination on draft, from the 22oz bomber, and from the 12oz bottle.

    It has not once disappointed, as Stone’s brews tend not to do.

    Smells gorgeous, very floral, very intense. Lots of alcohol in there too.

    It’s got a beautiful clarity, with better head retention than I expected (after a proper pour, mind you) for a beer with this much alcohol.

    The taste is large. It’s intense. And it’s fantastic. Massive hops sweetness on the front and bitterness on the back, with just a touch of malt balance to hold it all up.

    Fandamntastic.

    Characteristics: bitter clear hoppy intense
  7. Review by Brian
    Rating: 62

    Brian

    drank this beer from a Pint glass in Denver, CO
    Jan. 30th, 2009 at 2:31 p.m.
    Comment:

    I’m surprised that this has such a high rating. I kinda felt it was a bit one dimensional. Hoppy. Hoppy aroma - smells like hop pellets. And you wont be surprised that it tastes like hop pellets too. Virtually no malt flavor. I wouldn’t consider this a “full bodied” IPA. Especially when it’s contending with the likes of Great Divide Hercules. I know I’ve tasted a beer or two that was more hopped up than this one, but this is still pretty intense stuff. If you’re a crazy hop head and don’t care about anything else, you will enjoy this beer. It’s attractive to the eye and doesn’t taste bad.

    Characteristics: hop bomb
  8. Review by elmazz
    Rating: 85

    elmazz

    drank this beer from a Pint glass in Eugene, OR
    Feb. 7th, 2009 at 10:32 a.m.
    Comment:

    A good IPA, a bit plain in my opinion. But very reliable.

    Characteristics: Classic clean hoppy
  9. Review by Pete
    Rating: 91

    Pete

    drank this beer from a Pint glass in Albuquerque, NM
    Feb. 23rd, 2009 at 8:22 p.m.
    Comment:

    i am a huge IPA fan, and the hoppier the better, so this may be biased. but it. is. fantastic.

    Characteristics:
  10. Review by jamesv
    Rating: 86

    jamesv

    drank this beer from a Pint glass in Ferndale, MI
    Feb. 25th, 2009 at 2:09 p.m.
    Comment:

    Characteristics:
  11. Review by M@
    Rating: 93

    M@

    drank this beer from a Pint glass in Washington, DC
    March 2nd, 2009 at 11:27 a.m.
    Comment:

    Nice hop aroma. You can tell there are tons of centennial hops in here. Porus with a nice white head and has good retention. Light copper in color.

    I love this beer. It’s easily in my Stone top 3 and they make some amazing beers.

    Very nice hop profile and well balanced beer. I had with a burger and fries and it paired very well.

    Characteristics: balanced hoppy malty sweet
  12. Review by Ben
    Rating: 90

    Ben

    drank this beer from a Pint glass in Chicago, IL
    March 9th, 2009 at 11:56 a.m.
    Comment:

    Characteristics:
  13. Review by Grumblemouse
    Rating: 92

    Grumblemouse

    drank this beer from a Bottle
    March 12th, 2009 at 11:28 a.m.
    Comment:

    Every now and again you lift a glass / bottle to your lips, drink and then feel this weird sensation envelope your whole body - whenever that happens I kind of think it’s my soul kind of jumping for joy (I’m not a hippy but it happens) - anyway the first time I tasted Ruination that’s what happened! Blessed are those that drink Ruination.

    Characteristics: awesome
  14. Review by Wren
    Rating: 71

    Wren

    drank this beer from a Bottle in Santa Monica, CA
    March 17th, 2009 at 8:53 p.m.
    Comment:

    Characteristics: grassy hoppy
  15. Review by sternman
    Rating: 85

    sternman

    drank this beer from a Tulip in Portland, ME
    March 23rd, 2009 at 4:28 p.m.
    Comment:

    fills the mouth very nicely with a clean, smooth taste

    Characteristics: bitter floral fruity mint
  16. Review by Lobsterman
    Rating: 87

    Lobsterman

    drank this beer from a Pint glass in Portland, ME
    March 26th, 2009 at 1:28 p.m.
    Comment:

    I likey, I’m a hophead, bitter bite with the aroma of those resiny hop buds. Must have more!

    Characteristics: ++hops bite solid
  17. Review by Donleezey
    Rating: 86

    Donleezey

    drank this beer from a Bottle in Eugene, OR
    April 6th, 2009 at 8:11 p.m.
    Comment:

    Great balance of smoothness and bursting hops. Solid texture with an easy finish. Subtle fruit notes with the hops making sure you arent dozing off drinking this one.

    Characteristics: bold hoppy rustic smooth
  18. Review by Matt Johnson
    Rating: 91

    Matt Johnson

    drank this beer from a Pint glass in Seattle, WA
    May 8th, 2009 at 5:08 p.m.
    Comment:

    Lots of hop depth with a strong hop aftertaste. Sweet, complex, bitter and slightly sour. All the things a great IPA should have.

    Characteristics:
  19. Review by scredsfan
    Rating: 81

    scredsfan

    drank this beer from a Pint glass in Aiken, SC
    May 31st, 2009 at 8:37 a.m.
    Comment:

    Despite the hype, I found this to be a fairly middle of the road IPA - better than some, not as good as others.

    Pours cloudy golden with a medium, creamy head - nice lacing. Obviously, the first thing you notice are the hops. One thing I liked about Ruination is that it seems less fruity and sweet than some other IPA’s. Crisp hop bite at the finish.

    If you’re a hophead, you can’t go wrong with this one.

    Characteristics: crisp hops
  20. Review by Scott C
    Rating: 94

    Scott C

    drank this beer from a Pint glass in Manchester, CT
    Oct. 17th, 2009 at 8:42 p.m.
    Comment:

    I’m a hophead and love anything that’s hop heavy, but this is more than just hop heavy. It still has depth and flavor instead of being overly bitter. It’s very hoppy, yet you still get hints of floral and alcohol, more so than other beers which are just bitter hop bombs.

    Characteristics: alcohol hoppy
  21. Review by WhirledView
    Rating: 86

    WhirledView

    drank this beer from a Pint glass in Laurel, MD
    Dec. 20th, 2009 at 8:19 p.m.
    Comment:

    This is a really nice IPA. Beautiful hops smell - very floral. Crisp and drinkable. Citrusy grapefruit, but not too fruity. I could see some wanting more malt flavor in an IPA, but this balance is good for someone like me who wants to drink more than one or two.

    Characteristics: bitter floral grapefruit hoppy

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