Stone Brewing Company: IPA

I admittedly couldn't handle Stone's Ruination IPA. (See prior post: 5/4/08) Simply too much. Even for a self proclaimed hop head like myself. But as mentioned, Stone Brewing Company makes a series of incredible brews. My favorite selection from the variety of Stone beers I've sampled is their traditional IPA.

First off, the smell is very pungent. The aroma is so powerful it reminds me of the few occasions where I have decided to sample and actually eat a small amount of the straight hops I used in my home-brews. A very raw and fresh scent. Despite this remarkably strong smell, the beer is quite smooth to drink. Don't get me wrong, this is a hoppy beer. If you let it sit on your tongue your taste buds will start to sting. But for how hoppy this brew is, it is so smooth down the gullet. Very impressible. Obviously surprisingly drinkable for an IPA.

As the beer warms up a little you definitely start to notice a malty aspect to this beer. Which is always surpising for how hoppy it smells and tastes. I think the malt presence is ultimatley what is helping with the smooth drinkability.

The aftertaste has an herbal hop feel and if you happen to belch after a few sips you'll notice how your mouth cannot escape the hop resin flavors. But that's what most people are probably looking for in an IPA anyway. Cheers.

Stone Brewing Co: Ruination IPA

Wow. Stone is not kidding around with this one. Known for their strong ales, all Stone brews pack a real punch. But I can't remember the last time I was physically shocked by an initial sip of a beer. Ruination IPA does just that.

This feeling is of course is what Stone wants to do with this imperial ale. Hitting at 7.7% alcohol and proudly declaring a mark over 100 international bitter units, this SoCal brew gives you a swift kick to the mouth. With this beer, I feel Stone is proudly staking their claim in the 'extreme beer' category.

This beer is incredibly hoppy. The hoppy flavors are more woody than floral and there is a ton of hops to go around. Bitter yes. Very bitter, leaving a strong aftertaste along with an alcohol falvor. In fact the reason Stone names this beer Ruination is because of "the immediate ruinous effect on your palate." I figured I'd put Stone's classic witty back bottle description to the test. I tried a average strength beer after consumption and boy were they right. I felt as if I was still drinking the IPA while sipping on a subsequent lager. The taste really does stick with you and 'ruins your palate' for any other beer.

I thought I was a hop head. I mean, I love Stone's Arrogant Bastard (see Hof's post), I like Stone's IPA, Pale Ale, and even their Old Guardian (which has a higher alcohol content than Ruination). But Ruination, I must say, might be too much for me. Prepare yourself if you gonna grab this beer. Consider yourself warned. Cheers.

Stone Brewing Co: Arrogant Bastard Ale

I considered letting someone else write about this, since I know most of us have had it before, but then I decided that none of you could possibly do it justice.

Stone is, after Sierra Nevada, probably the best known of California microbrews. And like most West Coast breweries, their specialties are ales. And they make a point of big ales: big on flavor, big on volume, and big on alcohol content. And while their flagship beer is probably their IPA, their Arrogant Bastard Ale is probably the best known and most widely available high-alcohol ale in the U.S.

Arrogant Bastard's taste is a little bit complicated. It has bite to it, but for the most part that isn't hops you're tasting--its alcohol. The beer is mildly hoppy, but in terms of actual beer flavor what you are tasting is is malt. The maltiness actually gives the beer a bit of a sweeter flavor, similar to what you might taste in a belgian ale, but then the alcohol comes in and wipes out your palette. The beer actually gets a little better once you have a mild buzz. Once that kicks in it dulls a little bit of the alcohol kick and you can taste the malts coming through more strongly.

I like to think that Arrogant Bastard is what beer snobs start off their nights with when it's going to be a drinking night. It's definitely a quality brew, but there's no way I'd climb behind the wheel after polishing one off. It's a quality beer that's guaranteed to give you a buzz after you've finished the first bottle. Assuming, of course, you don't wuss out and take an hour and a half to drink it.

So if you know it's gonna be a big night, but you don't want to have to choke through 5 nattie lights before you're tastebuds are sufficiently dulled, have yourself an Arrogant Bastard. That is, if you can handle it.