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.

Deschutes Brewery: Hop Trip Fresh Hop Ale

Warning Warning! Beer prices on the rise!

My mother informed me that six packs might go up a dollar next year. Although this increase is not an incredibly large amount, for how much some of us consume (or use to), this rise is worth noting.

Beer drinkers in the Northwest became very upset when they heard this news. The northwest is a great beer brewing region. Washingtonians especially love their beer. (Enhanced by the fact that hard liquor is state regulated so its not available at supermarkets.) Washington writers have been intently following the agricultural updates on the upcoming shortage. My mom, a Seattle PI reader, forwarded along this article to me last month. The exerpt below, explains next year's price increase:

"Hops and malt, a form of barley essential to fermentation, are both in short supply nationwide. The shortage is caused by poor crops, high demand, the weak dollar and the increasing popularity of ethanol, which has prompted farmers to plant corn rather than hops or barley."

What does this all mean? Well don't worry, there probably won't be a shortage of beers out next year. With one exception: Harvest Ales.

If you read my Sierra Nevada Harvest Fresh Hop Ale post you may remember that a few breweries make a pale ale at harvest time with a large batch of fresh instead of dried hops. The process requires more fresh hops than would be needed if the brewers used the traditional dried formula.

So, with the possibility of no Harvest Ales on the shelf next year, (it looks like this is only a one year problem) I decided to try Deschutes Brewery: Hop Trip Fresh Hop Ale.

And I'm glad I did. It is delicious!

Although not as hoppy as their traditional pale, Mirror Pond, it has a wonderful soft mouthfeel. One of those beers that I could easily polish off a six pack and not be sick of the brew by the end. Like a trademark harvest ale, you can taste the hop resin sloshing around in the beer as opposed to a bitter kick. Sierra may have written the book on harvest ales, but Deschutes makes a damn tasty one. So, I recommend grabbing the remaining bottles of this fall brew before it's gone. Cheers

Sierra Nevada: Harvest Fresh Hop Ale

Sometimes I forget where beer comes from. This beer will remind you.
Beer like most foods, comes from the ground. However while enjoying a brew it is an easy fact to forget.

Sierra Nevada does a great job at reminding you that beer is an agricultural product. Last month I went to Chico, California to drink Sierra Nevada and party like I was still in college. I went to a birthday party at the brewery and restaurant. At Sierra Nevada Brewing Co I was thoroughly surprised how many beers they had on tap; 14 at the time. Naturally, with such a selection I asked every bar tender and waiter what was the best beer that Sierra makes. Unfortunately, my question was too broad. The #1 answer I got was Sierra's Harvest Ale, which was not on tap at the time. As it's a seasonal beer. For the record; the traditional pale ale is so fresh there it is to die for.

I was excited when the latest version of the harvest ale came out recently in bottles, since I had heard so much about it. It's a little more expensive than other one bottle brews. But its a 24 oz bottle. So you get your liquid worth. Back to the beer, Sierra Nevada wrote the book on Harvest ales. Literally. They invented the idea. A harvest ale, for all intents and purposes, is a pale ale brewed with fresh hops. Eleven years ago, SNBC picked their hops (they ship in most but have their own field too), and then instead of drying them (think the Sam Adams TV commercials with the brewmaster with the piles of dried hops) brewed a batch of beer with the fresh hops. Most breweries didn't have the size, money, and capability to pick their own hops, ship 'em to their brewery, and install the proper filtration system to make it all work. But for the past 11 years Sierra has been making it happen.

The harvest ale does look and taste like a traditional american pale ale. Darker golden color, with a bitter taste that you want from a pale. However, the best feature of this ale is the resins from the hops are more flavorful because they do not lose their flavor in the process of drying. Sierra also claims that keeping the hops fresh adds aromas and spices. I actually disagree (no extra aromas or spices in my opinion), but you can taste the hoppy resin. According to Sierra staff, only 7 other breweries last year made harvest ales. Most agree that Sierra Nevada is doing the best job because their vast experience in this unique ale. However, this beer is good but not as great as hyped. I really like SN and was hoping it would be a top 10. No luck. But it is a fun taste and a twist on the traditional pale. And this beer also reminds you that at harvest time Sierra Nevada is taking 8,000 pounds of hops and making it into beer in a 2 day period. Which is a cool concept. Beer comes from the ground, who knew?

Cheers