Loading ...The only reason that I bought a bottle of Stone Ruination is because I’d heard good things. 
Having tried Stone IPA recently, I felt like I more or less knew what to expect: a kind of “turned-up-to-eleven” version of the original Stone variety.
I feel like I do a pretty good job of advertising the fact that I have a pretty unsophisticated palate in general, and that I’m still in the beginning stages of developing an opinion about the varieties, brands, and tastes of beers out there. I’ve never been a giant fan of IPA’s in general, although I would readily admit that I do have an appreciation of them and have been known to try ‘em every once in a while.
So, when I saw Ruination on the shelf at my local beer hole, I pretty much had to try it. The bottle’s label is painted on, and I liked that. There was a stupi-long essay on the back, the content of which I can’t remember and don’t feel like recalling. Whatever. Perhaps most importantly, though, the statement “100+ IBU’s” read, to me anyway, like something of a challenge.
Upon opening the bottle, I was greeted by a distinctly flowery smell. This almost always means that the beer’s going to taste, as I’d characterize it, “perfumey.” Ruination pours a very cloudy, golden color. The head was very fluffy, a slightly yellowish color, and left a sticky lacing around the inside of the glass.
It's like a garden walk in a glass.
I was pleased that my senses and experience hadn’t deceived me; this is one of the more perfumey beers I’ve ever had. It’s pretty damn bitter, too: at least the label didn’t lie. The finish on this beer is very, very long–the bitter taste hangs on the tongue for a good while and almost opens the sinuses, much in the way a good breath mint might do. Unlike a breath mint, however, Ruination isn’t quite as refreshing.
In the end, I can see how drinking Ruination might be a novelty, based on its bitterness alone. There’s not much taste here other than the hops alone, as far as this unsophisticated tongue can tell. I’d put Stone Ruination IPA at a “Fairly Decent” on the ol’ TCM CTS scale.
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I LOVE the ruination. It’s much better than Stone’s regular IPA. Of course, I’m a hop freak. If you can still find it, try Bell’s Hop Slam.
I actually reviewed Hopslam back in March on my personal website. It’s good; in sum, I like it a good bit more than Ruination–it’s more complex, and there are other flavors that come through with the Bell’s offering. Not so much with Ruination, which for me, is something of a novelty beer.
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