Stone Brewing Company - Ruination IPA

"So called because of the "ruinous" effect on your palate! This massive hop monster has a wonderfully delicious and intensely bitter flavor on a refreshing malt base. One taste and you can easily see why we call this brew "a liquid poem to the glory of the hop!" Those who seek, crave and rejoice in beers with big, bold, bitter character will find true nirvana in Stone Ruination IPA" 

                                               - Stone Brewing Company

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company

Beer: Ruination

Style: Double IPA

ABV: 7.7%

      Calling this beer a hop monster couldn't be closer to the truth. Attacking your palate with 100+ IBU's (International Bittering Units) it truly has a "ruinous" effect. I almost instantly fell in love with this beer after the first time I tried it. It pushed my palate to the limits, to a place where little hoppy angels fly around, a kind of hop heaven. OK so maybe not there but the hops are abundant in this beer. However, the extreme hoppiness compliments the malt base almost perfectly. 

         Ruination holds a close place to my beer heart as it was a staple in my expanding craft beer tastes. During my Ruination run I would go to the store and pick up a new bottle or two, ones I've never tried before, and then Ruination. It is available almost everywhere craft beer is sold - especially in San Diego - and became my comfort beer for a long time. It is also a fun beer to introduce to non-craft beer drinkers too. Seeing their bitter beer face after their initial taste is pretty entertaining and that is when you realize your palate is well educated in all things hoppy. 

      

          My pours as of late have not been the best and sometimes I feel that I don't do the beer justice with a lousy pour, to that I apologize, they will get better. Ruination boosts a hoppy aroma, full of zesty grapefruit hints. The body is sexy, a beautiful white head atop the golden hue. Then the power of Columbus and Centennial hops hit your palate with a smooth and bitter flavor to match the great malt base. Hop heads rejoice, this beer is for us! Cheers!

Aroma: 7

Appearance: 4

Flavor: 9

Palate: 4
Style Rating: 9/10

Overall: 24/30

It's hard to argue a women's POV. KCCO

 

Stone Brewing - Dayman IPA

"Jim Moorehouse, Nate Albrecht and Brad Zeller, three pals planning to open a Chicago brewpub under the moniker of Aleman, won first place at last year's Iron Brew homebrewing competition in the Windy City (judged by none other than Greg Koch, Jason Ebel of Two Brothers Brewing, and celebrated Chicago brewer, designer and author Randy Mosher). Their style-bending IPA artfully married the assertive tropical bite of Citra hops with amazing coffee flavor and aromatics to create something truly unique and exceptional.Serendipitously, Two Brothers recently kicked off a new adventure roasting their own coffee beans, and provided just-in-time freshly roasted java for the brew. The result is an innovative IPA that's well balanced and intensely flavored thanks to the felicitous blend of hops and fresh roasted coffee."

                                                        - Stone Brewing Company

Brewery: Stone Brewing/Aleman/Two Brothers  
Beer name: Dayman IPA 
Beer Style: IPA  
ABV: 8.7% 

     I'll be honest I had no intention of trying this beer. I mean I am open to try any and all beers but I had my reservations with this one. Mainly due to the fact that one of my favorite styles of beer was going to be fused with coffee, which I am not a fan of at all. How could the marriage of the two work? So I started reading about the beer on Stone's website and was sold on Greg Koch's, co-founder of Stone Brewing, description. 

     The off-white almost tan head mounts the orange'ish/amber body of this IPA giving it a rich and bold appearance. The aroma begins your journey of a delightful and majestic marriage of hops and coffee as the roasted coffee scent beautifully overpowers the fruitiness of the hops yet ever so gently. This hoppy coffee balance transfers smoothly into your mouth. Citrusy flavors course through your mouth followed by powerful toasty coffeeness almost like a match made in heaven. Its incredible how these flavors complement each other.

Aroma: 8
Appearance: 4 

Flavor: 7 

Palate: 4
Style Rating: 8/10 
Overall: 23/30

When Superheroes meet media. KCCO