The Beer Critic Beer reviews for beer enthusiasts.
So my buddy gave me a one of those big bottles of beer for my birthday. After a couple of weeks of cooling off in the refrigerator I had to crack it open. The name of the beer was Ruination IPA from Stone Brewing Company. The label had this sweet looking gargoyle on it, the bottle was cold and I hadn’t had a beer in over 24 hours so I was pretty thirsty and anxious and very thirsty. I cracked the top and light white smoke came slowly out of the bottle and disappeared quickly. I went right in for a quick smell and WOW, very nice. The sweet smell of hops, freshness and slight citrus was awesome. My mouth was watering.
I grabbed a pint glass (the first glass I saw and it was clean) poured away and… what the hell? It was a light brownish cloud of smoke, more golden but I could not see through the other side and like I said the glass was clean. I knew this was going to be good and the anticipation of tasting was overwhelming. I went right in! HOLY COW! My taste buds never felt so alive they were going bezerk, – crazy hops, crazy hops, crazy hops!
FREAKING AWESOME! I love this beer, it leaves a long after taste that is not painful, it’s enjoyable. The glass was magically returning to my mouth, I was powerless against it. It’s the kind of beer that you can’t wait to take another sip. I started thinking about Eddie Murphy’s comedic line “That’s the best damn cracker I ever had” but 24 hours shouldn’t have that affect.
I’m not only going to by this beer for myself but I’m going to recommend it to all my beer drinking buddies who enjoy a good IPA. Cheers to Steve and Greg on a fantastic beer I cannot wait to try more from the Stone Brewery. I can easily see why they call this brew “a liquid poem to the glory of the hop!”
The Stone Brewery is located in Escondido, California. And was founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner. The San Diego Union Tribune says “Calling Koch and Wagner beer experts may be an understatement” I really can’t wait to try their other brews. For more about Stone Brewing Beers visit: http://www.stonebrew.com.
SCOTT! I know what our next review should be….
