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And as Stone Ruination IPA turns 10, we thought we’d make ourselves a nice little birthday present to celebrate. But what kind of selfish jerks would we be if we didn’t share?! Behold, the Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA. (Clever name, eh? That’s why us folks in the Marketing Dept. get the big bucks!) It’s an amped-up version of Stone Ruination IPA, with a bit more malt to bring the abv up from 7.7% to 10.8%, and a very heavy dose of hops. “Classic” Ruination uses 2.5 pounds of hops per barrel–which is more than double the amount we use in any other of our core beers–but for Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA, we went double again, using an impressive 5 pounds of hops per barrel, including about a pound each of Citra and Centennial in the dry hop. (Hell. Yes.)
Tasting Notes, provided by Brewmaster Mitch Steele
Appearance: Deep gold with an off-white creamy head of foam.
Aroma: Intense, dank and fruity hop notes. Lemon oil infused with nectarine, pineapple and tropical fruit, with hints of mint and spice.
Taste: An abundance of tropical fruity hop flavors upfront, and carrying throughout the palate. A pleasant maltiness balances the hops about mid-palate. Finishes with a long, lingering clean bitterness.
Palate: Full bodied but dry, with an alcohol fullness and sweetness. Very bitter!
Overall: In our Brewers’ Tasting Panel, we all get excited every time we sample one of our new beers for the first time. When we absolutely nail a beer, and get exactly what we were hoping for on the first swing, we call it a homerun. This morning’s (hey, we’re professionals!) taste panel was definitely a homerun. Or, as Brewing Supervisor Mike Richmond commented, “this one has got the love.”
We brewed this beer using the same ingredients as in our classic Stone Ruination IPA, but bumped up the malt to achieve its elevated 10.8% abv. And of course we jacked up the hops as well. Not just in the boil, but we doubled the dry-hop amount, using a 50/50 blend of Centennial and Citra. The combination is, dare I say, magic.
