Stone Ruination 10th Anniversay IPA brewed by Stone Brewing - Escondido, CA     

      
"We actually amped up everything," continues Brewmaster Mitch Steele. "We added more malt to bring the abv up to 10.8%, and the amount of hops we used almost defies reason," he jokes. "Stone Ruination IPA already uses 2.5 pounds of hops per barrel, which is more than double the amount we use in any other core beer. For this anniversary version, we went double again, and used a most impressive 5 pounds of hops per barrel!"

 
    
Tasting notes  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.
 
 
 

Stone Brewing Timeline:
• Stone Brewing Co. was founded in 1996 by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner in San Marcos, CA. (In the spot where our friends at Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey now call home!)
• First keg of Stone Pale Ale sold on July 26, 1996 to Vince Marsaglia of Pizza Port fame
• Arrogant Bastard Ale unleashed upon the world November 1, 1997
• Moved to our current facility in Escondido, CA, in December 2005
• Opened the adjacent Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in November 2006
• Named "All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth" by BeerAdvocate magazine in 2008…AND 2009! "The most popular and highest rated brewery – ever!"
• In December 2009, we published a formal Request For Proposal to evaluate potential sites for a brewhouse in Europe. We have narrowed the field from 79 different submitted locations (from nine different countries!) down to two—Berlin and Bruges—and hope to reach a final decision soon
• In May 2011, we unveiled huge local expansion plans, including Stone Company Store – South Park, Stone Farms, Stone Catering, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station (Spring 2012), and Stone Hotel (Early 2013)