Stone Ruination IPA

Stone Brewing Company
Escondido (San Diego County), CA

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Gold color, beautiful lasting white head. Clear, laces the glass. Good-looking beer!

AROMA: 3.5/4
Hoppy! Grassy/meadowy. Lemongrass, orange peel. Bready/malty, sugary, almost tropical.

TASTE: 8.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.5/4: Sweet, tangy, citrus up front. Caramel notes. Lots of flavor hops, bitter hops middle to finish.
Aftertaste: 2.5/3: Bitter, woody aftertaste that lingers—stays on the back of the tongue.
Mouth-Feel: 2.5/3: Full, weakly (nicely) carbonated. Nice mix of bitter and sweet.

OVERALL: 2.5/3: Excellent! Hoppy, yet just enough maltiness to balance out. A well-crafted beer, must-have for hop heads. Nice combination of citrusy, woody and dry.

TOTAL: 17/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: A really nice, subdued IPA. Benn called it "sophisticated"—I think he's right. We'd DEFINITELY buy this again.
Ben: Very nice. Stone hits it out of the park yet again. This would be great paired with the main dish at a four-star restaurant, or with a pizza at the local pub.