In a word – Stone.
A single word that practically defines all that is good in the world of craft beer. If I had to pick a single brewery for life, and I could never ever drink anyone else’s beer, “Stone” would uttered from my lips within about 0.0000001 picoseconds.
An overview of Stone’s beers reveals a wealth of fantastic beers. I’ve had a lot of them, but not all. My loss that I didn’t discover Stone earlier! However, I have now seen the light, and everything about this brewery totally kicks ass! From their absolutely outstanding Levitation to their amazingly delicious IPA to the wonderful Arrogant Bastard, Oaked Arrogant Bastard, and Double Bastard, the terrific Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, and the palate wrecking, heavenly divine gift to all hop-heads Ruination, virtually anything produced by this brewery pretty much walks on water!
Make sure to follow Stone on Facebook and Twitter, and read their Blog!
Another really amazing thing about Stone is their bottles. Thanks for using such great bottles, they are absolutely perfect for homebrewers like me! I use the 12oz and 22oz bottles all the time for homebrewing.
I’ve been to the Stone Bistro and Gardens in Escondido, CA, and I can’t wait to get back there again. What a great place, beautifully done, amazing food, amazing beer, amazing people. I was very happy to see Pliny the Elder on tap there too, plus some other Cali beers, what a great experience. It’s definitely a must-see for the San Diego area.
I’ve been reading The Craft Of Stone Brewing Company, and it’s really an amazing book. Hardcover, beautifully illustrated, well written, and downright inspiring, I highly recommend it. Complete with recipes for beer and food, plus tons of interesting stuff about their beers, business, and philosophy, it’s well worth the price (which, BTW, was pretty reasonable). It inspired me to go buy a bunch of Stone beer today too! I’ve got a sixer of IPA, a sixer of Oaked Arrogant Bastard, a bomber of regular Arrogant Bastard, and two bottles of 10th Anniversary Ruination chilling in the fridge right now! I’m about to go ahead and post a review of the 10th Anniversary Ruination, can’t wait to for it to get cold!!! …
<interlude, while beer is chilling>
…ok, it’s ready! Here we go…
Ruination 10th Anniversary IPA
Nice looking, orange/tan and clear, nice lasting head and great lace.
Aroma is just amazing. You can smell the oily hops rising off the head. Monster pine and grapefruit. Fruity citrus notes.
Taste is an amazing hop bomb from the ninth layer of light beer hell! This is what BMC drinkers have to consume when the devil wins their soul in a poker game! Great big hop cones blast your taste buds with amazing flavors of citrus (grapefruit, oranges, tangerines), pine, pine resin, a lovely sweetness, and a great malty base.
Well carbonated with a pretty rich, full mouthfeel. Not dry at all, finishes pretty sweet for a double IPA. Lingering sweetness and bitterness.
I’ve read the reviews and I don’t really concur that there’s a noticeable alcohol presence. I don’t detect it, I think it’s pretty damn smooth stuff considering the ABV.
In a word – Stone. That’s all that really needs to be said.
Congratulation on ten years of one of the best IPAs, and best breweries on the planet!
Beer and Stuff 