Stone Pale Ale

A return to the Stone brewery from California, here we have their flagship beer Stone Pale Ale.

I had to change my expectations for this beer upon opening and smelling the brew. With a nose low on hops and a powerful waft of malt, I quickly realized that I was going to a very different place than the Ruination takes you. But at least it is a friendly place, that doesn't try to bend you over and clean your insides with a bushel of hops.

Drinking reveals a good strong taste with plenty of malty goodness and a nice clean bitterness at the end. This isn't a beer trying to wow you with its fancy hops tasting like all sorts of wild things or have a complex flavour that needs to be savored to be enjoyed.. This beer takes you to malt town, hands you some hops to sniff and then slaps you in the face. Clean and simple, stronger on the malt than some pale ales, but overall it knows what it wants to do.

A lovely beer to drink, without feeling like I need to take my time. Looking forward to more, an easy 8.0.

Stone Ruination IPA

Well now, this one comes with a reputation. Some of it is self-proclaimed (ie, it calls itself a liquid poem to the glory of the hop, and threatens to destroy your sense for beer if you so much as look at it askance). But this has been backed up by critics across the board also. We approached this one with a giddy trepidation.

Pours a deep colour with a lovely strong white head. You can smell the hops from a distance, it's floral.

The taste? Well, it certainly does have hops in it. And a lingering bitterness that just might kill you if you're not a beery sort of person. But it's not the most floral beer I've had - Feral's Hop Hog for example tastes a bit like you're gargling the contents of a herb garden - this is more .. balanced in a way, despite the absurdity of the content.

I did not notice this was 7.7% alcohol until I'd finished the bottle. I'm not sure how many one could drink, but it certainly seems possible to get hooked on them. I'm pining for another right now.

In a word, impressive - and impressive not just as a sideshow joke piece for a laugh, but as a great example of a bold, brave, and balanced specimen showcasing some brilliant flavours and dare I say it, pushing the craft beer community forward. Any beer fan should try it. 9.0