Stone Brewing Co.: "Ruinten" triple IPA

Today's beer is a special release from Stone, to commemorate their 10th anniversary. It's a 10.8% ABV triple IPA. You may be familiar with their "Ruination" IPA, which they call a "liquid poem to the glory of the hop." This is their anniversary blend, where they cranked up their IPA to 11. Personally, I've ever seen a triple IPA before. But if the description "a mosh pit of hops" is any indication, it's going to be rad. According to the back of the bottle, over 5 lbs of hops go into each barrel. Day-um. It's also super-fresh...it was bottled on 6/22/15.

Pours out fast, with a nice amber color. Some white foam, but not a lot, and what's there dies down quickly.

Smells slightly hoppy; but doesn't throw a big aroma, which is a little surprising given the amount of advertising they do on the bottle. It's relatively clear when candled, with a nice light amber color.

Holy cow. This beer is way thicker than it seems. It pours super fast, but in the mouth it's sluggish and a little syrupy. It's aggressively hoppy, for sure, but the consistency of it blocks out a lot of the "hop burn." Hop burn is a term I made up just now to describe the sensation of a very hoppy, highly carbonated, bitter beer. The consistency of the Ruinten luckily prohibits that feeling. It's smooth, syrupy, with some floral and malt flavors playing second fiddle to the bunker-buster hop flavors. However, it goes down well, no bad finish, and the aftertaste is a nice bitter hop flavor that lingers for some time.

Another good thing about this beer is that it drinks below its weight. It doesn't feel like it's almost 11 points. This can be good or bad, depending on your point of view. But overall this was a good beer for hop heads, with a nice texture and good flavors.