I am looking forward to sipping this one. The brewer's notes over at the Smuttynose website say this one has 120 IBU or international brewers units and here is why:
After being forced to smell the glove at last years' GABF by judges who declared the Big A just not big enough, Stash decided to see if he would like a true West Coast style Double IPA and went about reformulating. The first thing to change was the malt bill by losing the Belgian malts, which was felt to be too close to the Barleywine in character. The malt additions were just a mixture of Pilsner malt and British Pale Ale malts. The biggest change was jacking the hops up to 120 IBU's as well as increasing the flavoring additions, which was felt to be lacking in last years' version. We kept the Horizon hops for the flavoring addition but added Warrior to the bittering and Sterling in the aroma. We dry hopped with Columbus and Sterling at a rate close to 1 lb. per barrel, booyah!120 IBU!!! Stone Ruination boasts only 100+. I wonder of IBUs, the indicators of hoppiness, are like sound. Over a certain level only dogs can actually sense the presence. Well, not dogs around here. Just me. So the top shall be popped.
It pours a nice orangy-straw colour with a big bollowy white head. It is lovely with a good bit of heat - which there ought to be at 9.2% - but not too much. Some orangey-candycane to the hops. Not insanely hoppy in the spiced sense. There is a really nice heavy cream texture to the ale. That richness at this level is quite the thing. I can't think of another beer that is as big as a Belgian triple while being quaffable. This would be very dangerous on tap. At 3.99 USD for a 22 oz bottle it likely has the best price per alcohol per quaffability ratio in all of boozedom. I am now coining that as the PAQ ratio. Very very nice. Gary should be spending more time with this one.
Comments
Todd - November 1, 2005 9:18 AM
When you see huge IBU numbers advertised by a brewer, try to take it with a grain of salt. Keep in mind that there are physical limits to how much hop oil will dissolve in the wort, no matter how much hops were thrown in to the kettle and fermentor. Even if the brewers calculations show that the beer should be 200 IBUs, unless they've had a lab analysis showing this, they've probably fallen short of the fantastic numbers they're touting.
Alan - November 1, 2005 11:58 AM
Yah but yah but yah but...<p>
That is true and there are many factors that go into the hop utilization rates as well as hop perception. Guinness, for example, is one of the hoppier beers technically but all that rolled barley richness and roast barley toastiness balances it out. That being said, I was impressed with the amount of hops in this one as well as the selection. There were masses in there but it was more the woodwind section than the brasses. Big and warm was the effect and I was truly impressed. I will be buying a few more on my pre-Christmas run.
Gary from NH - November 6, 2005 6:43 PM
An old friend, this IPA, although as a lightweight married to a lightweight, we SHARE a bottle and float off into a beery haze together. Perfect beer when watching football or "Caddyshack" together.
Alan - November 6, 2005 10:31 PM
...or perhaps the Red Green movie? What do you pay for one in NH, the land of lower taxes and shorter transportation costs. I am stunned at the opportuntiy to pay 3.99 for this in CNY.
Gary from NH - November 7, 2005 11:46 AM
Usually two bucks, two fifty? We don't have any tax.........
Alan - November 7, 2005 1:04 PM
You lucky, lucky man.
Alan - December 2, 2006 1:57 AM
2006? Love it. Big, juicey, hop hot, candy cane, so many things to say.
Alan - October 25, 2007 10:00 PM
My first of the 2007 edition and I am in love. Not so much of the candy cane and more of the cream in the malt. Plenty of grain texture as well as heat, arugula, white pepper and weedy June lawn mowing in the hops. A steal at $4.39 from the Galeville Grocery for a big bomber.