Stone Brewing - Ruination IPA

Humulus Lupulus Maximus.

Suprisingly, Stone Brewing's wonderful brews hail from sunny SoCal where the hops must grow bigger than your head judging by their Ruination IPA. The faint floralness that tempts the nose belies the massive hop-monster hiding in the first sip. On the tongue this IPA is all rich flavor. The Columbus and Centennial hops bloom on the taste buds with a creamy medium-bitter tang that is both bold and piquant. The lingering finish is lemon rind and figs. With a little kick at 7.7%, its still a very smooth drinker. Though Stone says this will ruin your taste buds for anything else, I'd pair it with something equally bold like Maytag blue cheese and lightly toasted whole-grain sourdough bread.