Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company

Beer Name: Ruination

Beer Style: Double IPA

Abv.: 7.7%

Serving Glassware: Tulip, Pint

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 22oz bottles, 6-pk 12oz bottles

Price: ~$7

Availability: Year-round

Pairings: Meat (Steak, Ribs, Burgers)

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Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade: C

Appearance: 3.5

Aroma: 4

Taste: 3.5

Mouthfeel: 3.5

Drinkability: 4

BeerAdvocate Avg.: A

Mike's Description

Appearance - Lighter golden color (almost yellow) with a whopping 2 inches of frothy white head. The harpoon ipa glass is completely clouded with lace. I am very surprised at how light and clean this beer looks for a double IPA.

Aroma - A lot of citrusy and floral notes here. Not as in-your-face in terms of hops as most DIPAs. Some fruit presence such as orange and grapefruit.

Taste - The taste is pretty much the aroma for this beer except for a slightly more dominant grapefruit facet. Very well-balanced (in relation to hops and malts) for a DIPA, which isn't necessarily what one hopes for when tasting a DIPA.

Mouthfeel - Some lingering hops, as expected, in the aftertaste of this very light-bodied beer.

Overall - Overall I was kind of disappointed by this beer (as you probably guessed from my scores above). It is a very good beer, but it has everything that anyone could want in an IPA, not a DIPA. It is nearly perfect in terms of all the characteristics of a single IPA (it tastes just like Ballast Point's Sculpin IPA to me) and if it were, I would probably give it a perfect score. The bottle says "IPA" and the alcohol percentage as well as everything else about this beer screams IPA, but I'll trust BeerAdvocate's classification as a DIPA and rate it as such. When I purchase a DIPA, I want to be blown away by the hops.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company

Beer Name:Vertical Epic 11/11/11

Beer Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

Abv.: 9.4%

Serving Glassware: Chalice, snifter

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 22oz bottles

Price: ~$10

Availability: Limited

Pairings: Seafood (shrimp scampi, linguine w/clams)

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade: B

Appearance: 3.5

Aroma: 3.5

Taste: 4

Mouthfeel: 3.5

Drinkability: 4

BeerAdvocate Avg.: B

Mike's Description

Thanks to Cory for recommending this distinct beer.
 
Appearance - Mahogany beer with an off-white 1/4" head that leaves without a lace :D. Very dark for a pale ale, but I guess that's why it's also a strong ale...it looks like an American strong ale.

Aroma - This variety seems to be the Belgian equivalent of the American strong ale because many of the aromatic notes are the same. Dark fruits (mainly raisin), cinnamon, brown sugar, and maple syrup. The bottle says that Anaheim Chilies have been added to this beer, but I can't sense anything chili-like here.

Taste - I have no idea how the chilies evaded my nose, but they are at the forefront of the taste. The peppers do a great job in balancing this beer...in an unexpected way. Based on the aroma, it was expected that this beer would be on the sweeter side of the spectrum, but the chilies provide a spiciness that almost completely balances the beer. The chilies also block out any hop presence, so it's impossible to tell if the hops are playing any part in the balancing act.

Mouthfeel - The peppery spiciness really plays a part here as well. Most of the time the hop bitterness would linger, but it's almost as if nothing lingers here (maybe some peppery heat). The initial spicy flavor was there to keep the sweet character in check, but it's as if it died out after accomplishing it's sole mission.

Overall - This is a very different beer. Nothing was to be expected and I was led astray at every point possible. Each facet of this beer is decent (nothing fantastic), but I enjoyed how this beer seemed to be a puzzle that provided some new trick at each turn.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company

Beer Name: Double Bastard

Beer Style: American Strong Ale

Abv.: 10.5%

Serving Glassware: Snifter, Pint

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 22oz bottles

Price: ~$10

Availability: Year-round

Pairings: Anything really...

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade: A-

Appearance: 4.5

Aroma: 4.5

Taste: 4.5

Mouthfeel: 4.5

Drinkability: 4.5

BeerAdvocate Avg.: A

Mike's Description

Thanks to Steve Shapiro for this awesome xmas present!

2011

Appearance - I don't know if I'm deemed worthy...a deep amber color with about a half inch of off-white head that dissipates quickly leaving minor lace on the snifter. Insane amount of thought was put into the essay on the back of the bottle...I'm not worthy.

Aroma - Malts flood the aroma with some alcohol burn and fruit character such as apple. Some slight hop presence is here as well.

Taste - Based on the aroma, I expected this to be a pro-malt beer, but it is exceptionally well balanced with a strong hop profile to keep the malt bill in check. Slight citrusy flavors combine with the bitterness to create a piney and tangy product. Some apple is present here too. After only a few sips I can feel the alcohol...not worthy.

Mouthfeel - This beer is insanely balanced and the malt/hop clash does a great job in hiding the 10.5% (although not completely). Raisin and brown sugar reside in the aftertaste.

Overall - This is one of the strongest, and most balanced, beers that I've had. I highly recommend it although it will kick your ass! You must be worthy and deserving of its attention.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Ommegang 

Beer Name: Three Philosophers

Beer Style: Belgian Quadrupel

Abv.: 9.80%

Serving Glassware: Chalice

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 4-pk 12oz bottles, 750mL bottles

Price: ~$12

Availability: Year-round

Pairings: Dessert (Belgian chocolate, brownies)

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: A-/4.6

Appearance: 4.5

Aroma: 5

Taste: 4.5

Mouthfeel: 4.5

Drinkability: 4.5

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: A-/4.1

Mike's Description

This is the beer that originally attracted me to good beer. 

Appearance - Darkish brown brew that has an opaque character representative of the style. About a half inch of khaki head that lasts throughout the session and produces a nice lace profile. Some sediment is seen floating near the bottom of the chalice indicative of Belgian yeast strains.

Aroma - As expected for a Quad, negligible hop contribution/bitterness. The sweetness of darker fruits is the dominant element here. Some licorice, caramel, and hints of cinnamon are present.

Taste - Foreshadowed by the aroma, dark fruit represents most of the flavor. Plum, red pear, raisin, fig, and some faint grape make up this niche. Some hop bitterness is present, but barely noticeable.

Mouthfeel - The blatant pioneers of this beer (dark fruits) are what linger in the aftertaste. Complex Belgian yeasts fill in any gaps to make this a truly full-bodied beer. Some sweet malt character presents itself here as well.

Overall - Despite not being made in Belgium, this beer represents the accuracy and precision with which Ommegang produces tasty Belgian-style ales. Three Philosophers is better than many Belgian quads despite being US-made and it is definitely my favorite American quad.

Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company

Beer Name: Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale

Beer Style: Double IPA

Abv.: 7.85%

Serving Glassware: Tulip, Pint

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F.

Packaging: 6-pk 12oz bottles

Price: N/A

Availability: One-time Release

Pairings: Fish (haddock, shrimp), Burgers

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: A/4.53

Appearance: 4

Aroma: 4.5

Taste: 4.5

Mouthfeel: 5

Drinkability: 4.5

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: A/4.27

Mike's Description
Thanks to Matt for this phenomenal rarity!
 

Appearance - Light golden color that doesn't suggest a Double IPA, but a lighter lager. Minimal head that fades almost immediately. Having trouble believing that this beer is a DIPA at this point.

Aroma - And here is where the style is given away. Tons of fruit and floral aroma radiating out of the glass. Hard to specify the fruit at this point, but definitely some expected citrusy esters. Minimal piney notes that often dominate this category.

Taste - The citrusy character is much more overwhelming here suggesting plenty of lemon and lime. The pine taste is slightly more pronounced and is complemented by some sweeter fruits such as pear and apple. Faint orange notes are present as well leading to an extremely well balanced flavor.

Mouthfeel - The previously mentioned fruit lingers from this surprisingly lighter-bodied brew. Although the fruit presence shows fortitude in terms of sweetness, the furtive hops do their job.

Overall - Fantastic name for this beer, and Lagunitas...you don't suck. For "screwing up this badly", as you suggest on the label, you've still obtained insanely high ratings for this beer. I do miss Brown Sugga', but this is a fantastic substitute that many breweries would strive and fail to obtain.