Stone Smoked Porter (CA)

The brewer claims this to be only subtly smoky, and most reviews I've seen agree that the smoke is only secondary. Some consider this a defect, but I'm not sure if I'd want more smoke. Maybe it isn't my thing.

It pours nearly black with only a small head. The body is medium with a fairly assertive small-bubble carbonation. I'd rate this on the dry side for a porter, and the typical chocolate and coffee roasted flavors are supplemented by burnt charcoal briquettes. The bottle claims that there are deep layers of "licorice, dark fruit and perhaps even caramel," but to me, there's just enough smoke to cover up these flavors.

I don't want to sound harsh: this is a good beer, and a good value at $3.99 a bomber. But I don't like this as much as most others do, and it's a bit of a disappointment to me coming from Stone.

Stone Ruination IPA (CA)

A world apart from the hippy dippiness of Flower Power is the gargoyle imagery of Stone Ruination India Pale Ale. This was only recently made available in 12-ounce bottles. I think I paid $3.50 for a single.

The matriculated imbiber is not numb to the rambunctious rash of bitterness --- indeed that is a major element of the allure --- however they are also able to look beyond the well spoken yet understated malt presence.

No, these aren't the prentice musings of a beer blogger in training. It's from the back of the bottle. I've never seen a beer with so much back of the bottle text. A lot of it is hop head machismo, although there is a helpful warning about keeping your distance unless you are a "confirmed hop head." This isn't the brew to use to convert your Corona drinking buddies to "serious" beer.

The beer pours a clear orange/gold color with a head that isn't purely white. You don't have to stick your nose in it to smell it. The hops are very big (100+ IBUs indeed), but also varied. Some citrus, some floral, maybe some herbal touches. I also tasted a bit of malty sweetness. I honestly didn't find it to be as bitter as other IPAs or even pale ales I've tried. The body is medium-to-full with nice tight bubbles. I could really feel the alcohol (7.7% ABV); this could warm you up on a cold evening. All told, I like this a lot, although not as much as the die hard hop heads do.