Archive for the category “Anniversary”

18 Jun 2013

Stone Ruin-Ten IPA

ruinten_bttl10.8% ABV 
Purchased at Pangaea Bottle Shoppe ($7.50/10 oz. serving) and poured into globe glasses.

This super-hopped, 10th-anniversary version of Stone’s popular Ruination Double IPA was intended as a one-off, but has now become part of their seasonal rotation.  Ruin-Ten pours a bruised peach with a tight, off-white head and a delicious nose of candied citrus, snowy pine, and butter crackers.  I’m not a big fan of the standard, diesel-hop iteration of Ruination, but this version tastes both stronger and cleaner, giving caramel and pine resin nuances to the crushing hoppiness.  Alcohol-soaked oranges and a moderated sweetness give way to the expected palate-smashing resin bitterness.  Slight hints of fresh peppermint, burnt caramel, and spicy hops come and go on the tongue, but there is a lasting and consistent impression of pine needles.

toasts-4   4 Toasts

StoneRuin10

toasts-3.5   3.5 Toasts

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05 Sep 2012

Anniversary Doppelsticke – High Water Brewing

7.5% ABV
Purchased at Davis Beer Shoppe ($7.99/22 oz. bottle) and poured into stanges.

His Notes:

This wonderfully offbeat offering from Bay Area-based High Water pours a watered-down cola brown with a discreet off-white head and a faint nose of earth and toffee.  Fascinating caramel and licorice flavors arrive on the first swallow, along with some nice nuttiness that finishes in an earthy funk. Anniversary Dopplesticke – High Water’s take on a largely unknown Altbier style – is very malt-forward, but with remarkable complexity and clarity. Subsequent swallows offer even more intriguing tastes – some root beer syrup, more smoked nuts, and dusky fruit (especially plums).  It’s an extremely unique brew, with a fantastic mix of rootsy, roasty, nutty, tangy, and sweet flavors, all of them delicious.

  5 Toasts

Her Notes:

  4.5 Toasts

Posted in Anniversary, Beer Review, Doppelsticke and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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