At long last, ‘the liquid poem to the glory of the hop’ returns. Stone Ruination IPA is now available as the first in Stone’s 2023 series of Fan Favorite Returns. This is the original recipe with its most ruinous qualities, just as intended when it first wrecked palates in 2002.

For most, Stone Ruination IPA is the quintessential representation of a West Coast Double IPA. The aroma is piney and resinous thanks to a barrage of hops. The first sip is a vibrant citrusy bitterness with a light malt balance.

This particular beer has a notable history that plays an essential role in Stone’s reputation today. It’s the big brother of Stone IPA, which was Stone’s first anniversary IPA. The team had been steadily bumping up the hop levels of its anniversary releases every year, but after the massively hoppy Stone fifth anniversary IPA, adding any more hops would have been, well, ruinous. So, the team brought out a year-round release that would pay homage to the indelicate hop glory of Stone’s first five years. In 2002, Stone Ruination IPA became the first full-time brewed and bottled West Coast-style Double IPA on the planet. In effect, it quickly became the most widely available example of the style. At the time it was an attack on the palate, quite literally off the bitterness charts.

“The original Stone Ruination IPA was in our year-round lineup for 13 years,” explained Jeremy Moynier, Stone Brewing senior manager of brewing and supply chain. “It’s seen a couple of different recipe iterations, but this is the first time since 2015 that we’ve brewed the OG. I love the intense bitterness and the flavor and aroma. That’s a classic trio of hops: Magnum, Chinook, and Centennial. This beer defined the West Coast Double IPA style for me, and now with so many expressions of Double IPAs out there, it’s amazing to revisit such a classic beer.”

Stone Ruination IPA is the first release in Stone’s 2023 Fan Favorite Returns. The series is a lineup of limited-release beers that have become signatures of the brewery’s prolific 26-year history. This year’s favorites include:

• Stone Ruination IPA.
• Stone Downunderstruck IPA – May 2023 – First released for Stone’s 19th anniversary in 2015. Originally called Stone Thunderstruck IPA, it’s coming back with an updated name, but the same beer brewed with all Australian hops.
• Stone Imperial Notorious P.O.G. – June 2023 – An amped-up version of Stone’s legendary Berliner Weisse. Inspired by Hawaiian POG juice and brewed with passion fruit, orange and guava.
• Stone Xocoveza – October 2023 – Stone’s epic imperial stout inspired by Mexican hot chocolate. Brewed with chocolate, coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg and pasilla peppers.

Stone Ruination IPA is available in all its bitter hop glory nationwide in 12-ounce six-pack cans, 22-ounce bottles, and draft. Locate the beer by ZIP code at Find.StoneBrewing.com.