Stone Ruination 10th Anniversary Edition

I picked up a bottle of Stone Ruination 10th Anniversary Edition from Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours a golden color with a lofty and frothy white colored head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of pine, hop resins and oils, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, and a dankness. The taste is bitter and extremely hoppy with plenty of citrus flavors on the front end. Orange, tangerine, grapefruit, and lemon all present themselves before a hop resin takes over the mouth. This lingers for a little while before pepper and spruce flavors hit on the finish. The alcohol content is 10.8% ABV. This was an utterly fantastic Imperial IPA with great citrus flavors and major hop resins. It lingers in your mouth longer after it’s gone, and I was more than happy that it hung around.

Middle Ages 10th Anniversary Double India Pale Ale

I picked up a bottle of Middle Ages 10th Anniversary Double India Pale Ale from Al's of Hampden. The beer pours a a reddish-orange-amber color with a frothy off-white colored head that sticks to the glass nicely. The aroma consists of caramel, toffee, and pine. The taste is sweet with caramel at first but quickly transitions to a bitter pine hop taste with pepper, earthy, and grassy flavors. On the finish, toasted caramel, dry wood, alcohol, and even more bitter hops come through. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. If you are looking for a beer that can do a complete 180 in your mouth, this Double IPA is the one for you. What tantalizes your tongue with sweet caramel at first quickly evaporates and kicks the flavor into another gear of bitterness and toasted caramel. I really enjoyed the beer, but this is not for the faint tongued.