Stone Brewing Co. Releases Stone Ruination Double IPA 2.0 | The Original West Coast Double IPA Gets A Reboot

April 20, 2015

In June 2002, Stone Brewing Co. introduced the world's first full-time brewed and bottled West Coast double IPA, Stone Ruination IPA. Massively hopped and aggressively bitter, it helped spark the ever-growing desire among legions of craft beer fans for over-the-top hop flavors and aromas. Fast-forward 13 years, new brewing techniques and hops exist to spark inspiration. Stone Co-founders Greg Koch and Steve Wagner decided it was time to utilize this new insight and reimagine Stone Ruination IPA. Beginning today, Stone Ruination Double IPA 2.0 will start arriving in 12-ounce six-packs, 22-ounce bottles and on draft at retail outlets, bars and restaurants in markets where Stone beers are sold.

Hop growers are always developing new and experimental varietals, and Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele incorporated some of the brewing team’s favorites while revamping this venerable recipe. Additionally, Steele and company implemented contemporary techniques such as “hop-bursting,” where large late hop additions focus on extracting hop aromas and flavors rather than creating additional bitterness. Hop bursting has proven successful with a number of Stone Brewing's IPA varieties, so it was a no-brainer that this method would be employed along with others (we can’t share everything) for Stone Ruination Double IPA 2.0.

“In this case, the exit of one beer and the entrance of a new one is simply a rebirth,” explains Stone CEO and co-founder Greg Koch. “Developing this recipe was a great challenge for Mitch and the brewing team, but it gave us the opportunity to look at some of the knowledge we’ve acquired from the past 13 years and incorporate it into a beer that originally helped spur a hop revolution. Of course, we made sure to maintain the two most important traits of Stone Ruination IPA. It’s massively hoppy and massively bitter!”

Thanks to a recipe calling for purely pale malt grain, the beer showcases a vibrant hops bill comprising six different varietals. As with the original Stone Ruination IPA, Centennial hops remain the star in both the brewing and dry-hop stages. Magnum and Nugget hops provide a hefty dose of standout bitterness. Citra, Simcoe and Azacca hops, all relative newbies (not to mention some of the most highly sought-after hops on the market), were added to the new recipe to provide the bountiful tropical fruit and resinous pine aromas. Combined, the rich tapestry of hops results in a taste profile rife with citrus, melon and tropical fruit flavors.

For more information on Stone Brewing Co., visit stonebrewing.com.