In that vein, I'll do a Stone review tonight, their Ruination IPA. I paid $6.29 for a 22 oz bottle of 7.7% ABV beer. The Stone website gives the IBUs as 100+. I went to look it up because, to spoil the surprise, I thought the hops were on the milder side.
The beer pours a more golden color than the orange-ish DFH 90 and Saranac IIPA. The head is pretty light, but it is persistent and does lace my glass.
When I sniffed this beer, I expected to be knocked over by hops. Instead, the hops are there, but not as pungent. The malt comes through with a little bit of caramel. The flavor features the hops a little more strongly. It's not overly bitter or dry, but I taste more of the citrus than the flowers in the hops. The malt isn't too sweet, and it's not overpowering. While I'd expect a beer that claims to pack 100+ IBUs to be bolder, my impression is that this beer's strength is that it's more balanced compared to, say, the Great Divide Hercules. It's other strong suit is that it lingers very nicely. I confess, I wasn't floored when I first had it, but it's grown on me more. I'm going to give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I'd say I like it a little more than the AV Boont Amber, but not quite enough to merit an extra half heart. This is a good beer, but I can't really call it a value pick at the prices I'm paying. It's much better in CA.