I was back at BotW to pick up a bottle of beer as a gift for a friend (Southampton Grand Cru), and I checked to see if they had the Stone XI in stock. I was in luck! I bought a bottle based on KC's recommendation. It ran me just under $9 for a 22 oz, which is about as much as the Ruination and the Vertical Epic, but a fair bit more than, say, Arrogant Bastard, which is in the $6-$7 range IIRC. As he indicated, this beer is 8.7% ABV.
This beer pours a very dark brown with a thick tan brown head. It as much more head than the average porter, it's more persistent, and it laces my glass nicely as I drink it.
Taking a whiff, I smell the mix of hops that Stone does so well. They've largely perfected the art of citrusy, grapefruit hops, and this beer is no exception. There's some of the flowery smell in there, too, that I like. The hops are the first thing I notice in the flavor, too. The hops are flavorful without being overpoweringly bitter. Unlike KC, though, I'm not noticing as much of the dark malt. I really have to let this beer sit on my tongue for a bit before swallowing before I could tell you that this was something other than an imperial IPA. I'm not getting the typical porter coffee flavor as much, either, and I kind of miss it. The finish is all hops. I like this beer, but I'm not going to be as enthusiastic in my rating. I'll 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]. For about the same price, I could get a four-pack of Flying Dog's Gonzo Imperial Porter, more than double the amount of a beer I like slightly better than this. This has a better hop profile, but the Gonzo has more of the porter malt that I enjoy.