Sunday, July 5, 2015

Stone Ain't Dead, and Greg Only Looks Homeless

It may be that Stone Brewing Company has reached an awkward stage in its growth, like the teenager who gets braces and ultimately the perpetual "puffy mouth" look. Stone brewed 287,000 barrels in 2014, leading to the inevitable talk by some that they've gotten so big that they lost the ability to make a good beer- someone's looking at you, Boston Beer Company. While this illogical thinking probably has something to do with the Big Three's repeated lackluster forays into the craft side of brewing, and Stone's focus spreading to hotels, collaborations, and their own European brewery, the recent release of RuinTen shows they still have something in the tank. Cries of "sellout" should be held to whisper level, thank you, as I'm not ready to hear it. RuinTen shows off what has always been Stone's strength, a hop bomb that is almost a throwback to the piney IPAs but with a 10.8% ABV punch. I do find it funny that this beer is now labeled as a Triple IPA, no doubt meant to stand out in a sea of plain old Double IPAs. But we all know that Stone partially got where it is today by its marketing, and the Triple IPA moniker will sell to the people who are new to the scene. I bought it because I still have some faith in Stone...but if they try brewing another chai-spiced beer, I'm done! The best part about RuinTen: a 22 oz. bomber sells for $7.99.
Now, I love me some Scale Tipper, and was buying so many growlers that my next investment was going to be a Sharpie and a piece of cardboard in order to stake a claim at an interstate exit, but the $12 price tag for the bomber (with no growler fills) has me looking at other options. I'll always be a proponent of buying from local breweries first, and the good people at Bosque are brewing beers that are worth buying, if you have the means. If you need an alternative, RuinTen fits the bill.