Cracked open a "Hop Stoopid Ale" tonight, an Imperial IPA by Lagunitas in Petaluma, CA:
Lagunitas makes some good beer (IPA, Maximus,) and some crap (Brown Shugga.) This one was crap. As the label says, this was a heavily hopped IPA: 102 IBUs! Those are International Bittering Units, a measure of the bitterness of a beer derived from the hops. For comparison purposes, a pale ale runs 20-50 IBU and an IPA at around 60 or less.
I thought this one was very thin, not well balanced by the malt. Check out the color in my photo--much paler than I expected. Watery, overwhelmingly hoppy just for the sake of hops--and I'm a hophead ho. Pineapple aroma & very citrusy flavor. The aftertaste left me with an unpleasant phlegmy sensation.
At 100 IBUs, Stone Ruination is 100x better.
I also have a Lagunitas Belgian Tripel waiting to be opened: We're Only in it for the Money. Based on tonight's disappointment I'm not sure if I want to try this one, or let it sit for a few years. The reviews on BeerAdvocate rate Hop Stoopid very high (A-)--not sure why, I didn't find it that good.
