Stone Brewing Ruination still among greatest beers

LATELY I’VE BEEN INTO revisiting older craft beers to see how they stand up to more modern brews. It’s easy to let old favorites fall by the wayside with so many offerings now available.

Virtually every time I look at the shelves of a beer purveyor in Western Massachusetts, there is at least one beer — and often brewery — I’ve never tried or even heard of. I’m not a completist and don’t have unlimited income, so I have to pick and choose.

Sometimes, though, I spy an old favorite I haven’t seen in a while, and I’m compelled to stroll down memory lane. I just did this in November when I grabbed a pack of Ballast Point Brewing’s Sculpin India pale ale.

I’m particularly interested in doing this with IPAs, mainly because of how exponentially the style has grown and expanded. Back in the early 2000s, there were no New England IPAs, very few black IPAs and just a handful of double IPAs (which sometimes weren’t even identified as such). So it can be fun, educational and a bit nostalgic to revisit popular beers from that era — especially ones you don’t see very often on local shelves.

I did this again when I spied some loose cans of Stone Brewing Ruination IPA. Stone has always made fantastic beer, especially IPAs, and Ruination was a game-changer back in the day.

At 8.2% ABV, this beer lived up to its name, as it “ruined” your palate for tasting anything after you quaffed it. (By the way, this is the original Ruination, not the later Ruination 2.0. Stone did a special release of the original over the past month.)

Stone Brewing Ruination IPA stands the test of time as one of the greatest beers, according to Beer Nut columnist George Lenker.

There are plenty of double IPAs clocking in at more than 8% (or higher) these days, but back in the day, the only ones that come to mind were Ruination, Dogfish Head’s 90-Minute IPA (9%) and Rogue’s XS IPA (9.5%). (Of course there were others, but those were the big ones in my neck of the woods. Send me a note on others you remember at geolenker@ yahoo.com.)

The difference between Ruination and the other doubles back then was that Stone didn’t buff out the rough edges of the hop profile. The resinous piney notes swirl like a DNA strand intermingled with some solid citrus aspects to create a near-perfect West Coast IPA. This still holds up today, and I was thrilled to experience the bold flavors once again. It is as good or better than any newer IPAs.

I’m not sure of the balance between the hops used, but whatever ratios exist between the triumvirate of Magnum, Chinook, and Centennial hops is perfect. As I wind up this column, I’m preparing to jump in my car and head over to River Valley Market (where I found it last week) and grab any cans that are left, if any. Cheers.

ONE OF THE GILTedged business days in the restaurant year, Valentine’s Day 2023 represents both opportunity and challenge for those who run dining establishments.

Feb. 14 traditionally brings in plenty of business as the romantically inclined treat their special someones to dinner out, but the holiday’s position among the days of the week in any given calendar year can be problematic — a “Saturday” Valentine’s Day isn’t as incrementally lucrative as one that falls on Monday or Tuesday.

This year the holiday falls on a Tuesday, an evening that’s traditionally among the slowest dining-out times of the week, so Valentine’s Day 2023 has the potential to be a windfall.

However, with some establishments still operating on a pared-back, fiveday-a-week schedule, some owners are finding it necessary to juggle their hours and staff schedules to make Valentine’s Day work.

The celebration also poses operational challenges, since the occasion tends to be a “couples only” holiday. Finding their reservation books full of “deuces,” dining room managers often can’t make best use of larger tables and booths, a situation that constraints the day’s money-making potential.

Many restaurants rely on a fixed-price menu for