Hop Wallop vs. Ruination

I really enjoy Ruination and Hop Wallop but with HP having the lower price tag and still really enjoying it, that's where I'v been going.

 

Hoptimum, Ruination, then the Wallop, IMHO. If one can obtain HT, No Brainer, tops. But for the more available heavy hitters, as stated in order. Deal is, Ruination and Wallop are widely available year round. The only thing I see missing in this comparison is the Lagunita's Hop Stoopid !!! Very accessible, another year round and definite Hop Bomb. One other, Maharaja, though not the West Coast style (more malts), still a high IBU Hop Bomb and now more than seasonal regarding rotation/offering. One last mention regarding Avery, +++ to the DuganA as well.

 

These two beers are pretty far apart in taste, and I would consider Ruination meaningfully more bitter. It could be age, the order you drink them in, food you consume with them... Agree on Heady Topper. That stuff looks like canned vomit, and smells like pine needles dissolved in battery acid. It's SO choice. . I'd drink Ruination or Hop Wallop over HT on a regular basis, but if you feel like you have just a little too much tooth enamel...

 

To each his own.

 

These are 2 different beers really. Ruination is definitely west coast and dry and HW is def more malt and fruit forward. Like apples and oranges IMHO.

 

IBU #'s by themeselves are pretty useless to the consumer. Doesn't account for types of malts, mash thickness and temps, finisihing gravities, etc. that have an effect on balance and sweetness in a beer.

 

Fresh Ruination is a consistently good beer. In my experience Hop Wallop tends to be all over the place in terms of consistency, but when it's on it's great.

On that note, does the hop bill on HW vary batch to batch? I've had batches that had a heavy Citra quality, and batches where that was totally missing... I'm assuming it depends on the hops Victory can get ahold of?

 

Stone beers have a best by date. That is the date 3 months after bottling. Victory has some strange best by dates, but I think HW is 6 months after bottling. Trade for Heady Topper if you want a hop bomb. It's outrageously flavorful and aromatic and is the ultimate hop bomb in my experience, along with fresh Big A IPA by Smuttynose. Be warned though, once you get Heady Topper and run out, you'll probably go into withdrawal and have to trade for more. I've traded for it 3 times now.

A couple others you may want to look at that you can get in PA are Hop Stoopid and Avery DuganA. I've had both fresh and they're fantastic hop forward beers. The Maharaja by Avery is good too, but nowhere near as much of a hop bomb.

 

"On that note, does the hop bill on HW vary batch to batch? I've had batches that had a heavy Citra quality, and batches where that was totally missing... I'm assuming it depends on the hops Victory can get ahold of?"

Same hop bill, hops are procured in volume for the whole year and shipped often as needed. Hops do vary though, so even the same variety in the same year can have variations in bales. IBUs are sampled across bales by the hop brokers but its not like each one is tested. BTW, no Citra in HW that I know of.

Cheers, Jim

 

both are good with ruination a bit more pricey however i will still pic stone .. but i dont drink much of either far to many better out there

 

For a great 2x IPA u can't go wrong with Gandhi Bot..soooooo good.

 

If you liked Port Brewing Mongo, try Moylan's Hopsickle. Ruination hits me as being far more bitter than Hop Wallop, most DIPA's malt up to give it some back bone and semi sweet sometimes follows.

I don't EVER buy IPA's from Total Wine, you might as well set your money on fire. They over buy and most IPA's are a 50/ 50 being old and nasty. Buy IPA's from a reliable bottle shop who controls the inventory.