Arrogant Bastard Ale

From Stone Brewing Co. – This is an aggressive beer. you probably won’t like it. It is quite doubtful you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. We would suggest that you stick to a safer and more familiar territory — maybe something with a multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it’s made in a little brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless fizzy yellow beer will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps you think multi-million dollar ad campaigns make a beer taste better. Perhaps you’re mouthing your words as you read this.

Stone Brewing Co. – Arrogant Bastard Ale – 22 oz. bottle poured into a pint glass. 7.2% abv. Purchased at Pavillions – Monrovia, CA.

Appearance: Pours a dark amber, with two fingers of tan, fluffy head.  The body is fairly clear, you can see objects through the glass and the beer.  There isn’t much viable active carbonation rising from the body.

Aroma: Biscuity malts, earthy hops.

Taste: Huge amounts of bitter, metallic hops head straight for the back of my tongue. Just a really minute level of malt sweetness is there, but most of the malt I taste is close to bready, rather than sweet.

Mouthfeel: Heavy and thick for sure.

Overall: I’m worthy, but this is a tough sell. I can appeal to many audiences, all for different reasons.  I give this beer extra credit for hooking me on Stone.  While my intentions were to guzzle down a 7.2% beer at the time, I found myself intrigued with hops after having this a few times.  Also of note, this beer is great fresh on tap, and OAKED Arrogant Bastard is way better than this even.