Arrogant Bastard Ale

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: American Strong Ale
Escondido, California USA

Bottle split with Tony. Pours a dark, ruby red body. Aroma is beautiful stone hop complexity. Its not overdone, but its just sweet enough to lure you in for a taste. The hops present

I love this beer, but not one I can drink all of the time. I usually drink a few a month...

Pours a nice dark brown/amber. Medium pour produces a good two-finger head of lightly tan foam. Retention is very good and lacing is slightly impressive. Nice, big caramely malt notes. Citrus hops notes, mostly grapefruit. Very bready. For such a ’big’ beer, I expected a bigger nose. Starts with a kiss of sweet caramel and brown sugar on top of some dark fruits. Just before you can get into that, though, it blasts you with the bitter bite of big citrusy hops. Needs to be a touch more balanced. The hops overpower everything else. Good body. It’s at the higher end of medium, on the scale. Almost gets into full-bodied, but not quite. It’s very good, but could be so much better with more balance. Not my favorite from Stone, although it is their flagship brew.

First thing I noticed was the great, thick head. The ale is a dark amber. As head disappears, nice lacing is left behind. Great aroma. Very hoppy smelling, reminds me a little of the Ruination. Not as strong as the Ruination but still a nice hop aroma. Taste is a very hoppy and fruity mix of kick you in the ass alcohol. Palate is bitter and lingering. A very nice beer and one that I could enjoy as a session.

pours out burnt amber with a finger thick head that was still and bubbly with the color of an off white beige. the body is a deep amber maroon that is pretty dark. hte aromas are strong malt and apple, with pine, citrus, and strong hop hints throughout the entire nose. it is a little sweet on the tip of the tongue with a sense of savoriness on the sides of the tongue with a nice, strong hoppy presence throughout the palate. i get the flavors of hops, malts, lightly roasted malts, sugar, chives, pine, wood, and dried grass. it leaves a strong, unforgetable aftertaste that lingers for a little while but is really enjoyable for me. there is also some really decent lacing all throughout the glass and has a thin cap all the way down.

Poured a cloudy dark orange red with a beautiful thick off white head that lingers for quite some time before fading to a slightly chunky covering. Lacing is nice. Not too thin, but not chunky either. Nice appearance! Smell is all over the place. Sweet malts, raisin and date, pine, citrus, orange, and woody. Taste is amazing! Sweet roasted malt, pine, oaky, hints of lemon and orange peel. Raisin and date again. I’m really digging this combination of flavors. Mouthfeel is great. Carbonation leaves a bit of a flavor masking sting. That’s the only reason i deducted a half point here. Drinkability is good for this big of a beer. I could drink this all night. But it’s probably not the best of ideas. =P

22oz bottle
Appearance: Pours dark copper with a large off white head and lots of lace left in the glass.
Aroma: Citrus, pine and earthy hops
Taste: Citrus and pine hop flavor with a nice malt backbone.
Overall: I really like this beer. Does that make me an Arrogant Bastard!

Bottle in Massachusetts. Reddish body with big head. Malty nose, with citrus. Rich tastes of caramel, malts and vanilla. Smooth and full-bodied. Very nice.