Arrogant Bastard Ale

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

A beautiful-looking beer--pours a nice reddish brown color with a creamy moderate head with excellent retention and lacing. Aroma is moderate with piney hops and citrus notes. Flavor is both stronger and more complex. Lots of strong bitter hops, but with some more subtle notes of caramel malt. Dry finish with some lasting hop bitterness. Yet surprisingly smooth for a beer with such a bitter hop bite. Very, very nice.

This beers catch line " You’re Not Worthy," is quite fitting for any casual beer drinker, as it is an aggressively flavored ale. The pour is a decently rich amber, with a fair head. Whilst it has a nose highly hopped with pine resin and grapefruit, and other citrus tones, it is also more delicately accented with malty caramel pitches. An inexperienced beer peon may easily mistake this as an IPA, however it has enough balance and character to qualify as a strong ale. Its flavor has a different depth and character, which is as quoted, "hated by many loved by few." Quite simply if you don’t love this ale, you simply are not worthy!!!

A definite "gateway" beer for me. Was the first beer I ever had with that beautiful hop bouquet. Striking grapefruit rind, pine, and lighter citrus elements. Quite different from alot of IPAs in that there is a strong malt presence, and I guess it’s really an American Strong Ale, well i differs there again in the strong hop presence. A great balance either way, to be sure. Weird rant on the back of the bottle.

Very dark amber color......slightly opaque. Creamy head, with a faint floral aroma. Front is filled with a sweet malt flavor......crisp mouthfeel. Bold taste of hops hit the taste buds in the back......lingering bitter aftertaste. Powerful ale with a wide range of flavors, though its crisp palate masks more than it should.

A beautiful beer with a solid head. It’s strong presence and taste do not allow it to become a crowd favorite. It is cleverly named for its bitter taste and incredible palate. You will either like it or hate it. I love it!

Bottle pours beautiful clear dark amber with thin white head. Lacing is pretty good. Aroma is floral and citrius hops and slight alcohol. First taste is sweet but the floral hops quickly subside the sweetness. There is also a hint of grapefruit and other citrus. The finish is dominated by the hops burn and there is a bitterness left on your lips. Very good.

Holy @#$%. Found this at the Bottle Shop in Carrboro, NC. This is intensely bitter and overpowering. It is quite hilarious just to pass this beer around and hear other peoples’ reactions. Pours a slightly cloudy, dark amber with a very good off-white head. Lacing here is fairly good as well. Aroma is intense. It matches the overall taste well, which in my opinion is almost like pine needles and sap with a floral hops invasion. Could be an IPA with pine extract. Aftertaste is extremely bitter and lingering. Very powerful and strong. This is definitely intense and can only be enjoyed sparingly. With that said, I liked it but would stick to the Stone Ruination.

From the bottle, finally available in NC, pours a deep scarlet red with a thick foamy off-white head. Zesty aroma and almost citrusy, as well as some floral hops. Taste is at first smooth and silky, with mild notes of caramel malt. The aftertaste gives way to a bitterness of hops and tree bark, giving it a bit of a bite at the end. I have a special fondness for this beer. It’s a good one, and very drinkable for a strong ale, which has led to trouble on more than one occasion.