Arrogant Bastard Ale

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Woah. Yes, like it says, an "aggressive" beer. HOP. Almost too much. Then come the undertones: the malt, the pine. This one’s not for me to come back to for a loooong time.

They dare you not to like it and I have to say I don’t like it. Just too overpowering for me. Maybe when I get more hair on my chest I’ll give it another try but for now this is too far in the deep end for me.

one of my favs for almost 10 years, but has lost some consistency. flavor profile of fruity, dark carmel richness with appropriate hop bitterness was great in years past whether it’s in the bottle or draught, but now not so much. maybe i’m dealing with pure nostalgia.

Love the marketing/artwork for this brand, but I was just disappointed in this beer.

UPDATED: JUN 1, 2012 Very beautiful color with a strong bite and bitter after taste. Strong citrus tones. But can be a bit over bearing.

I had this once before and thought it was excellent. I drank it from the bottle tonight and thought it tasted like Midori and grapefruit juice. Not a great combination. Maybe lightstruck, maybe I was wrong the 1st time.

Not a fan of hoppy, herbal, aromatic beers, which this is. If you like that style this is definitely a solid choice. The Arrogant Bastard Ale (incredible name--reason why I bought it) is simply put...arrogant. Strong, hoppy, out of control with hoppiness, it is like an IPA. Not my cup of tea (or beer I guess) but it will grow on you and is a good brew.

Pours a red/brown with a small amount of head. Strong, in your face hops with a very sour finish. It has a smooth mouthfeel, and left nice lacing on the glass. I think my expectations were too high for this, I thought it would be more than it is. I’d take their IPA over this any day.

It’s rough. This Ale will put hair on your chest. Smooth is not a word I would use to describe the after taste as it lingers on your tongue. This is a good cold weather beverage.

May 2010: My third and final beer at Pour 24 (New York, New York), Las Vegas. I did say I’d never have this again after my bottle review, but seeing it on-tap I thought I’d do the decent thing and give it another go. Looked like the bottle version, ruby red and with an off-white head, thin covering and very little lacing. The smell was sweetish caramel, malts and a splattering of hops. Still not a huge fan, the flavours don’t blend too well in my opinion, the hops don’t like the malts and vice versa. Glad I’ve had it from a tap and it is still the only Strong American Ale I’ve reviewed so far. For what its worth: here’s my bottle versions write-up from Nov 2009: . The pint and 6Fl Oz bottle, came to me via Prague, thanks Fred, you know who you are! Poured into a huge Judas glass and a palm tulip glass, didn’t know what to expect, hence the two glasses ready. A dull ruby red body that had a slight haze to it filled the glasses, a creamy tan coloured head sat on top of each glass, foamy and thick. Waves of hops and yeast aromas hit my nose, nothing else could get through the strenght of those two ingediants. The bitterness in the taste from the hops was too much for my wife, I just found it a little overpowering and hid whatever other flavours might have been present. Glad I’ve tried one, will not be bothering with another, it reminded me of a flat Belgian beer I had a few years ago, didn’t like that much either!