Double Bastard Ale

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

Unbelievable beer.... Stone is incapable of making a bad beer. Bottle courtesy of Overlord. Poured a nice reddish brown with a small head but some impressive lacing. Smells hoppy and malty, fruity and dark as well. Definite presence of alcohol as well. Loads of sweet malt on the taste with a wonderful hoppiness in the background. I love Arrogant Bastard and Oaked Arrogant Bastard but this is a different animal altogether. Loved everything about this brew. Probably my favorite American Strong.

Side by side vertical of the 05, 06 and 07 releases done on 11/26/07. The 05 was in a growler poured at the brewery that day, and the 06 and 07 were in 22oz. bottles. I drank all three out of the same exact style of glasses, beginning with the youngest release.
Appearance: All three years pour almost exactly the same color, the 05 may be a touch lighter in color. Vibrant brown/red color with a thin off-white head. The head on the 06 lasts the longest by far, followed second by the 05.
Aroma: 07: Hoppy and spicy, not much maltiness, and there’s a touch of alcohol in the background. 06: Smells much sweeter, hops are much more subdued and sweet smelling rather than spicy. Still some alcohol but not as much. 05: Even more sweet and subdued than the previous two.
Flavor: 07: Hoppy, almost like a dark IPA, but not. Hops are spicy up front and finish sweet. The malts in there also contribute a bit to the sweetness but the hops are the star of this show. 06: My first impression is earthy. Still hoppy of course, but the hops have mellowed (sorry for the cliche’). A little citrus in there as well, grapefruit. To me, the alcohol bite on the finish is much more than on the 07. 05: Mellow, and the most mellow part is the booze, just a hint in the aftertaste, smooth otherwise. Hops are faint and sweet up front and spicy towards the finish.
Palate: I refilled my glasses for the mouthfeel portion and again the head on the 06 totally showed up the head on the other two years. 07: It’s actually thick, but it’s crisp enough that it feels much thinner. Nice carbonation. 06: Thicker, not quite as crisp. Smooth though, the carbonation has mellowed. 05: The thickest, not by a ton of course, but it is the thickest. Carbonation has smoothed out some, still nice, but not as crisp.
Overall: Of course, all of these releases are still drinking nicely. I’ll be honest, I like the hops in the fresh stuff an

1-27-08 bottle shared thanks to Mike on BA
Caramel amber in color with a decent off white head. So much better than the other two Bastards I’ve had! One of the first American Strong Ales that I have really enjoyed. Caramel alcohol flavor. Hot, heavy finish. Smooth on the palate and warming as well. Very impressed overall - I didn’t expect to enjoy this at all.

Bottle (Thanks Puzzl) at home - club tasting. Clear red/brown - white head. malty sweetness, high hoppy, high bitterness, resin, caramel, cookies. Dryu finish. Fantastic !!

Big thanks to MiguelMandingo on BA for sharing this bottle! Wasn’t expecting too much from this as I wasn’t a terribly big fan of the Arrogant Bastard, but was very pleasantly surprised. Pours a dark maroon color, a bit murky, and a nice beige head atop. Taste is rich, sweet maltiness in the form of dark toasty caramel and nicely and appropriately hopped. Smooth with no rough edges, yet crisp and with a nice mild bitterness. Creamy caramelly, hopped flavor and much superior to Arrogant Bastard, I thought. Thanks again Mike!

Not really sure what is "double" here...most guess the ABV, but its only 2.5% higher. Doesnt taste like double the hops either. I wasn’t impressed either way. Just seems like Stone turned everything up to the max on this one just for $#!ts and giggles, and this is what they ended up with. Another user said it best..."Made to be offensive to your palate just to be offensive and say they are cool." That is exactly what I thought as well.

Pours a mildly hazy dark amber with a thick fizzy head that dissipates rapidly Strong lacing. First taste assaults the senses with a complexity of hops and malt. Very pleasant. If you need an ale for breakfast, this would be the one. Nice, smooth mouthfeel, complex aftertaste that subtly hints at the potent alcohol content.

Bottle. Dark reddish-brown with a light head that dissipates. Sweet, hoppy aroma with lemons and spices. Strong sweet and bitter flavor of hops, dates and citrus. The hops linger nicely. Tasty and drinkable.