Double Bastard Ale

Pours a muddy bronze with a cream head that retains and only gives way to thick sheets of lace. Smells of citrus, hops, caramel, alcohol and spice. Tastes syrupy, dark and dried fruit, caramel, sweet malt, spice and alcohol. Mouthfeel is tremendously smoooth. Wow this brew is a delight and killer at the same time. Hop bitterness lingers on the palate. ABV is present but well hidden behind complexities. What can I say, such an original brew that is a must try. Has barleywine characteristics with strong ale drinkability. Beware.

maroon with a medium dense khaki head. rich cherry orange malt aroma. medium bodied that is creamy and syrupy. maple oak malt flavors with a light chocolate note to it. nice bold citrus fruit and grass hoppiness to it. bitter, ofcourse, and strong but not overpowering

Pours a deep red-brown with a thick lasting cream head. Aroma is sweet, and malty with a strong peach scent. It tastes sweet and slightly fruity which gives way to a grapefruit citrus bitterness from the hops at the finish. Delicious.

Overwhelmingly hoppy in all departments. So much so that it’s hardly bitter. Instead it taste like sweet sweet nectar from the Gods. Perfection.

650 ml, 2007 release. Clear, dark copper with a large head that settles down to a smallish ring. Chocolate and earthy, fruity nose. Big chocolate-citrus front turns to orange-brandied molasses, then to pine-alcohol, and finishes bitter with mostly herbs and evergreen resin, accompanied by orange and alcohol. Medium-heavy palate is smooth and almost syrupy, but has lots of hop tingle at the end to finish dry. Nice beer, but there are better and more complex ASAs out there that don’t taste like an uber-hopped DIPA.

22 oz. bottle received from both Zinister and MrBendo in separate trades. Pour is a slightly hazed ruby brown with a decent tan head on top. Aroma of sweet malt grain (rye?) and a bunch of resiny bitter hops. The taste is a nice combo of the sweet caramel malt, the resin hops and a nice finish with the graininess. The body of this one is huge, almost chewy. Initially served at about 50 degrees. When this warmed to about 65 or so, it really took on the nose of a hoppy Barley Wine. I really enjoyed this beer a lot, thanks fellas! (I look forward to the second one!)

This is indeed a Double Bastard! Its one massive beer. The body is a thick, syrupy, cloudy, dark reddish brown color. A large, foamy, light tan colored head settles slowly to a wispy film, leaving intricate patterns of lacing etched onto the glass. The aroma is fruitier than I expected, a surprising dose of peaches intermingling with the requisite grapefruit and orange hops. Big, heavy caramel and toffee malts are kissed with huge, oaky vanilla scents. The flavor is comprised of the same components, though the fruitiness takes a bit of a backseat to the huge, oaked toffee malts. Expertly blended for supreme balance, despite its enormity. The body is downright thick and syrupy, a slight negative in my book, though its a minor flaw I am willing to overlook. This one reminds me of a more refined, more realistic, more drinkable version of DFH 120. There’s just so much complexity going on here in such a massive package. Not something I could drink often, but impressive as hell nonetheless.

Poured from a 22oz bomber and served in a snifter. This brew poured a cloudy, reddish brown hue with a one-finger thick head of beige foam that quickly faded away. A decent amount of sticky lacing was left around the glass. The aroma of the beer was made up of sugary caramel and grapefruit notes. The flavor included chewy caramel malt, brown sugar, grapefruit rind, and a sweet, warming alcoholic note. The mouthfeel was full-bodied and filling, also lightly sticky and syrupy. Minimal carbonation. Really nicely done! Aggressive hopping and large quantities of malt make this a super tasty big beer!