Double Bastard Ale

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Great looking beer. Ruby red, clear with a 1/2 finger head that dissipates quickly. Aroma of sweet candy malt. Not much hop aroma. Bottle I tried was a over a month old. Initial taste was great, but then it started tasting more like cough syrup. I can see why others would think this is great, but the cough syrupy taste was a turn off for me. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

My sort of 6 months aged one from 2012... Also what is this picture that shows glassware? But I digress... A: Nothing special here. Smooth, subtle floral note. some malt. like an IPA. I thought this was an IPA? Or can an aged IPA turn into an american strong ale? I dunno... smells fine but nothing special. A: Appearance is solid. Pours thick and semi hazy. Nice golden bubble head. T: Some hops, a tinge of malt. Huge alcohol note. Some more earthy notes in there as well. Seems a bit unbalanced. Alcohol is too powerful relative to the rest of the beer. P: Minor flavor development is overpowered by alcohol. Overall this is way different than when I had it on tap. It was amazing on tap and from the bottle this is pretty meh. Certainly not bad but it turns into a bit of a boozy mess, losing the hop balanced of the first one of these I had. A lot more earthy flavors come through with the bottle where on tap it was more floral and citrusy. It was interesting to see the differences aging brought but in this case if was for the worse.

good flavor overall, but a bit strong for me and works as a good sipper, like bourbon. i usually avoid beers over 8% since they tend to be too strong tasting for my taste. there have been exceptions where i have enjoyed those above 8%, but not often.

UPDATED: APR 16, 2007 Beautiful deep purple pour with small head. Aroma is slight cherry, pine, dark fruit. Flavor is berries, pine, grapefruit, and floral. Finish is loaded with bitterness and it leaves a mild alcohol burn in the back of the throat. I also get notes of burnt cigarettes in finish. A bit too much of an assault on the senses in my opinion. I’m not worthy!

bottle. pours clear dark brown with one finger eggshell head. faint aroma of caramel and hops. taste is sweet mollases with a healthy bitter hop finish. alcohol is warming but hidden behind the sugary palate. some citrus elements in there but doesn’t taste like a standard double ipa. struck me more as a mix between a belgian double and an ipa. the dark malts are dominant but it definitely has a strong bitter finish. its a bit too sweet and syrupy for my tastes. interesting to try. not what i was expecting.

on tap - orange amber beer with not much foam. Nice hoppy aroma. Flavour is also hoppy but well balanced with maltiness.

Intensely malty and heavily hopped, although not overly bitter. Flavor is not complex, and there is nothing unexpected or surprising either good or bad here. To me, this beer is essentially a barley wine, which is not a style I’m fond of. Would probably age well, but not a beer that I would pick again, as it just is not very interesting to me.

ChrisFest Aroma is a bit cardboard and lacks fresh fragrance - something I have noticed with other beers strongly dosed with American or citric hops: an intensity of such hops can result in cardboard notes. The beer is warm and relaxed with a growing burn in the mouth. Malt and hops are agreeably balanced and though strong are not offensive. Enjoyable. Buttery and bitter.

(2006 bottling) This is unique but I am not sure what differentiates this beer from a Barleywine. Very deep fruit flavors, caramel and bittersweet finish. Malt, chocolate, currants, sherry and alcohol dominate the flavor. Very nice considering the 10% ABV. Not a bad beer, but probably not a repeat buy.

22oz bottle-pours a foamy tan head that laces and red color. Aroma is medium malt-sweet, medium fruit. Taste is medium malt-caramel, nutty, medium fruit-cherry immediately followed by hops bitterness. By mid beer the alcohol aftertaste becomes more pronounced. Big beer. Occasional. OK carbonation.