Arrogant Bastard Ale

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

Not one of my favorites as I’m not drawn in by the overly hoppy. Surprised its a 99. Solid ale though.

22oz bottle 11/26/09-Pours an orangish amber with a small covering for a head. Aroma of alcohol, plums, malt, caramel, and slight hops. Taste of the same with more hops and sweetness coming through in the taste. This full bodied brew is very smooth and balanced. Nice job.

On draught at Plan B (Simsbury, CT): Pours reddish brown into a chalice. Head recedes into a halo with brilliant lacing. Nose is of malts, creamy/thickness, hops, and citrusy. Tastes of rich caramel, vanilla, ripe plum, toast, and sweet malts. Full-bodied yet smooth all around. Alcohol is hidden extremely well amist it’s multidimensional characteristics. Drinkability: Pleasurable. Rebuy: Definitely. #217 on 24112009, DG.

A red beer with a nice frothy head. The aroma is very nice fruity & hoppy. The taste is very fruity with berries coming out the most with a nice bitterness being smoothed out in the end. If you call yourself a man & drink nothing but light beers then I challenge you to man up & drink a glass of Viking beer, Arrogant Bastard Ale.

(1 pint bottle) aroma is hoppy. Taste is citrusy and hoppy. Clean hoppy finish. Perfect blend of hops and malt. Lightly carbonated. Damn good beer.

Bottle split with Tony. Pours a dark, ruby red body. Aroma is beautiful stone hop complexity. Its not overdone, but its just sweet enough to lure you in for a taste. The hops present

I love this beer, but not one I can drink all of the time. I usually drink a few a month...

Pours a nice dark brown/amber. Medium pour produces a good two-finger head of lightly tan foam. Retention is very good and lacing is slightly impressive. Nice, big caramely malt notes. Citrus hops notes, mostly grapefruit. Very bready. For such a ’big’ beer, I expected a bigger nose. Starts with a kiss of sweet caramel and brown sugar on top of some dark fruits. Just before you can get into that, though, it blasts you with the bitter bite of big citrusy hops. Needs to be a touch more balanced. The hops overpower everything else. Good body. It’s at the higher end of medium, on the scale. Almost gets into full-bodied, but not quite. It’s very good, but could be so much better with more balance. Not my favorite from Stone, although it is their flagship brew.