Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale

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

Tap at Pap. Shocked at how much I liked this. Aroma is very standard - dry malts and very light roast. Color is a thick gray charcoal brown with a thick tan head. Flavor has barely the zing of regular AB, but the roasted oakiness make sthe whole thing taste like a lightly smoked porter: burn, coffee, toffee, caramel malt. Finish is kind of abrupt and hoppy. Really something.

After trying several different regular Arrogant Bastards, I’ve sort of concluded that it may be a bit of a temperamental beer... that when really fresh, it’s really hoppy/bitter... but near or past its printed date, it can be flat or just "off". The Oaked bottle I got is great just like the best Bastards, but with a smoother front end and a more lasting finish (where the oak is noticeable to me). Nice one.

Pours a brown color with a tan head. Aroma of oak and some malts. Flavor is pretty bitter with some some malty hints in there too. Not as good as regular Arrogant.

Sample @ Bock&Rock.Aroma was oaky goodness with a little hoppiness.Amber color with a good white head.Flavor was was good and mellow malt and must and oak with hints of licorice.Was really good and one of the better at the tasting.

This oaked-version of the Bastard isn’t nearly as good as the original. I agree with a few of the other reviewers that the hops seem to have taken a backseat in this offering. The beer pours a very dark amber color with a little mahogany thrown in. The head is tan and leaves a very generous amount of lacing around the glass. The nose is fairly sweet, with notes of caramel malt, honey, yeast, a little licrorice and some flowery hops. The flavors are quite deep and complex, with notes of pine, grass, caramel, alcohol, earth and some hops toward the end of the body. The finish is where I detect most of the hops, with a bitter and dry tone, with some notes of pine and grapefruit. Unfortunately, this oaked-version falls way short of the original.

Nice beer not quite as good as the original in my opinion. I believe they went mellow on the hops and malt in order to better showcase the oak. All in all a good beer but I would prefer to drink the Original.

Pours a dark amber with a red hue. Thin off white, biege head, light lace. Aroma of sweet malts and hops, not much oak. Taste is bitter up front with the sweet malt showing through. Oak is there but not strong, almost gives a coffee/toffee taste in the middle. Finished bitter.

Pours a dark amber copper with medium white head, very little lacing. Aroma obvious of hops and oak. Flavor is more mild than AB, but just doesn’t give any extra complexity to the brew, quite disappointing. Not a bad brew anyway, just not better than AB.