Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale

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

To me this tasted like the regular Arrogant Bastard (which is good) with just a touch of oak. I was hoping for more oak, however the hops seemed to overpower any oak that was present. It was a good beer, as are all Stone Brewing Company beers, however I wanted more oak. By the way...this sure beats Beechwood aging!

Pours a slightly hazy deep mahogany-red color. Creates a tight, pillowy 1/2" beige head with strong retention. Patterns of thick lacing adhere to the sides of the snifter. Aromas in general were surprisingly restrained for such a complex beer. However, pleasant notes of pine and hops resin, oak, earth, toffee and some faint vanilla waft gently up from the glass. Mouthfeel starts very smooth and creamy with a soft carbonation level. Goes down with a slight oily texture. Flavor much bolder than the aroma. Very complex and nuanced. Initally notes of sweet caramel malts, brown sugar, vanilla bean and buckwheat honey greet the tongue. This is very quickly replaced with a very agressive grapefruit rind and wood tannin-like bitterness which immediately deletes any sense of lingering sweetness. I like hops but felt more of a sugary malt contribution would have balanced the flavors out better. Finishes dry and crisp with a long, lingering bitterness. For only 7.2% this beer is a mouthfull.

Dark amber, nice head, soapy lace. Caramel like aroma, hop resin thoughout. Medium-full boded, nice in mouth, fairly velvety, oak dryness makes its mark just enough to change the character from the regular AB. Drier, bitterness does not linger nearly as long as the original IMHO. A biit more overall integration of flavors.

I’ve had this on tap at liars club and outta the huge ass bottle at a farm drinkin party last february. I dug it more than arrogant bastard so in addition to my rating of the regular this one just has a deep maltier vibe to it, the oak really thickens it up and strengthens it.

Nice red/brown color,small tanish head that had a decent hangtime then faded to a slight lace.The aroma was fruity and hoppy with a decent light malty side.The flavor was very nice,lots of piney notes,some grapefruit hints and a bit of oak coming through.The alcohol manages to stay fairly well hidden with just a light burn at the end to go along with the fairly heavy bitter hops.Way more brew then one person can handle in one sitting but with luck i can drink it up in 3 sittings.Well worth getting again but it would be nicer if it was bottled in something much smaller.

Casked I believe. Basically the original beer with a smooth, floral, oaky character in both the aroma and flavor. The oaking also lends itself to smoothing out a bit of the roughness of the original. I’ll call it the Not Quite So Arrogant Bastard.

On tap@Pizza Port Solana: Dark amber with tints of red. Head is small (bar pour) and beige. Aroma is lightly citrus and hops. Flavor is much like the regular bastard, kinda hoppy, but subdued by the woodiness and a hint of vanilla. May have been better if not served so cold. I think it’s CUTE!

3L bottle ala BrockLander, I think I still owe you John. Shared at during the Badger @ Rainbow Warrior game. Served in a somewhat non traditional 3L weissbier glass. Lightly hazed light chestnut color with a full light beige head (looked somewhat like moguls). Full rich aromas that looking back at the regular ABA are quite different. This may have been slightly older, as I didn’t drink it right away as the bottle directs, but I don’t think the age hurt the brew, though a bit of the hops ma have subsided. An oak chest filled with dark fruits of figs cherries, and dates. Mild vanilla and dough as well as some dark malts and caramel seem to cover the fruit. Full mellow brew graces the lips. Has some real doppelbock qualities along with mild port. Finish seems to have a slightly harsh wood flavor. Still a most relaxing and enjoyable brew. Always great fun sharing a BIG glass of beer.