Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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On cask at blue monk. Dark yellowish brown pour with a thick off white head. Smells caramel, hops, pine, wood. Tastes very smooth and velvety, tons of sweet caramel backed up with piney hops. The oak is not too overbearing, just adds another element to mellow/balance the hops.

Bottle. Pours a deep, dark, ruby red with a large, classy, thick, full and creamy, yellowish-brown head. Aroma is a lot of oak and caramel, somewhat sweet. Quite resinous and raisin-like. A touch of vanilla as well. Taste is piney and resinous. The oak is strong as well though it keeps in the background. Quite caramelly as well. Not too sweet. Salty liquorice is present as well on the finish, but not in a boozy way as is common with strong stouts. Aftertate is oaky, wooden with salty liquorice in the background. Palate is quite full with some carbonation.

On keg at Craft Beer Co., Clerkenwell, 20/03/13. Translucent, dark mahogany. Good, light brown head, diminishing. Good lacing. Light carb. Aroma - Candy sugar, spicy aromatic wood oil, dates and piney hop. Taste - Mid sweet. Candy sugar. Lovely, rounded woodiness & dark fruits. Mid hop bitterness, quite floral. Bit of spice. But the dry, sour, carbonic taste is a bit much. Tangy, dry, bitter finish, with faint fruity bitter aftertaste. Medium, sugary body. Nice, rich flavours at the front, but the finish is a bit too bitter.

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A - A thick 2 finger tan head sits on top of a hazy burnt amber brown. Good retention and big patches of lacing. S - Toasted malt, soft wood notes, and pine. Vanilla is pronounced along with brown sugar, cherry pie filling, maple, and toffee. T - Vanilla coated grapefruit provides bitterness right away. Roasted almond, toffee, amaretto, with woody undertones that become more prevalent towards the finish. Finishes with a dry spicy bite. Aftertaste is of citrus, mint, and slightly woody. M - Medium creamy body. Very complex nose on this one. The oak seems to bring out the pine and hide the citrus in the nose. The oak is defiantly there but doesn’t overpower the rest of the beer. It adds complexity without making it too dry. Serving type: bottle 11-05-2010

355ml bottle, enjoy by 05/03/13. Pours a chestnut brown color with a small cream-colored head. Aroma is incredibly pleasant with notes of figs, raisins, brown sugar, malt, toffee, a hint of chocolate and vanilla. Taste is first up slightly sweet with some dried fruit and toffee notes, taken over soon by a hoppy bitterness and lightly roasted malty notes. Ends with an earthy, grapefuity twang. Palate is light and juicy with medium carbonation.

UPDATED: APR 1, 2013 Dark red brown. Aroma is hops. Taste is hops, sweet malt, and slight wood. The mildness of the oak smell just brings a new variable to the arrogant bastard falvour. Much prefer this to the basic brew.

Poured a hazy amber with a frothy off white head. Aroma of sweet phenolic roast malt. Medium, creamy mouthfeel, flavour of the roast malt, quite sweet with a bitter finish.

355 ml bottle. Dark reddish brown colour, thin tan head. Very nice fruity aroma with vanilla, malt, resiny hops and woody notes. The flavour is dominated by resiny hops, with citrus, caramel notes, malt and a hint of vanilla in the background. Quite tasty, but this would be much better with a little less overpowering hopping - the oak is hardly noticeable in the flavour and everything else is forced back, too (this coming from a hophead).

This is an excellent beer. The color is akin to Oktoberfest. The aroma is both floral and herbal. The taste is rich and malty, but with proper hopping for style. My one complaint is that though the oak certainly adds to the quality and character of the beer, I cannot sort it out of either the nose or palate.