Arrogant Bastard Ale
Stone Brewing
Story by:
Bev Blackwood
American Strong Ale
Year-Round
California
United States
Judges Ratings 96
Aroma: 22 / 24
Flavor: 39 / 40
Appearance: 6 / 6
Mouthfeel: 10 / 10
Overall Impression: 19 / 20
Description
This is an aggressive beer. You probably won’t like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. We would suggest that you stick to safer and more familiar territory—maybe something with a multimillion-dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it’s made at an independent brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless seltzer / fizzy yellow beer / whatever-the-hell will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps you think multimillion-dollar ad campaigns make all that junk taste better. Perhaps you’re mouthing your words as you read this.
We believe that pandering to the lowest common denominator represents the height of tyranny—a virtual form of keeping the consumer barefoot, stupid & led by the nose social media. Brought forth upon an unsuspecting public in 1997, Arrogant Bastard Ale openly challenged the tyrannical overlords who were brazenly attempting to keep the people chained in the shackles of poor taste. One glance around and it’s glaringly obvious: they’re winning…as of now. Yet we will not stop. Ever. Since the very beginning, Arrogant Bastard Ale has reveled in its unprecedented and uncompromising celebration of intensity. There have been many nods to Arrogant Bastard Ale…even outright attempts to copy it…but only one can ever embody the true nature of Liquid Arrogance! Hated By Many. Loved By Few.
Beverage Profile
ABV: 7.20%
IBUs:
Served at: ()
Hops:
Malts:
Judges Review
By Sal Mortillaro II
Judges Ratings 96
Aroma: 22 / 24 / 24
Flavor: 39 / 40 / 40
Appearance: 6 / 6 / 6
Mouthfeel: 10 / 10 / 10
Overall Impression: 19 / 20 / 20
Arrogant Bastard Ale by Stone Brewing Co. is being judged as an American Strong Ale (Category 22B) per the 2015 BJCP guidelines.
This beer pours a beautiful copper with clear clarity. A slightly off-white head of tiny bubbles forms and is sustained. As the beer is consumed, a beautiful lacing is left on the glass. A moderately low malt aroma is apparent and consists of a slightly overdone bread crust with a very low undertone of ripe dark cherry. Hop aroma is non-perceivable, which is strange for this particular style. There are very faint wisps of alcohol as the beer warms. Malt flavor consists of a medium-low intensity bread crust and caramel, very similar to a red ale with a medium-low malt sweetness. Both malt flavor and malt sweetness are very quickly replaced by a high bitterness which, after the swallow, quickly manifests into a lingering extremely high bitterness on the palate. Hop flavor appears to be lost behind the intensity of the hop bitterness. There is a low, clean ethyl alcohol note in the flavor. This beer finishes medium-dry with a lingering mix of malt sweetness, hop bitterness and alcohol. This beer has a medium-full body with medium carbonation as well as a moderate alcohol warmth. Despite the obviously high IBUs, there is no tannic notes in the mouthfeel.
Overall, this is a world-class beer that consists of a battle between absurdly high lingering bitterness and malt trying to fight its way through. Despite its high IBUs, there are no off-putting tannic flavors. Though it would have been nice for more of a presence of hop flavor and aroma, I do not believe that is the intent of the brewers here, as what they are trying to showcase is relatively clean, but incredibly high, lingering bitterness. In today’s beer culture where beers have wanted to soften bitterness, this is a reminder to the beers of 20 years ago when I began drinking craft beer.
Share options
Share a link that only Beer Connoisseur subscribers can access