Stone Brewing Company Arrogant Bastard Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review

Tonight’s featured beer is Stone Brewing Company Arrogant Bastard Ale. What can be said of Stone Brewing Company? Their beers are fantastic. The attitude is apparent. I guess when you’re beers are that good you can stand to have the bravado they do. Are you worthy? Probably not.

From ArrogantBastard.com: “Arrogant Bastard Ale - This is aggressive ale. 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 multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it’s made in a little brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless fizzy yellow beverage will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps you think multi-million dollar ad campaigns make things taste better. Perhaps you’re mouthing your words as you read this.

At Stone Brewing, we believe that pandering to the lowest common denominator represents the height of tyranny - a virtual form of keeping the consumer barefoot and stupid. Brought forth upon an unsuspecting public in 1997, Arrogant Bastard Ale openly challenged the tyrannical overlords who were brazenly attempting to keep Americans chained in the shackles of poor taste. As the progenitor of its style, 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!”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a deep copper with orange tones. Beautiful beer with a fantastic head and perfect lacing.

Aroma: Citrus and floral hop characteristics (I detect Chinook) with a faint earthy tone. Sweet caramel malts. Great blend of hops and malts.

Taste: Floral hops – a little citrus – is what hits me at first followed by the roasted malt and caramel malt flavors. Sweet and hoppy just like I like my beers. Balanced.

Overall: An amazing beer. Lighter bodied than what you’d expect this 7.2% ABV to be. Well crafted and one that I now must keep in the beer fridge at all times. You never know when you’ll need an Arrogant Bastard!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey