Arrogant Bastard Ale

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

Pours a hazy ruby-brown, almost opaque. Has a lacy tan head. the smell is big brown malt, caramel. Hints of hops and spice in equal amounts. Wow. Big malt but a very very hoppy taste comes right after. Wouldn’t have expected it to be this big from the aroma. Very full bodied malt with an extremely assertive hops profile. It would sound like this beer is just a one-dimensional big beer but it’s actually very well balanced and complex. There are alot of strong flaovors in here (sweet malt, caramel, hops and spice) and they all complement each other wonderfully. On top of all that, it’s just one ass-kicker of a beer, in ABV and big taste. I am always suspicious of "gimmicky" ad campaigns but Arrogant Bastard is a perfect name for this brew. Lives up to the hype.

Clear maroon red color. Average head, good head retention. Aroma is sweet & fruity, cherry. Taste is chocolate, with a nice hop finish. Creamy, goes down very easy. Very good!

Aggressive is a great marketing term and for that matter so is the name....on the other hand, I think that beer people would taste a English bitter that truly is bitter because it’s not a Belgian strong ale..First sip, I can tell that the brewmaster who came up with this recipe, was thinking how can I American-ize a Belgian strong ale, give it plenty of hop bite, but let it remain that somewhat subtle malt backbone that English bitters are famous for....well here is the finished product. A very nice beer to buy a bottle of and slowly enjoy over some good conversation. Very well done!

Bottle. was able to try this one in dc. very good stuff. just enough hops & malt combination. quite heavy. got to be a bit much towards the end.

This beer pours a rich amber color with a tan head that lasts throughout the pint. Great aroma from the initial malts to the hoppy floral aromas. The flavor is a great balance of malts and hops although the hops tended to have a bit of a grassy aftertaste. Excellent mouthfeel and body.

This is a great American beer. I was stationed in Germany for a year, and this is better than anything I tasted there. Bottle: Dark brown color, nice very light tan head. Smells sweet carmel. Tastes fantastic, bottle description is right it is "sophisticated" smooth bitter carmel hoppiness. Rolls down very smooth. I will be visiting this brewery on the next visit down to SOCAL. Superb.

Bottle. Poured copper brown with thick long lasting head. Aroma of hops an caramel. Flavour of hops, malt citrus and oat? Long lasting hoppy finish. I tasted the finish half an hour later.

Great beer! Very complex slightly sweet citrus hint. Pours amber with small tan head. Strongest darkest ale out there. Nice and hoppy with a bold bitter finish.