Double Bastard Ale

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

Hazy brown beer, fine lacing. Sweet, but somehow balanced, until it throws a punch at you. Warming. Full flavour, raisins, Belgian sourness. One of their very best, despite the boasts this is actually a nice sipping beer where both hops and malt are allowed to play!

Pours a hazy / sludgy off brown with nice tannish head. Earthy, oaky and alcohol nose. Coating thick on the palate. Taste of black tea with an alcohol warming. Malt for sure with lingering hops not noticed in the taste. This is a great beer and so much better than Arrogant!

Pour is a dark ruby red that is impenetrable to light, thin light tan head. Aroma is woody, vanilla, fruity and mild notes of alcohol. Flavor is much of the same. Palate is sweet then bitter...wow so not impressed with this, hoping for better. Arrogant Bastard is much much much better. This lacks hop flavor and aroma...damn...but i gotta rerate, as much as i was hoping for better, its still good...

Timfoolery and I have been looking for this beer and finally found it at a wine shop in Davis, CA. Poured a copper color with little head. I could smell the hops upon first pour. Got some of the bittnerness, but was backed up with a malty finish. Excellent on the palate. As it warmed a little the alcohol became more present, but still a wonderful beer.

Cloudy copper with thin off-white head. Huge hop aroma, hints of citrus. The aroma is a warning for what is to come. Your first sip is big with hop flavor then the bitterness barrels down. Malt plays a big part to balance this big brew making it feel think on the tongue but it still finishes dry. A very satisfying beer.

Bottled@Akkurat. Deep murky copper coloured with small beige head, that stays for quite a while. Aroma is full of fruits, wood, nectar and mild notes of syrupy sweetness as well as some notes of alcohol. Flavour is quite much the same along with some vanilla and mild plummy notes too. Rather sweet for most of the part, but also some bittering notes preventing the sweetness to totally take over. Really pleasant!

Poured into a standard Stone pintglass. A deeper, murky amber pour. About the perfect line of head which rose just over the brim. Full of citrus and pine scents. A beautiful, complex aroma of soft and sweet maltiness backbone, moderately toasted, some floral like scents. Man, this is smooth and rich. The body of this is everything I love in the feel of a beer. Pretty much perfect in the feel. The bitter hoppiness is there, but they are amazingly balanced with a soft, and slightly sweet backbone. I find myself pondering over how wonderfully smooth it is again. Stone has created something of a masterpiece with this beer, with a near perfect blend of flavours. The alcohol is certainly there, but it continues to be quite an easy drinker considering. Thumbs up, and certainly recommended.

overall very nice brew. reminds me of a higher alcohol version of ommegang abbey ale? very fruity on the nose, taste is moderately sweet, dried fruits, alcohol is slightly noticeable but not offensive. Nice finish. would definitly buy again. whereas ommegang abbey is more drinkable this has the higher alcohol. both great brews