Double Bastard Ale

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

bottle: pours a beautiful crimsonbrown with a good sized tan head. aroma is a good bitter smelling hops, very sticky caramel malts. both the hops and malts are pretty extreme but balance each other out very nicely. good amount of fruit also. a very nice aroma that i really enjoy. the flavour is pretty strong upfront with a good hard bitter hop that goen into a nice amount of deep caramel malt. the finish is a sticky malt with a great hop bitterness again, with some raisiny taste, very enjoyable for 10%

Pours like a thick toffee into the glass, the carbonation swirling around the 2-finger tan head nicely. The nose is wonderfully malty, with caramel and candi sugar. Big malt upfront, with strong bitters coming through mid-palate and lathering more boldly through the back pull. The sweetness contains some caramel, ripened peaches (definitely fruit, but not overbearing), and hints of roasted peat. The ABV is nicely integrated. The mouthfeel is thick, almost creamy without being "chewy". There is plenty going on here, nicely complex. A nice contrast presents, with a totally different ending than beginning. Sweet vs. bitter is definitely explored in this strong brew! I wonder if this exploration was "full force", or if was approached in a linear, progressive continuity. (The only downside is that it feels a little "balls to the wall" all the way through.... maybe that’s the appeal.)

Trappist Glass. Pours Reddish brown with a frothy head that disappears quickly. Aroma of sweet malts and hops. Huge tatse. The bitterness takes over fairly quickly. Pretty gigantic beer. Has a barley wine feel.

Reddish brown pour. Aroma of hops and caramel. Taste of malt and smoke with a nice finish. Smooth for the higher alcohol content.

Bottle @ Yespr tasting.
[thank you, Storm]
Pours a wonderful red with a small creamy yellowish head. Aroma is packed with American hops and a light caramel background. Fine, creamy mouthfeel. The flavour nearly burns with all those hops. Light caramel and chocolate behind it. Some woody tartness as well. A bit too unbalanced.

[Courtesy of Storm, session @ yespr] Deep amber with tiny short lasting head. Sweet hoppy aroma with caramel notes. Sweet vinious flavor with hops, caramel, ripe fruits and caramel. Strong alcohol notes. Ends bitter.

22oz bottle. Pours a dark, red-hued amber color with a bit of head. It smells like a juniper tree, very hop-dominated with some fruit and alcohol. The taste starts out with malts and fruits and then quickly turns to the hop flavor and alcohol presence. Finishes dry, bitter and earthy. It’s a very thick, complex beer. Far too hop-dominated and bitter for my tastes, but fans of that style will love this beer.

very nice aroma of caramel malt/yeast esters/spicy hops, very malty and bittery (grapefruit pithy bitter) - i can’t decide if I like it or not though, it’s almost like drinking hopped pancake syrup - over-rated as are most ’extreme’ beers