Arrogant Bastard Ale - Beer Review
Arrogant Bastard Ale - Stone Brewing Company, Escondido, California
This is my favorite ale of all time. It's chi is summed up by the tag line to its name: "You're Not Worthy." This is not an ale brewed to please. It does not care if you like it or not. It is secure in itself as a bad ass ale that pulls no punches. If you can't handle it, go drink your Bud Light. I'll forgive you, but Arrogant Bastard will not. It is not the forgiving kind.
Poured into a glass, AB is a rich brown and has a musky bouquet. I've found the head to vary between negligible and around a quarter inch thick - not accounting for my sobriety while pouring. The first sip hits the back of the throat with a bit of violence, truthfully, but it gets all the cobwebs out of the way immediately. From the throat it feels warm going down (no matter how cold it really is) and sits warm in the belly, almost like a good shot of JD.
Every sip of AB is consistent through an hour of mindful enjoyment. Each sip is a new experience in unabashedly strong flavor, a full-on ale assault on the taste buds that hits hard and goes down with a strong, lingering bittersweet finish.
Whenever I finish a bottle of Arrogant Bastard Ale I immediately want another. That's why I always buy only one bottle at a time. At 7.5% alcohol content by volume, it packs a respectable, but not excessive punch, and leaves you feeling good without feeling out of your reckoning. I am thinking it must be made with healthy ingredients because I always feel great the next day, when I've had a bottle the night before.
I cannot recommend this ale highly enough. It has the taste, the finish, the color, the bouquet - hey, it's got it all.
No wonder it's arrogant.
