Ymm, Beer!

[devildeac]

Arrogant Bastard Ale-Stone Brewing

I looked through the archives and found no review of this beer so I'll guess it's been >5 years since I tasted it. Poured from a bomber and divided over 2 nights. Appeared a reddish-brown with a foamy head that lingered. Nose was pine and citrus and tastes were the same with some tobacco and a bit of caramel sweetness that lost out to the almost overwhelming hop blast. I'll guess IBUs are 80+ and the ABV of 7.2% just doesn't quite achieve balance. Stone doesn't categorize this brew but it most reminds me of Bigfoot which I stopped buying 3 years ago. I've seen it labeled an American Strong Ale but that style is less bitter, has a somewhat higher ABV and is a bit sweeter. This would be a good ale to have with game or spicy fare. I've got 3 (different) Bastards left from the mixed 4 pack I bought a couple weeks ago and the next tasting will be this weekend.

An amusing read from the "painted" bottle:


"This is an 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!"

"You're Not Worthy"

[devildeac]

Silverback-Unknown Brewing Company

Labeled as an American stout, it poured a slightly thin, dark, dark brown with a creamy tan head. Chocolate and a little coffee for the scents, followed by the same upon tasting with a bit of molasses and licorice and pine. Probably a bit more hoppy than most traditional stouts from their use of west coast hops. The 7 grains are heavily roasted for the flavors as no other additives are listed. ABV on the chart at 6.5% with no listed IBUs but I'll guess 40-50 range, a bit above the standard rating for the the style. This was a 12 ounce can offered by our older son-in-law last PM for grandchild sitting duties. Certainly worth a tasting from this Charlotte brewery.

[Bob Green]

The fridge is stocked for the Super Bowl:



Perhaps I'll dip into the stock during tonight's basketball game.

[devildeac]

Bourbon Barrel-Aged Arrogant Bastard-Stone Brewing

The BBA made this beer so much smoother. Same color and pour as the AB but with hints of charred oak/wood and vanilla on the nose and the same on the palate with a very light bourbon finish without a burn. I'll guess the same IBUs at about 70-80 with a tad more balance from the aging and a slightly higher ABV at 7.8%. I divided the bomber over Friday and Saturday nights and it was even more enjoyable after the 69-63 win. This was the 2nd of the box of Bastard bombers for $22.

From the the front of the bottle:

"Quite refined, unlike you"

[CameronBornAndBred]

According to Budweiser, all your frufru beers suck.

[devildeac]

According to Budweiser, all your frufru beers suck.

I guess that's kinda like c*rolina saying all real universities' classes are without merit.

[devildeac]

Lukcy Basartd Ale-Stone Brewing

Spelling is correct. Check out the "label:"

"Oepn yuor mnid. Use a craobwr if you msut. Snice 1997, Arorgnat Basartd Ale has denemdad taht tyrnianacl micredioty rleax its girp of opprobrium on our ciollectve couniescosnss. Few pessoss the ruiereqd isinght or detph of piversceptve to crdiet the Liuqid Arorgnace for initatgsing the rlveoituon in tsate taht it has. Hevweor, taht’s pfecertly fnie, as our hlurecaen erffots in thirstung the larlegy unlliwing wolrd farorwd rquereis no exrtneal vaditilaon. We ralieze it’s hmaun nautre to bleeive taht pregorss trowads getreanss is one’s own ieda.

The mree fcat taht yuo’re hdoinlg tihs bttloe in yuor hnad ianidctes taht yuo’re pyiang antteiton, wihch ideitammley stes you arpat form the msseas. It aslo mkaes you one Lukcy Basartd. Hewover, lcuk faovrs the blod... and the arorgnat. The trmiraivute of Arorgnat Basartd Ale, OEKAD Arorgnat Basartd Ale and Dbolue Basartd Ale are all in paly in this cvueé de Basartd you now hlod, and wihle it is idneed a Lukcy Basartd, lcuk had ntohing to do wtih it.

Taody, wihle nueomrus iendicrlby dinistcitve chcoies are now alavaible, msot popele sitll fucos tiehr attntieon uopn msas mdiea’s isscenatnly banal ehco cheambr, keenpig thier hdeas frimly buerid in the maross of mecridioty. To beark thurogh tihs cophocany, to gsarp enitghnelnemt anmog the mnid-nmubnig culettr, rerequis itnent. Coinscous itnent. For mnay, this aictve piticipataron in the wolrd is unomfacbtorle. Prerrifeng inasted for oethrs to mkae teihr chcoies for tehm — be it a shioutng pindut or a toelievisn ciommecral — sheeple apccet the cmmoitozdied nrom wioutht thoghut. And to thsoe we say: “Setp asdie, and get the hlel out of our way.”

Try reading that after half a bomber of this ale.

Poured like your typical Bastard, a dark amber, with a modest, foamy head. Nose of pine, resin and toffee. Tastes of the same but a bit sweeter and smoother than the regular Bastard due to the oak aging from the blending of the Oak Aged Bastard and a bit more boozey from the addition of the Double Bastard. This is a bit easier on the palate than plain Arrogant Bastard, guessing the IBUs about the same in the 70-80 range but the ABV is 8.5% so it's more balanced. I divided the bomber over 2 nights and sipped it chilled but not cold and the flavors were better as it warmed over 30-45 minutes. Stands alone or would pair well with any spicy foods, ribs or a brisket.

[devildeac]

Double Bastard Ale-Stone Brewing

My original review/tasting from 6/19/09:

Stone Double Bastard. Another new one for me. This was my birthday beer on Wednesday and Thursday. At 10.5% ABV, a bomber was just too much for one evening. I guess this is best described as a traditional strong ale. These folks already make a barleywine so I don't think they duplicated it here. Keeping in the Stone tradition, this has a ton of hops in the nose and on the palate with lots of piney and sprucey tastes and no citrus. Dark caramel and toffee malts in a medium to dark brown pour. I'd guess the IBU's here are 90+. This would make a nice ale with a really spicy rub on pork, ribs or chicken off the grill or a night cap but not as a dessert beer. The second night wasn't much different than the first serving. It might be interesting to cellar one of these for a year and taste again.

A couple sentences from a November, 2012 tasting:

Not much different to add except this year's ABV is a stunning 11.2% and the IBU may well be 100+ but the balance is well done. Some spicy sausage biscuits or Texas Pete laden tacos would be nice food pairings. One of the very few beers you'll see with 100 point ratings on ratebeer.

2014 musings from the October, 2014 release:

It's really more of a Bastard and a half at 11% ABV with the regular Bastard rated at 7.2% ABV. No IBUs are given for either one and the hops are listed as "classified" on their web site. This was the last of the boxed Bastards and I divided the bomber over two nights. Balanced and potent are the two words that first come to mind when sipping this. Characteristics again are sprucey and caramely and boozey of course as this version is of similar ABV to previous ones. Overall, the box of Bastards was a very good purchase at $22 which included the BBA version and the high gravity Double. So, if you see it next winter, buy it for someone special, yes, even yourself.

[devildeac]

Ranger-New Belgium

Pretty much their standard IPA from a mixed 12 pack my older son-in-law had in has garage that I collected as wages for grandson care as he and our older daughter vacationed for the last 8 days. Poured a slightly hazy golden-yellow with a mildly frothy head. Very pleasant bouquet of citrus and hay with the tastes that followed comprising mild grapefruit, pine and medium caramel from the Cascade, Chinook and Simcoe hops and the Pale and C-120 malts. A tad more IBUs (70) than I would have guessed and the ABV registered at 6.5% so this was a well-balanced brew. Would pair nicely with grilled fare prepared with or without a spicy kick.

[devildeac]

This is Foothills Brewery's IPA of the month for February:



Our son and his wife have a Corgi that is almost identical to the one in this picture. We'll be visiting them next Sunday and hoping to have a pint of Sexual Chocolate and treat him (our son, not his Corgi) to a bomber of this IPA to honor Toby, their Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

[devildeac]

Class of '88 Barleywine Style Ale-North Coast Brewing

No, this caged and corked 750 ml bottle was not 27 years old last week. Three brewers decided to celebrate their 25th anniversaries of brewing and independently collaborate the brewing of a barleywine in their own interpretation as they visited each other and "supervised" each others' efforts at their own locations in early 2013, of course. So, North Coast, Rogue and Deschutes each produced their own brews and I found the North Coast version a couple years ago, let it cellar for a couple years and sipped 375 ml a couple nights last week. Poured a cloudy amber-orange with a moderate foamy head that lingered. If Grand Marnier or Cointreau brewed beers, I could imagine this is what they'd concoct. Smelled of orange liqueur, orange zest and orange syrup with some honey and pine aromas and tasted pretty much the same with a subdued hop bitterness. A bit boozey at 10% ABV with IBUs of 75 but still very smooth and dangerous to drink. This would be a nice beverage with an aged cheddar or Stilton cheese on a large burger or by itself from a snifter as a winter warmer or nightcap. Not as good as a BBA Old North Co

[devildeac]

From almost 4 years ago on 2/20/11 with an interesting conclusion:

Old Horizontal-Victory Brewing (2009)

One of their seasonals, this is a barleywine they have brewed for a decade, I'd guess. Ruby-brown in color and massive amounts of caramel and dark malts with the requisite ton of hops for a potent floral nose and syrupy sweetness. It was a bit cloudy after 2 years of aging which I believe took some of the bitterness away and made is a bit more whiskey-like. The IBU are probably 80-90 as most barleywines are and this one will rock your night at 11% ABV. This is just fine for an entire evening's beverage being sipped from a snifter over an hour or more. One of the more drinkable barleywines, both when released and cellared for 2-3 years or more.

Oh, and BTW, karl hess sucks.

From this weekend:

Old Horizontal 2014-Victory Brewing

Not much has changed except they now release this in bombers and not 12 ounce bottles and they've also had a BBA aged version that I've never seen.

Thanks to duketaylor for procuring/delivering/trading this a few weeks back. Perhaps a bit less sweet than I remember and a bit clearer pour as this was released in December and consumed over two nights without any aging. The IBUs might not be as high as I estimated previously and it remains a very smooth beverage. The ABV is exactly the same. Certainly worth being included in a barleywine tasting.

[devildeac]

From March 1, 2014:

Sexual Chocolate (draft)-Foothills Brewing

Annual review here. Still love this beer. I wouldn't drive to Winston-Salem to stand in line for 10-12 hours to buy it at $15/bomber, but it made a marvelous beverage to pair with the Cuban sandwich and Moravian Slaw on a Sunday afternoon a couple weeks ago at the brewery with my wife, son and his wife. Poured an almost pitch black with a small head and served a bit too cold but they gotta keep if fresh. Much richer and more flavorful as it warmed over our 60 minute meal, so it was an appetizer, main course and dessert. Nose of dark, unsweetened chocolate with tastes to match, along with a splash of whiskey (not a barrel aged brew). Large quantities of heavily roasted dark malts impart a mild bitterness but the ABV wins here at about 10% with an estimated IBU rating of 50-60. This was a 10-12 ounce draft for $5 and it will have to keep me satisfied until early February, 2015.

Guess what? It's February, 2015.

Today's tasting was a 10 ounce draft at the brewpub for $6. I'm pretty sure if I purchased a mini-growler, I could finish it in 60-120 minutes and wake up on the floor the next AM. Pretty similar thoughts this year except, when allowed to warm to near room temperature, some black strap molasses and a few drops of espresso and a bit of dark, dried fruits came through. My hop detector last year was miscalibrated and the IBUs are indeed 85 as devil84 stated above. It drinks nowhere near this bitter as the ABV of 9.75% totally balanced the hop load. If I hear of any verticals this year, with or without barrel-aging, I might have to make the journey for that tasting.

[devildeac]

From 9/7/12:


St. Bernardus Abt 12-Brouwerij St. Bernard NV

A fabulous and classic Belgian trappist quad. Poured a hazy medium to dark brown from an 11.2 ounce bottle I received as a trader last week. Heavenly aromas and tastes of dark dried fruits, brown sugar and rum. Huge malty presence with minimal bitterness guessing IBU of 20-30 and the ABV is a sneaky 10%. Let this warm a bit and pour into a goblet and sip for dessert. I thought I had a 750 ml bottle of this at some point but can't find an old review.

From the last two nights:

This was 375 ml each night from a caged and corked 750 ml bottle bought for 20% off at World Market in December with a total cost of about $9-10. Very similar to the Christmas Ale version but without the subtle spicing. I like the Weyerbacher Quad a lot but this one has been one of the best beers in the world for years and there's nothing like authentic Belgian ales.

This may be the first time I've ever had two beers (Sexual Chocolate and Abt 12) in the same day with 100 ratings on ratebeer. Purely coincidental.

[devildeac]

Wiggo-Carolina Brewing Company

Drink local!

Their version of a winter IPA brewed with Nugget, Cascade and Amarillo hops and balanced with generous amounts of dark caramel malts. Poured a slightly cloudy, peach-amber color with aromas of citrus and pine and tastes of the same with a little butterscotch, cantaloupe and peach, all a bit unusual for a winter IPA but a pleasant combination. I bought 4 of these 12 ounce bottles and our son got one, one went to mattman91, I sipped one and I think there's one left. IBUs are 59 and ABV is 6.3%. Would pair well with some pulled pork and perhaps some spicy fare.
I certify that I personally co

[devildeac]

Carolina Mountain Monster-Asheville Brewing Company

Many thanks to ricks68 for safely transporting this to Raleigh several weeks ago. This is probably the thickest motor oil, err, Russian imperial stout that I've ever tasted. Poured a thick, oily black hue with a somewhat surprising generous latte-colored creamy head that lingered forever. Nose of dark chocolate, black strap molasses with a small splash of espresso. Tastes of the same with some dark fruits and some Godiva chocolate liqueur. The SRM is only 75 but I've tasted the Rogue XS Imperial Stout and several of the Southern Tier chocolate beers with Lovibond ratings of 240-250 and this easily rivals those. IBUs are listed at 55 and the ABV is a stunning 12.5%, also the highest ABV in a RIS that I can recall and good reason to divide this bomber over two nights or share with a friend or three.

[devildeac]

After Dinner Mint (draft)-Raleigh Brewing Company (RBC)

Four 4 ounce samples=4 ounce reviews.

Served on a NCSU-colored tray in the shape of the Old North State, I chose this first because it was low ABV at 4.8%. Poured a dark, dark brown with a tan, creamy head, this was pretty much a Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookie as fuse described above (in a much more timely fashion). Aromas were mostly dark chocolate with a small sprig of mint. Tastes were the same with more of a semi-sweet chocolate and a mint finish. I'll guess IBUs about 40-50 with most of the mild bitterness originating from the heavily roasted, dark malts. This could be served with a milk chaser, just like I enjoy with a sleeve or two of the cookies.

[devildeac]

Oak City Coffee (draft)-RBC

This was my second beverage from the sampler. Poured a dark brown with a mildly, foamy mocha head, this had more milk chocolate tastes and, of course, prominent, fresh roasted coffee aromas and tastes for a very smooth coffee porter. Bitterness a tad less than the stout, as expected. I'll guess 30-40 here. ABV listed at 6.3%. An excellent concoction that could be enjoyed by itself or with chocolate/caramel desserts.

[devildeac]

Hell, Yes, Ma'am (draft)-RBC

One of the co-owners, Kristie Nystedt, requested the brewers to produce a strong Belgian ale as this was one of her favorite styles. Their response was, of course, "Hell Yes Ma'am" and the beer was born.

This a Belgian golden ale and the color matched the type of brew with some banana, clove and light brown sugar syrup on the nose and taste buds. Small, eggshell-colored head. There was a hint of black pepper here, too, from the Belgian yeast. Lower IBUs with this lighter bodied beer, likely in the 20 range and typically high ABV at 9.2% but dangerously drinkable. I'm partial to this style so this was my favorite of the evening.

[devildeac]

The Miller's Toll-RBC

Final 4 ounce sample of the night Thursday last week with fuse, Love Ninja (his, not mine), mattman and his girlfriend. Great company makes beer even better. This is an imperial oatmeal stout so it was almost black as night with a small, creamy tan head. Dark chocolate and coffee aromas but they are not additives. Same with the tastes with a very smooth, almost oily mouthfeel from the oatmeal. They even added cane sugar to the Northern Brewer and East Kent Goldings hops and their house English ale yeast and huge grain bill to arrive at their final destinations of 68 IBUs and 9.1% ABV (website)/10.1% at the brewery. This was my favorite of the evening, taking nothing away from the Oak City Coffee Porter which the other DBRers chose as their favorites. I'll salute fuse for his excellent suggestion to meet here for sampling and trading purposes.