Lukcy Basartd Ale - Stone Brewing Co.

russpowell

Oklahoma

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2012 bbatch pours a ruby tinged chestnut with 2 fingers of cream colored head. Great lacing & head retention

S: Figs, cakeyness, plums, brown sugar, pineyness & some boozeyness as this warms

T: Follows the nose with herbal & woody hops & some boozeyness mixes in with pineyness up front. Grapefruit comes in as this warms, also some orange peel bitterness, some woodyness as well & just a hint of port. Finishes with pine, grapefruit, & breadyness, but mostly grapefruit & some unneeded boozeynes

MF: Medium bodied, slight carbonation, skews hoppy

I like this, was thinking a little different flavor profile based on the description, very hop-forward, would almost think this was a Barley-Wine, a bloody pricey one

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 05:53:35 | More by russpowell

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A solid pour into my Lost Abbey Teku glass produces an almost three finger thick, richly amber tinged, tan colored head that leaves lots of lacing on the sides of my glass as it slowly subsides. The beer is a dark, almost burnt amber hue that shows a brilliantly clear, deep red hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells thick with piney and citrus focused hops, but also has a backbone of chewy crystal malt. The nose is made up of aromas of tangerine, surprising-but-subtle cedar, a green herbaceous character, a strong nutty note that mixes in with the cedar, very woody oriented fresh cut pine planks and a sort of dustiness that I can't quite place, but which seems to incorporate the surprising cedar note, the nuttiness and the fresh cut pine planks.

Nicely bitter tasting as the beer first hits my tongue, but the biting bitterness only grows as it rolls across my tongue and it lingers on the palate for quite some time after my first sip, though it slowly fades. Sweet, crystal malt focused notes contribute a touch of sweet-tea like character, perhaps a hint of astringency (though this gets wrapped up in the green hop notes and the oak), a touch of nuttiness and maybe even a hint of dark, sort of roasted malt character. The malt accentuates fruity hop notes that remind me of ruby-red grapefruit, bright tangelo zest, some lychee (especially more toward the finish). There is actually a surprising amount of malt character in this beer; it is indeed dominantly hoppy, but the malt is not far behind. The malt character doesn't put this in chewy, viscous Barleywine territory, but it certainly provides some body and texture to this medium'ish beer. Some touches of alcohol are noticeable as a slight warming / heat in the finish where it mixes with spicy oak and hop notes. The oak definitely seems to boost the hot alcohol feel in the finish and also contributes some woody astringency. As the beer warms up the hop fruit character becomes a bit more apparent with more of the citrus and tropical fruit notes and perhaps even a touch of oak-derived vanillin starts to come out.

Definitely a nice beer, as with the base beers this seems to have lost the vibrancy and surprise that this had for me early on; there are now a lot of beers that are more "arrogant", but this beer is still an aggressive mix of hop and malt character. The oak is interesting here, the oak'ed arrogant bastard is likely the smallest percentage, but it still seems to be a bit too harsh here rather than achieving the vanillin / toasted wood character that I much prefer from my oak character in beer. My second poor even has a touch of buttery oak to it and really as it warms up a fair amount a big, wood-driven pepper note becomes noticeable in the nose and even more so in the flavor of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 15:38:54 | More by Gueuzedude

Halcyondays

California

4.47/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

22 oz. bomber,

A: Pours a dark red with a full orange-white head, solid lace, very good retention.

S: Smells like Arrogant Bastard.

T: Lots of crystal malt, has some oomph. Like a less hoppy version of Double Bastard to me. Has that oak smoothness from OAB which I liked a lot.

M: Medium-full bodied, strong, smooth, light hint of ethanol. Very light carbonation works great here.

D: A tad too easy to drink like Oaked Double Bastard. It's the smoothness that does it. Full of Stone house character, really good beer. I'd have thought this'd last until the start of Brewmasters at 10, I guess not.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2010 05:06:50 | More by Halcyondays

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bomber, from a trip through Oregon and Idaho earlier this summer. Do people actually try to read the grammatical wankery on this particular offering's label?

This beer pours a hazy, cloudy, dark murky golden ruddy brown hue, with two fingers of dense puffy ecru head, which sits in like it's going to protest something or other, but eventually gives up a high cloud pattern of lace around the glass as it sinks away. It smells of grapefruit and orange rind, pine needles, bready caramel malt, a bit of black seeded fruit, and soft, alluring alcohol. The taste is green forest-fresh piney hops, less raw, but equally bitter citrus hops, caramel, toffee malt, and soft, somewhat sweet booze - not much of the oak from the blend comes through. Still, my Strong Ale 101. The carbonation is quite relaxed, the body a solid, beefy medium weight, a smoothness bitch in the face of the challenging hops. It finishes kind of surprisingly clean, West Coast style - big bitter citrus hops, and backbenched caramel malt.

Fcuk. Wwo! I've had all three of the constituent ingredients to this blend, and, well, this represents oh so well. Intense individual essences all add up to one mother of a brew, and crazily drinkable at that. 8.5 points of ABV slide slinkily over all. Hoppy, sweet, and all that is good with what you should be expecting. Dirnk tihs nwo if yuo cna!

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2011 02:40:57 | More by biboergosum

Gavage

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a dark amber color with a short 1/2" head that falls quickly to a spotty surface foam. Mild lacing develops.

Smell: pine, lemon zest, and floral earthy hops create a pleasant aroma.

Taste: nice malt profile with lemon zest, hint of grapefruit, pine, and a nice bitterness. Some fruity sweetness lingers in the background and alcohol in mildly noticable.

Mouhtfeel: medium bodied. Lightly crisp to start, smooth and a bit dry late. Aftertaste is long as the flavors last in the mouth.

Drinkability: this comes across as a mellower version of Arrogant Bastard but is extremely tasty. Worth a try if you find this.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2010 21:52:54 | More by Gavage

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a bomber at Abe's Cold Beer for $6.15. Interesting beer, it combines the malty richness of Double Bastard with the relative hoppy drinkability of the plain Arrogant and dry, oaked bitterness of the final Bastard.

The malt begins with a mix of caramel, biscuit, cocoa and bread crust that's matched by a mild floral note and quickly rolls into the bigger citrus punch hop character. The hops are smooth at first and then dry and almost astringent. It's hard to tell where the fruit is coming from, and I like that. In addition to the citrus and floral hops, there's also a tart cherry taste (not actually puckering) with a little dried fruit. As it warms, more apricot comes out in the aroma to join the citrus and floral notes.

I'd like to try this beer next to Bigfoot Barleywine from Sierra Nevada. I'm reminded of the same balance of huge malt and huge hops. Heck of a beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2011 05:14:02 | More by tempest

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A 650 mL bottle from Al's.

A: The strong ale is a dark caramel brown color, full nearly to the point of opacity. Christmas lights on the other side of the glass do shine through, creating a nice effect.

S: The nose has hops, oak chips, pepper and mint. The pepper and mint are separate, not a pepperminty aroma. Very bold, Oaked Bastard taken up a few degrees.

T: Lots of hops. This bastard is hoppy. Alongside the bite, the oak chips lend a huge presence. As the hops initially transition to the oak, pepper and mint, along with fresh tea leaves, make appearances. The oak has vanilla and seemingly adds strength. More hops follow the oak, mixing with caramel for a bang-up finish. A strong ale that isn't mind-numbingly bitter, not a Ruination. It does pull together the sharper aspects to the bastards.

M: The mouthfeel is sharp, bitter with hops and syrupy with caramel. The oak is the star, a sweetness that amps up the hoppiness.

D: It's hard to believe that this beer is only 8.5%. It feels so much bigger, a tribute to Stone's prowess.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2010 01:04:30 | More by akorsak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appears a dark ruby body, light tan head forms thick like dough rising. Fine lacing spread evenly all around the sides of my chalice. Aroma is full of dark nearly burn sugars with a hint of Oaked Arrogant Bastard, with the citrus pine ridden hop tones found in the Double Bastard definitely looks more like the traditional Bastard. This was an awesome idea to blend all three to make something better than any of it's parts. Spicy citrus dark brown sugar malts hints of pine cones, hoppy but balanced. A touch of oak well hidden, alcohol within the flavor spectrum this is how the Bastard is meant to be. This is more of what I remember the early days of Arrogant Bastard meant to me back in 2001 was my first experience. Harsh abrasive but fruit pine and citrus hops balance it out with darker caramelized hops I think they have found the right balance with this Cuvee de Bastard. Smooth drinking mouthfeel medium to full bodied natural easy going carbonaton this body is oily with some resins. Drinkability overall is excellent very easy to drain a 22 ounce bottle but becareful the alcohol by volume will hit you at 9.2% abv, keep trying beers in order to come across this type of an experience.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2010 02:14:19 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I feel this this release is significantly better than the first time I had it. Maybe the blend is different this batch. Who knows.

Really nice hoppy spice character going on. Minimal citrus tones with a fair amount of pine. Great balance, even though it's pretty powerful and robust. I like this beer a lot. And it's probably one of the coolest bottle designs I have see from Stone so far.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 00:04:28 | More by RblWthACoz

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a orangish copper color with good carbonation and a nice dirty white head

S: Citrus hops and booze

T: Starts out with caramel, goes to big citrus hops and booze, finish is a great amount of bitter hops

M: Medium body, bitter, booze

D: Alright

Serving type: growler

11-26-2010 02:47:43 | More by barleywinefiend

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Very large and slowly settling head; leaves lots of chunky lace after each sip. The brew is a muddy brown. (Second tasting a year and half later, the liquid is crystal clear!)

Mostly malty, similar to high-hopped barley wine. Slightly sweet with a strong molasses smell. The hop is very present but subtly spicy.

The hop bitterness is more pronounced in the taste. There's a strong alcohol warmth behind the lightly sweet flavor of brown sugar. The body is rich with a high (balancing) carbonation level. There's a bit of yeast in the swallow, but the aftertaste is an excellent balance of hop and high-alcohol malt. In short, a wonderful beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2011 20:33:24 | More by smcolw

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a tulip glass)
A- This beer has a deep pretty dense copper body with a thick golden tan sticky head that stays creamy for much of the beer. There are a few slow microbubbles that glide up the side of the glass.
S- The dry musty grapefruit green hops have some more layers of woody notes and pineapple weed with a finish of pine sap. T- The pungent green juicy hops are very dark but bright. Some caramel malt sweetness comes through underneath and a finish of green citrus hops fade into a lingering pungent hops flavor. As the beer opens the finish takes on more of a harsh dandelion green bitterness.
M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with no alcohol heat noticed.
D- The hops are nice and full but take on more of a pungent bitterness instead of having a full flavor. The malt offers some nice support but the dandelion bitterness just stained my tongue without offering the hop aroma and flavor to support it

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 04:18:02 | More by rhoadsrage

jlindros

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Fluffy head fades slowly, sticky lacing, light toasty amber brown clear color.

Nose of fresh hops, earthy and spicy, nice toasty red malts, little creamy.

Taste fresh earthy spicy hops, rich creamy malts, strong malts, semi sweet but very bitter, little astringent, earthy.

Mouth med bodied decent carb.

Drink is ok, long bitter astringent finish, very bitter. No real booze, hint of minerality.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2010 03:37:01 | More by jlindros

mdfb79

New York

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

a - Pours a nice deep amber color with one and a half fingers of fluffy light tan head and moderate carbonation evident. Heads lasts for a few minutes and leaves some lacing on the glass.

s - Smells of citrus hops, grapefruit, fruity malts, pine hops, and very light oak. Not a lot of oak and no alcohol present in the smell.

t - Tastes of grapefruit, citrus hops, pine, fruity malts, oak, caramel malts, and bready malts. Some bitterness up front which them moves into the smoothness of the oak and caramel malts. Tiny bit of alcohol but not much.

m - Medium body and moderate to high carbonation, very smooth body.

d - A pretty good strong ale. The smell had some nice pine and citrus hops, whereas the taste had a lot more oak and malts come out. Both were enjoyable, would give another shot.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2010 01:59:59 | More by mdfb79

Billolick

New York

4.22/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bomber, $7.99 @ DeCicco's in Ardsley, NY.
Pours dark amber, murky, mocha head, thick and dense, stays for a bit at the 1/4 inch level, flows to a frothy film and leaves respectable elongated blobs of lace. Malted up nose, with some hoppy undertones.

Flavorful and highly enjoyable brew. I'm a major fan of all three of the root beers that flow together to make this one, so no suprise that I'm loving it.

Big and bold, agressive and assertive. Malted up, but boldly hopped late. We are all "Lukcy 13asartd" to be able to enjoy this offering.

Please make it a regular in the Stone line- and not a limited release....

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2010 02:21:48 | More by Billolick

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

22oz bottle purchased somewhere localish.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1/2" beige head over the slightly cloudy reddish amber brew. Head lingers, with lots of legs and sticky lace. Aroma is pungent hops, deep sweetness, and fruity alcohol notes.

Taste starts malty, fruit in the middle, and closes with hoppy bitterness, and then a somewhat harsh alcohol aftertaste. Mouthfeel is soft over the tongue, yet prickly on the tastebuds at the same time, and drinkability is not so great. The aftertaste that stays in my mouth just kills it for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2011 00:39:16 | More by ppoitras

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appears a dark, red toned brown with a small, off white head of fluff. Scattered streaks of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of caramel, vanilla, earthy mushrooms, wood, oak, raisins, and nougat.
Taste is of the aromas with a nutty, earthy, flavor and a touch of bitter citrus.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, earthy, and full of wood and bitters. Vanillins linger.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 22:48:05 | More by weeare138

Zorro

California

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Clear reddish brown colored beer with a tall yellowish tan colored head.

Smells strongly hoppy with pine and menthol being the strongest. I smell wood, caramel, ash, eucalyptus and a slight amount of mint. In short this is a hop bomb.

Starts out neutral to slightly sweet with a very creamy texture. Pretty much not a lot happening with the flavor, just a strong hoppy bittersweet ale without much nuance. The taste reminds me of Guinness FES.

Mouthfeel is very full and creamy, easily the strongest point of this beer.

Drinkability is good. Strong hoppy ale with a great mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2010 01:03:53 | More by Zorro

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

First had: bottle from the Foodery, Phildadelphia, PA

I wouldn't have thought blending these three beers would make a significantly different entity, but surprisingly, it did, with the regular Arrogant Bastard--strong as it is--mellowing out the flavors of the Double and the Oak-aged, making them not necessarily better, but perhaps more drinkable and accessible.

Poured from a 22oz. bottle a hazy, dark, orange-chestnut color with a dense but small white cap of bubbly, off-white head. Aroma is similar to Arrogant Bastard, with lots of pine and citrus hops being the prominent feature. Pine and citrus in the taste, with a strong caramel malt base, earthy, with notes of resin, orange, grapefruit, with subtle touches of booze in the background. Very strong, but uncommonly smooth. Heavy-medium mouthfeel, lots of flavor, and definitely drinkable, but not for the weak of heart.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 21:13:36 | More by Rifugium

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.1/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours dark, brown, some murkiness in there, definitely not the clarity you'd see like in a mass produced brown ale. Aroma, chinook hops, yes the wood is detectable in the nose.

Taste, pretty much as advertised, it rounds the double out, it doesn't come across as hoppy, the oak is still there so its getting rounded out even more. Really a good tasting grand cru. Will definitely set one of these down for a year or so and see how it ages, Stone makes this series very durable, sure, there might be some hoppy beers that are good when extremely fresh, but they are delicate. None of these beers are delicate, they all standout for what they are in this blend, and they all leave me a little excited to see what comes of them since I know the hop presence in this beer won't fall on its face in 4 weeks.

$8 a bomber, eh, not a great deal, but good enough I guess.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2011 02:14:40 | More by Beerandraiderfan

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I bought a bottle of this cuvee de bastard and decided to crack it open tonight.

Pours a deep, dark ruby red, almost mahogany/chestnut brown color with dark golden ruby orange hues when held to a light source. 1.5 finger frothy yellowish tan head that has very good retention, only slowly fading into a lasting cap that coats the glass with circles and large splotches of soapy lacing. Looks great!

Complex aroma with a prominent sweet citrus hop presence up front as well as some earthy pine, sweet caramel malt, oak and vanilla. I'm actually picking up notes from each individual beer used in the blend. Slightly toasted underneath with a slight biscuit character in the nose.

Chewy body that's on the fuller end with a very complex flavor profile. A blast of bitter earthy and sweet citrus hops up front that lingers throughout over the sweet malt backbone into a slightly dry warm finish. Lots of earthy pine up front as well as some citrus peel and grapefruit. I'm actually surprised how bitter this is up front even for Stone. This is countered nicely mid-palate by a sweet caramel malt character that is nice and toasty with hints of biscuit, oak and vanilla. The hops are still the prominent flavor but the malt and oak notes provide decent balance. The high ABV is well masked with only slight warmth in the finish making this beast very quaffable. This might be too bitter/hoppy for some but once again Stone has impressed me.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2010 07:50:38 | More by corby112

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.48/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

The beer pours a fairly dark amber color with good head retention and lacing. The nose is pretty fragrent and perfumy, with an interesting combination of dry citrus and considerable sweet malt. The flavor profile seems to replicate the nose pretty closely, but I'm just not digging the blend of flavors. While there is considerable hoppy bitterness, I think this beer is ulimately dominated by its considerable sweet and roasty malt. Also, I get some noticeable heat in the finish, which I attribute to the beers all too noticeable alcohol content. Mouthfeel is at least medium bodied, and certainly the beer delivers plenty of flavor, but I'm just not happy with the combination of malty sweetness and obvious alcohol content. This beer is definitely a bit heavy and tiring on the palate, and I'm just glad I purchased only a sample size glass of it.

Am a bit fan of most Stone beers, but this one just isn't working for me.

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2011 18:23:46 | More by johnmichaelsen

DoubleJ

California

4.4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

You have to admit that the first time you heard of "Arrogant Bastard Ale", you laughed your ass off. Now we have the Lukcy Bastartd. Personaly, I think that it should have been called "Cuvee de Bastard". Regardless, review #1,500 is about to start. On to the beer:

This is a dark reddish amber colored beer with over an inch of foam on top. The retention on top is excellent, and so i the lacing that it gives. The aroma is classic Bastard; carmelized sugar, pineapple, passionfruit, chocolate, and a whiff of ethanol.

A blend well done. Tasting blind, I would have guessed Slightly Oaked Bastard (or if you prefer, SOB, hahaha). There's a lot of malt crammed into this beer, yet the hops still still their strength and some oak note are present. Gotta love that toasted sugar, touch of oak and vanilla, the passionfruit punch...it continues to get better and better as it warms to room temperature. The 8.5% ABV is hidden very well, and it goes down very easy for such a big bodied beer.

Om nom nom. How delightful! Like the other bastard in the family, Lukcy Bastardt rocks. I'd love to see this released again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2010 04:55:08 | More by DoubleJ

glid02

Georgia

4.15/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Square Pub in Atlanta.

Pours a hazy dark copper color with a one-finger cream-colored head. The head recedes into a patchy layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of bright pine hops with large amounts of robust caramel malt aromas. The malt aromas have a tinge of toastiness to them as well. Mild amounts of toffee waft in and out.

Tastes similar to how it smells although the hops aren't quite as robust. Large and mildly dry caramel malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by moderately sweet toffee. Pine and leafy hop flavors join in shortly thereafter, fading a bit midway through the sip with the addition of slight oak. The oak fades quickly, allowing pine hops and caramel malts to carry through to a solidly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is very good. It's got a smooth thickness with grainy carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I finished my glass without a problem and could have another.

Overall it's been a while since I had a Bastard of any sort (Arrogant, Oaked, or Double) and this was a reminder of why I should revisit them more often. Well worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2010 12:59:15 | More by glid02

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

The bottle cap reiterated that my involvement in The CANQuest (TM) makes me unworthy of this beer, but I am sure that Greg Koch will forgive me my transgressions.

I lift my glass in honor of Larry, the most curmudgeonly bartender that this aging barfly has ever encountered. He used to be the day man at Hemingway's Bar in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh on the Pitt campus back when that place still mattered. It was quite near graduation that year and I was a junior, still in town because of a Saturday Final that afternoon. A well-dressed gent was in with his daughter, neither of whom had I seen before. He started in by snapping his fingers and then hemmed and hawed over his choice between Bud Light, Miller Lite or Coors Light. Larry slammed a glass of water down in front of this fellow, stated "This'll hold ya over til ya make up yer mind, 'n' 'at, ya jagov! They're all the same thing! Me 'n' Wood, here, we're havin' some a The Medicine!" With that, he pulled both of us a full pint of Arrogant Bastard and downed a good half of it one swallow before turning back to the now-stunned patron. "Uh, I believe I'll have one of those, my good man." "No, ya won't! Yer not worthy!" At that, the guy grabbed his daughter and left. It takes a lot to shock me, but my jaw must have been hanging open because Larry leaned over and growled, "Drink up, Wood. Or do I gotta put you aht, too?" He lasted until one of the places next door that catered to underage drinkers was forced out of business and all of a sudden, the once-literary crowd devolved into meatheads and jocks and many of us, including Larry, moved on. Larry, this beer's for you! Medicine, indeed.

Ho, I had forgotten the depth of the color of this beer! The thick finger of deep-tawny head sat there daring me to do anything. In spite of that, I mustered up the courage to hold it to the light, revealing a beautiful ruby red with NE-quality clarity. The nose burned some hairs in my nose. It had some upfront heat accompanied by oak, caramel, pine and vanilla. I suddenly felt the urge to kowtow before this beer in the hopes that I would be allowed to live. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full with an immediate heat on the tongue that stood aside to allow the heavy richness of the malt to take control. The oak was definitely present also, but the sweet heat reminded me of drinking bourbon. Whew! Some mentioned an intense bitterness, but I got that (the hops) on the finish. As it warmed, I got flavors of orange zest and pine, especially on the finish. Jeez-O man, but this was like being in a crazy bar fight where one guy starts in face-to-face, then somebody taps you on the shoulder and when you turn around, a fist to the murph is waiting. Maybe I'm NOT worthy, but I'm committed now. The lacing that began to appear looked like it was going to need a jackhammer to chisel it out later. I am ready to cry. I thought that I was solid going into this, but I am ready not to retreat, but to simply advance in a new direction, like backwards away from this beast. As a gauge, the verbiage on the reverse of the bottle suddenly became completely comprehensible and I even noticed that the "B" was constructed of a "1" and a "3" in honor of the Bastard's 13th anniversary. The secret ingredient in this beer may be LSD, given the swirling colors that I am beginning to see. I think I can fly, man. Dig it! OK, now I'm feeling Lukcy and the Basartd has his arm around my shoulder. That's my bad shoulder, so I hope that he is like another famous personality and the laying on of hands will cure my bursitis. I was really starting to notice the pine-y hops and the oakiness as it warmed. It was really woody, which is fitting, given my nickname. I thought that I read a review where someone felt that this was not holding up. Either I am hallucinatory (VERY possible) or that person was Un-Lukcy in their bottle. There were still some on the shelf at my local, so I may pick up some for cellaring. Yes, it is THAT good.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 15:28:02 | More by woodychandler