Arrogant Bastard Ale - Stone Brewing Co.

Brent

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I guess I'm "not worthy" of this beer, as the bottle states. It had a lot going for it, a distinctive citrus note at the front and an assertive hops finish. For some reason, however, this beer did not win me over. Maybe I was just intimidated.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2001 18:27:30 | More by Brent

matty

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Amber colored ale with a three inch head that has good staying power.Aroma is pine.Taste is hops,sugar and pine.Another beer that is way overhyped on this site.This ale is not terrible but it is not something that I would purchase again.Give me a Budweiser over this any day!!

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2008 03:15:37 | More by matty

AMoceri7

Florida

3/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This is the definition I got for arrogant. 1 : exaggerating or disposed to exaggerate one's own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner. This beer seems to be far from the truth...ha.

A: Great burnt nut brown color. Nice head and lacing, looks very pretty, but maybe arrogant if I was being arrogant.

S: Nothing really, maybe some funky yeasty notes, some malt, a pinch of hops possibly. Overall, fairly un-aromatic.

T: Same as the smell. Nothing to it besides maybe some hop bitterness. I was really trying hard on the after taste to pick out some fruitiness but that might as well have been useless imagination. Some malt sweetness may seep through but really nothing going on here. Just some bitterness which really isnt all that bitter based on some bitter funky ales Ive had.

M: Quite smooth to say the least due to lack of flavor. I was actually put off by this due to the description on the bottle backing micro breweries and disgracing commercial brews with FLAVOR and UNIQUENESS as key players in this beer. None of which I found because uniqueness to me isnt a waste of water.

D: Okay I guess. Bought a 1 PT bottle. Couldnt finish it. So I guess it was pretty heartbreaking, glad it was only 5 bucks out of the budget.

Overall: If you are looking for flavor, intricateness, beauty, statements of faith for micro brews, this is not your beer. If you are hoping you'll look like an asshole buying this in the grocery line this might be for you. Dont waste your time or money and buy something else. And by all means, dont read the disclaimer on this, its definitely some of the best reverse psychology I have ever been a part of.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2008 20:40:07 | More by AMoceri7

claytong

Vermont

3/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

An A? I remember having it on tap and liking it more. The second time around it seemed there wasn't much to it. I can't say I remember it all too well but that says something since it was less than a month ago that I had it last. I remember a slight hint of fruit that wasn't strong enough to really do much for the beers otherwise bland taste.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 22:11:05 | More by claytong

Rastacouere

Quebec (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Deep copper body with a thin light brown head, dark and taunting. Aroma contains a truckload of bold hops, one of those beers that smell thick, probably due to abundant crystal malt? Light citrus character and a suggestion at leather. Taste is very crystal malty with a weird hop profile leading to a untypical dry finish (chalky, dusty, ashes and slightly smokey). Very bitter aftertaste. Body is typical Stone, very full, thick, almost syrupy. Not my favorite Stone, but I gotta recognize the attitude.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2004 00:44:30 | More by Rastacouere

Augustiner719

Connecticut

3.03/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had on tap at the Office in Morristown NJ in a 16oz pint glass.

Appearance: Nice amber brown colored ale. Yielded a strong 2 to 3 finger head that dissapated very slowly. Nice lacing, the glass was covered by the end of the session.

Smell: Smelled a little funky, but in a good way. Strong hops and malts came through, a little bit of alcohol as well. Some fruitiness, but overall not very explosive or memorable.

Taste: This was memorable. It tasted like an IPA from a mediocre brew pub that had been filtered through a sock. Very funky, almost feet like taste covered my palate. Alcohol flavors take over the beers other flavors only hindered slightly by the essence of feet.

Mouthfeel: A little bit too carbonated, but overall not bad viscosity. Would have expected a slightly thicker feeling ale from its strong aromas and taste.

Drinkability: I can see where a lot of people would like this beer. Myself however, cannot get over the overwhelming taste of socks. It had some high points aswell, like its full bodied flavor with complexities if you look for them. Overall, i think its an acquired taste as many beers are, but its definately a beer you should try if you see it on tap just based on its uniqueness.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2008 10:07:08 | More by Augustiner719

nicnut45

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 1.5

A-Deep dark red color almost purple looking. A fat fine beady head. Great retention. One of the best.

S-Smells awesome. Fresh hop aroma gives away to burnt brown sugar molasses type scent. Just wish it was stronger.

T-A big hop flavor. But it tastes too similar to there regular I.P.A. Lots of burnt sugar flavors, wasnt expecting the hop overload. Hops dominate and dont really go to well with the burnt flavors in my book. Kind of leaves me dry mouthed and unhappy especially with all the esteem surrounding this beer and there arrogant bastard attitude.

M.F. Great M.F. Very full carbonation sustains throughout the session. Full and meaty. Liquid bread.

D-Wont do it again. Cant stand the headache hops.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 22:03:54 | More by nicnut45

renegadeburger

New Jersey

3.03/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

picked this up at my local bottle shop after all of the beer friends at the latest event said it was a must try i had to go out and snatch one of these so grabbed a bomber of it

poured decent real clear had an ok head on it, dark red in color

the aroma was a bit off it had a weird shoe leather thing going on what is up with that? maybe it was a bit old but i did not get much hops at all but i definitely could smell some alochol in there

taste was not that good i had high hopes for this beer but got let down so strange i really liked the levitation beer but this one had no balance too much alcohol in it and no real balance

mouthfeel was ok but you were burned in the end, just an average beer with an above average price

i would like to try more stone beers but for me this beer was just overhyped or at least not what it was made out to be i will go have a levitation beer instead

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2011 01:43:49 | More by renegadeburger

Mar02x

Netherlands

3.03/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I tried this beer during a beer tasting session in the Mug (a pub in Middelburg, The Netherlands).

A - A nice clear red fluid with a white/pink head. No visible carbonation.

S - Fruity and flowery hops, a light malt scent and sweet.

T - Extreme hoppy, to much for my liking. Light sweet upfront and (surprisingly) not to bitter in the finish.

M - Light to medium carbonation

O - A good beer, but to hoppy to my taste. It causes a lingering aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 19:18:33 | More by Mar02x

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had this a few times and I really can't get into this beer. I have had it out of the bottle aged a little and it was too malty. I have had it fresh on tap and it was just a whole mess of things going on.

Pours a beige head. Color is an amber.

Aroma: Lots of malts and hops. Caramel and chocolate with floral and grassy hops. Citrus fruits blend in.

Taste: Pretty much the same as the nose. A mix of malts and hops all blended together. Not really my thing. I like the hop profile, but the malts take away from it too much.

Mouthfeel: Creamy and bitter. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends sticky.

Overall, as I said early this beer just isn't my thing. Go hops or go malts here. The mix isn't my style for this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 13:01:16 | More by mothman

ChadQuest

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Clear Reddish amber pour with a robust healthy head and lacing.
Sugary floral and caramel on the nose, i can really smell the malt sweetness. hops arn't really strong, but the best Before date is still a month away.
Flavor is strong and dominant in a balanced sort of way, there is some cascade style hops, caramel malts, strong candied dark fruits that come off bittersweet, and cotton candy.
Mouth feel is sticky chewy medium body that lingers and coats
with a medium carb.

This is an average beer for me, nothing huge stands out and makes it super desireable. I've consumed 3 bottles now, that will probally be it.

Chad

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2010 06:24:17 | More by ChadQuest

Falcon91Wolvrn03

California

3.05/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance – A clear dark reddish brown or maybe dark amber color. Pours a nice head with good lacing.

Smell – Bitter hops with some pine. It also has a bit of honey, but not enough to overcome the bitter hoppiness.

Taste – More bitter hoppiness. A strong bitter bite, and a lingering bitter aftertaste. I don’t taste much else.

Mouthfeel – Creamy. The hoppiness has a powerful bitter bite to it that makes it feel more carbonated than it is.

Drinkability – Not the best drinking beer. It tastes like it has more than 7.2% abv. Too much bitterness, and not much of anything else.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 05:04:56 | More by Falcon91Wolvrn03

goblue3509

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a nice amber brown color with a fluffy white head and decent lacing. The smell is of a strong malt backbone with toffee notes and an overlayer of floral and pine hops. The taste is of malt backbone but a bitter hop bite is present and big on the back end. A floral hop taste but it is slightly too bitter. The mouthfeel is nice with a smooth and light carbonation feel. The drinkability isn't as high as some in the class, the bitter bite is not in a hop enjoyable way.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2009 18:10:05 | More by goblue3509

JustinJTisdale

New York

3.08/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The music venue I work at has this on tap all the time so Ive had my fair share in order to review appropriately.

Stone brewers may be alot of things but liars they are not. It says on the bottle "You probably wont like this" and for the most part there right. Everyone I know hates this beer but I beg to differ. Despite its slightly acrid overtones and overbearing amount of hops I find it has a specific character and mood to it and as a beer serves its overall purpose.

The color is slightly reddish and it pours a lighter head that sticks around surprisingly long. The beer is often chilled a little too much where I get it but at the right temperature (maybe out of a bottle) the tastes ring true and if you can get past the aftertaste its really not as terrible as one might think.

Serving type: on-tap

01-10-2010 22:09:40 | More by JustinJTisdale

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.08/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Hazelnut to auburn colored brew with a sand colored head. Bawdy lace and retention. Bonus points for surly gargoyle bottle art.

Caramel, citrus and brownie batter aroma. Tastes like it smells. More messy than complex IMO but I tend to favor focused beers.

Not my favorite but an American classic just like SNPA, the Chevy Camaro, Aerosmith, and Chuck Norris.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 01:52:57 | More by donkeyrunner

SometimesIfart

Michigan

3.08/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Pours a dark ruby red with a tan two finger head. Left a massive amount of lacing everywhere. Smells of very dark grains, roasted malt and burtn toast. The up front is a large amount of burnt bread along with burnt malt. Another drink adds a whiskey like charcoal hit into the mix, along with a large smoky flavor. The mouthfeel makes this beer seem just like a scotch ale. Keeps all of the mentioned flavors but adds a MASSIVE punch of smokeyness to the finish. Overall, this is a big, flavorful beer, and as the lable states, it is not for snivling yellow beer drinking wimps. Though it didn't appeal to my particular taste

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 00:28:53 | More by SometimesIfart

JDV

Texas

3.1/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Pour is reddish brown with a light head. Smell is malty sweetness, with some hops showing through. Taste is sweet but not overly at all, followed by a mild drying hop finish. Thich, and rich for the style, while flavors are somewhat mild actually. Nice bitterness at first, but it turned medicinal and aspirin tablet-like a bit. Not bad, but wasn't too crazy about it either.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2008 18:43:46 | More by JDV

vkv822

Oregon

3.1/5  rDev -26.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

22oz bottle into tulip snifter.
best by: 12/18/11

Pours a clear, dark amber red with a frothy light toffee colored head that leaves a nice lacing.

The aroma is of piney, slightly resinous hops upfront followed quickly by a caramel malt backbone, though the pine is definitely foremost.

Follows the nose fairly well, though the hops are more prominent in the taste than the aroma.

The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with prickly, fairly active carbonation.

A decent and enjoyable beer, though nothing overtly special.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 05:05:25 | More by vkv822

tigerpaws

South Carolina

3.13/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Not worthy! I beg to differ, I was not impressed by this beer. As a devout hoprhead I looked forward to this beer and was disapointed. Pours a nice copper color but with almost no head. The aroma is very hoppy which teased me into great expectations. It did have a hoppy taste but it did not vary from first sip to last. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but while I wouldn't turn down another one I would also surely not buy one..............CHEERS

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2002 06:05:14 | More by tigerpaws

quasimoto

Ohio

3.13/5  rDev -25.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

The bottle poured a nice dark reddish brown witha monsterous head that lasted for ever. For a stong ale there was very little aroma that I got from it. What I did get was caramel/fruit punch aromas with very little hops. The taste was very sweet, also with the fruit punch and malts that ended up with the ever slight tangy-ness of hops. Slight alcohol presence in the end. The hops are there but not strong enough. The mouth feel was thick and creamy ( a high gravity) Overall Not a "session beer" but one to enjoy and move on.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2005 02:20:34 | More by quasimoto

OatherS

Kansas

3.15/5  rDev -25%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Big 1pt6oz bottle with no label but a devil drinking a beer printed on the bottle.

A: Not much head, nice dark amber color.

S: Hops very present.

T: Hoppy and sneeze inducing flavor. Bitter as well. Very strong flavor.

M: Fine.

D: I can understand why that this is a highly ranked beer, but I personally do not think highly of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2005 02:40:17 | More by OatherS

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.15/5  rDev -25%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Stone- Arrogant Bastard Ale

On tap at Isaac Newton's- Newtown, PA

Appearance- dark mahogany brown with a small thick tan head. Heavy lacing through half the pint.
Smell- lots of roasted hops slight pine.
Taste- toasted/ roasted hops- very strong, slight floral/ pine hop taste. Thick maltiness as well.
Mouthfeel- thick, oily, slight alcohol presence, a pleasent aftertaste but a little rough at first.

Overall- my 2nd time having the Arrogant bastard and it was better this time around. Still a little tough on my taste buds. My 2 hardcore craft beer drinking years aren't enough yet to really appriciate this beer, or I simply just don't think its all that!?!
I was expecting strong floral/ citrus hops (which I now love) and didn't quite get it. Worth a pint but not a 6er or case.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2005 16:06:12 | More by NJpadreFan

charlzm

California

3.15/5  rDev -25%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Consumed 07/02/08 at some place I can't remember the name of in Pasadena, CA.

Pours a dark copper/brown. Good carbonation leads to a nice white head with some lacing.

Aroma is not as strong as I remembered; almost nothing there but a subtle hint of citrus hops.

Flavor is equally subdued, with a dark malt character that submerges below a raw, green hop flavor. Bitterness comes on after, but all these flavors are more muted than I remember.

Maybe this was an old keg. And it was served pretty darned cold.

Serving type: on-tap

07-04-2008 01:09:03 | More by charlzm

BierReise

Florida

3.18/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured a beautiful dark amber color with a nice fluffy orangy-beige head. Piney, citrusy hoppy fragrance smells great. Very velvety feel, very smooth on the palate and tasting very bitter with almost an ESB type of bitterness to it that lingers for quite awhile. In fact it doesn't want to let go. Real nice malt but obviously overpowered by bitterness. Name suits it well, arrogantly bitter. Bitter Bitter Bitter!

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2003 21:25:22 | More by BierReise

Bierschenker

Belgium

3.18/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to Mzwolinski for flying it over!
It pours in a nice dark red ale with a thick creamy head. The head has some brownness.
I poured it in an octagonal Hoegaarden glass.
I was surprised by the smell, I really think it resembles rebarber pie. A sweet sugary vegetable odour.
The taste is (luckily) less overpowering than the Stone IPA. It does have some similar elements. The taste of the used hops for example. It has a very strong dry caramel malt experience. No trace at all of yeast, spices or fruits. Just the peculiar vegetal flavour.
The aftertaste keeps a very strong hop bitterness and malt taste. That is preceded by a striking vegetable juice tone.
Very full bodied beer, new experience for me, but nothing special.

Ut Vivat, Crescat, Floreat!

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2005 20:16:57 | More by Bierschenker