Stone Double Bastard Ale

A beer that I've been itching to review (drink) for quite some time now. Stone Brewing Double Bastard Ale is a brew that comes to the east coast in relatively limited quantities. I just never got around to having a bottle for myself until this one. Of course, this bottle has been sitting in my beer fridge since just before the New Year. Now that we're half0way to snowed in, I figure this is a good time to crack open the Double Bastard Ale, finally.

As soon as I open the cap, I can smell a good bit of booze seeping out the top. I can't say that I'm surprised, with a name like Double Bastard, I would expect it to be a big, boozy version of the Arrogant Bastard. If you haven't seen my reviews of the Arrogant Bastard in the past, I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of Stone's flagship beer. I've always found the Arrogant Bastard to be a bit too rough and unbalanced for me.

The Double Bastard pours a dark, rusty brown color, and very cloudy opaque. Almost no head whatsoever surfaces, except when I pour it vigorously. Even the head that does arise is a very thin film of off-white head, which dissipates quickly. The nose reveals a touch of hops, but is largely overwhelmed by some roasted malts and booze.

On the palate, the Stone Double Bastard is bounding with roasted malts, distinctly rough and earthy sides to the sweetness. There's a good bit of subtle hops on the back of the tongue, but the bitterness is quickly washed away by the booze and malts.

Have you ever had the Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale? Imagine the Arrogant Bastard pumped up with more roasty, sweet malts, and lots and lots of alcohol. For my personal taste, this is exactly what I was hoping the Double Bastard would be. As I've said before, I think the standard Arrogant Bastard isn't quite my style. It's plenty hoppy and plenty malty, but neither the bitter hops nor the sweet malts take the lead. Tonight's beer, the Double Bastard, takes the indecisiveness of the Arrogant Bastard and kicks it in the ass with booze and malts!

The Double Bastard is a bit intense to drink much of, but since the snow isn't getting any lighter, I might as well keep going. I've got a couple more beers in the cooler, but they're going to have to be pretty bold and serious beers to follow this Stone Double Bastard!

Stone Brewing
Double Bastard Ale
TCSH Rating - 8.5/10
Good beer, but nothing incredible.

Eli
Bibo Ergo Sum