Beer Man: Stone Brewing makes impressively arrogant Wis. debut
Beer Man is a weekly profile of beers from across the country and around the world.
This week: Arrogant Bastard Ale
Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, Calif.
www.arrogantbastard.com or www.stonebrewing.com
Stone Brewing Co. just started distributing its beers in Wisconsin, and they are a welcome addition to the store shelves.
The brewery started in 1996 and has a strong reputation. It was the 10th largest craft brewer in the U.S. in 2015 and recently opened a new brewery in Richmond, Va., allowing it to produce more beer for the eastern half of the country. It also recently opened a brewery in Berlin, Germany.
The sales of Stone’s Arrogant Bastard (7.2% ABV) justified starting its own product line from the parent company, so it is listed on the can label as being made by Arrogant Bastard Brewing Co., along with having its own website.
The can’s advertising goes a bit overboard, with such comments as, “You’re not worthy,” “You probably won’t like this beer” and “It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth.”
These comments seem to stem from the old days when craft breweries were fairly new, as most of the taunting comments are directed at “sniveling, yellow-beer drinkin’ wimps.”
However, anyone who has an interest in trying different beer styles will find something to like about this hoppy beer. It poured with a beautiful, thick, cream-colored head. Thick, sticky lacing covered the inside of the glass and wouldn’t disappear. The brown body lit up with red highlights when the glass was lifted closer to the lights.
From a technical standpoint, this was already an A+ beer.
I walked about six feet away from the glass to grab my notebook and I could smell the caramel malt at that distance. This was a first for me in four decades of drinking craft and import beers.
What surprised me was that the pine character from the hops didn’t really appear until the flavor, where the sweet caramel malt was still prominent. It had hop bitterness, but it was tempered by the malt, as was the dry character.
There was a rich texture to the beer, along with a hint of roast and vanilla. It seemed to become more complex as it warmed in the glass.
Beers like this are hard to find. Through the years hops have become so prominent in so many U.S. beers, almost to the point where it’s more like drinking a hop beverage flavored with malt, rather than the other way around. I much prefer Arrogant Bastard’s approach.
Stone is distributed in most states; its Beer Finder link is here.
Many beers are available only regionally. Check the brewer's website, which often contains information on product availability by mail. Contact Todd Haefer at beerman@postcrescent.com. To read previous Beer Man columns, click here.