How do you make an Arrogant Bastard more Arrogant? Stick him in an oak barrel and make him wait there until he's really pissed off before letting him out. I know that sounds ridiculous, but how else do I explain the reasoning behind aging an already great beer in oak barrels? (UPDATE - Its not aged its "oaked" by throwing oak chips in during the fermentation. - thanks Steve from Summer of Beer for letting me know about that!) I grabbed a six-pack of the Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale so that I could compare the two, so here we go...The "Oaked" looks a bit more reddish when it pours. Its a nice dark brown with hints of ruby redness. The head is an off white that is about a finger in thickness and sticks around for quite some time before deciding to go away.
The smell is strong and hoppy, much like the "Original". However the hop smell is not as intense and is accompanied by a subtle malt sweetness that wasn't quite as apparent before. I also get some caramel and definitely some baking vanilla from the wood.
Tastes smooooooooooooooooth. Definitely smoother and silkier than the original non-oaked version. The fresh, astringent hoppiness is replaced by a slightly bourbon-esque bitterness mixed with vanilla notes and alcohol dryness.
Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale is full of unique flavors and is a drinking experience unlike most others. If I had to choose, I would go for the original since I am more partial to fresh hops than I am to barrel aged whiskey/bourbon tastes. Have your own taste test sometime and find out if you're "worthy".
To learn more about wood-aged beer go HERE!
Beer Facts:
Style: Barrel Aged Strong Ale
Brewery: Stone Brewing Company
Location: Escondido, California, USA
Container: 22 oz. bottle
Malts: ?
Hops: "Classified"
5 comments:
Nice looking site, I just stumbled upon it, and was reading through some of your reviews. One thing I just wanted to clarify for ya was that Stone doesn't make the Oaked Arrogant with wood barrels, they just add in oak chips during fermentation. I get the same impression from it though, it's so much smoother than Arrogant Bastard, although I do prefer that oaked smoothness over the regular.
Love the site. Definitely a learning experience for a newcomer to both the NH/Maine region and craft beer.
Where in Maine can I find this ale?
Where in Maine can I find this ale?
Unfortunately Stone Beers are not yet available in Maine. They are however available in Mass and NH.
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