PacificSD's - Pacific San Diego Magazine

taste
D R I N K
Accidental
Purist
Falling in love with a hometown brew
By Brandon Hernández
San Diegans love their San Diego beer. So do out-of-towners, and no
discussion of SD suds is complete without mention of the brew that
started the nation’s love affair with America’s Finest City—Stone Brewing
Co.’s Arrogant Bastard Ale. Since its introduction in 1997, this brawny,
yet strangely endearing brew has been one of the biggest selling beers and
talking points among craft beer enthusiasts in the US. All this, despite a marketing
campaign that deems the average beer drinker “unworthy” and unable to handle
something so incredible.
Ironically, it was an error during the initial brewing process that created Arrogant
Bastard’s one-of-a-kind, in-your-face flavor profile. No one could have predicted
then that this most delightful blunder would make beer journalists and drinkers
worldwide not only talk about Stone (the 15th largest brewery on the planet) but also
come to regard San Diego County as craft beer nirvana.
Over the past 13 years, Stone has (purposely) spawned three distinct permutations of
the beer, which have garnered as much of a following as the original. Since everybody’s
tastes are different, I rounded up my very own beer-geek panel to give the skinny on
what to expect from each of these beloved Bastards.
IN POUR TASTE
BEER BUDS BANTER ‘BOUT BOTTLED BASTARDS
Jim Crute: A certified beer judge and the head guy at Poway’s Lightning Brewery. Crute’s
flavorful Lightning Amber Ale is the closest thing to Arrogant Bastard Ale in the local market,
making him the perfect pro to weigh in on this family of brews.
Jason Megraw: A long-time homebrewer inspired to take up the hobby by Arrogant Bastard Ale.
Brandon Hernández: A food and beer journalist whose perceptions of what beer is and can be
were changed after tasting Arrogant Bastard Ale in ‘98.
Arrogant Bastard Ale
7.2% alcohol by volume (ABV), in 22 oz.
bottles
A copper-hued beer that’s assertively
bitter with a caramely undercurrent and
refreshingly light body that belies its
robust, yet not overly complex, flavor.
Jim Crute: “A classic American ale,
well-hopped with American hop
varieties and maltiness that mostly
stands up to its bitterness.”
Get Some: Just about everywhere—it’s
one of the nation’s most readily
available craft beers.
OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale
7.2% ABV, wood-aged in 12 oz. bottle
six-packs
A smoother, silkier version of the
original that features an almost smoky
woodiness, hints of vanilla and a bit more
hop bitterness than the base model.
Jason Megraw: “This is a good beer
if you don’t like IPAs (India pale ales).
There’s intense bitterness, but it doesn’t
assault the senses.”
Get Some: Better-stocked local
grocery stores and liquor stores yearround.
Double Bastard Ale
11.2% ABV, winter seasonal in 22 oz.
bottles
A harsher, sweeter concoction with
pronounced citrus hop notes plus a dry
finish, prune-like aroma and warming
quality common in high-alcohol brews.
Hernández: “It’s much drier and
sweeter than the lower-alcohol version,
with cereal-like notes plus a bit of
afterburn at the end.”
Get Some: Well-stocked grocery and
liquor stores starting in November.
Lukcy Bastard Ale
8.5% ABV, limited one-time release in
22 oz. bottles
A blending of original, Oaked and
Double Bastard, this “cuvee” comes
on strong with a melee of fruitiness,
earthiness and oakiness, all battling for
attention on the palate.
Hernández: “There’s a distinct dried
fruit burst at first taste that’s almost
immediately canceled out by a dry,
grainy finish.”
Get Some: BevMo and beer-centric
liquor stores right now.
56 pacificsandiego.com { February 2011}