Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale:
Greetings one and all, and just so we get it out of the way- we are not worthy of this beer.  At least that’s what the bottle tells us, and who can argue with a bottle? Today’s beer, Stones Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale, is not only an arrogant beer, it’s rough.  The beer is usually and I would love to revisit this at home with a…well, you’ll see.  The beer pours well into a snifter style glass and comes with a nice thin yet dense head that sticks around for most of the consumption process and does leave a nice lacing on the sides of the glass.  The nose is of dark, ripe fruits and malts with just a hint of hops here and there and, of course, there is a very noticeable nose of oak.  The beer itself tastes very complex with an initial sweet taste that blends with a roasted malt taste, it then quickly moves to a caramel hop taste on the mid tongue and the back-end and after taste is a nice mellow vanilla that is common in most American whiskey brands (the whole aged in wooden barrels thing). Now, initially, I would be head over heels for the this beer but this beer does not warm well and let me explain what I mean.  It’s inevitable that in most parts of the world your beer will warm as you drink it, so unless you chug the beer in front of you, your beer will warm and the flavor profile will change.  This beer, did that and it wasn’t a very good development.  The beer takes on a overly cooked malts and a heavy skunk on the back-end and after taste.  So what was I talking about earlier for trying this again?  Two things: 1) drink this beer in a frosted glass, that should help keep the beer temperature low and the right flavors in play, and 2) drink this in a cooler season, which here in the home state is probably a week to 10 day time frame in late January.  A good beer, if your really wanting something to just blow you away and push your taste boundaries, this is one of those beers, otherwise, heed the bottles warnings and move on.