Stone Double Bastard Ale

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

Rated in March 2009. A well timed trip to Seattle allowed me to score one precious bottle of this stuff. I checked 7 places that had some, at least at some point, and one bottle is all I could I find. Not bad considering I live in helplessly Stone-less Florida. Very good beer. The beer poured out of the 22oz bottle with little head. There wasn’t much in the way of aroma. Being a Double Bastard I was anticipating double everything you’ll find in a single Bastard. Not the case. Still I found it a very smooth and balanced beer. The only fault I find in this beer, other than its availability, is that it was a little too smooth and subdued. Not a bad thing at all. Just not what I had expected after waiting so long to finally get a bottle. I thought I’d get run over by the “In your face” taste I was expecting. Great beer. I’d love another.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

650 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 11%. Hazy reddish brown colour, moderate off-white head. Strong aroma of American hops, piney notes, also caramelized orange marmalade, some alcohol. Very hoppy flavour, medium sweet, caramel and alcohol. Bitter finish, hints of solvent.Warming mouthfeel. There’s plenty of hops in this one (surprise, surprise), but this is probably not where you go when you look for balance.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Good beer but I think it's a little overrated. Murky dark copper colour pour with ruby highlights. Small head with little retention as expected for such a high abv. Moderate malt and citrus aroma. Strong malt flavour but still well balanced with pine, citrus and earthy hops. Noticeable alcohol presence. Full-bodied, chewy mouthfeel with alcohol warmth and low carbonation. Hop bitterness gives this a very long finish.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 10

Frpm Haggen (Burlington, WA) in a bomber. Dark orange pour with a big foamy head. Nose has malt, pine, and alcohol. Flavour was generously malty along with the hops, pine, alcohol and a citrus bite at the finish. Good, robust mouth. Lots of alcohol yet no burn. Wonderfully balanced. Must have this again!

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Pours a dark burnt orange color with no head to think of. Lots of little chunks floating in suspended animation while the nice carbonation bubble about. Aroma is very hoppy and somewhat sweet. Taste is very bitter, so much it burns a little. Florals are found a lot in this one and has a tad bit of a Heineken taste to it (in a good way go figure). Oily and slightly sticky in the mouth. Finishes off a tad dry and bitter. Very, very interesting and good beer.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

pours cloudy copper with medium sized tannish white head with nice lacing. the aroma has strong floral and citrus hops with some pine mixed in along with some brown sugar sweetness. The taste is very similar to the aroma. Toasty brown sugar and sweet caramel are dominant but not overshadowing of bitter hops. Hops provide some piney aspects, but mostly served just to add bitterness. The mouthfeel is full bodied and a sipper for sure. No trace of the alcohol.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

I've had this beer many times but never reviewed it because I forgot about my impressions of it. I took a sample the other night to get a refresher. It is great. More hoppy than malty; more bite than heat. It's a great beer.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Possibly the one beer I've waited for that didn't live up to the hipe more so than any other to date. Not a bad beer, just very underwhelming compared to other Barley Wines. Good hop to sweetness ratio but really no great aroma, looked murky and brown, mouthfeel was fairly thin for a barleywine, flavor is solid, good caramel and hop bitterness. Just not what I would expect based on every other review.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

What a beer!! What a bottle 3L magnum (2010 edition) I got last year for Christmas from my sister!!!!!! Beer aged one year in cellar was this to long? Did I lose too much of the hop bite? Beer is hard to pour so my first glass is 1 inch of beer with 6 inches of head (insert gay joke here) beer has settled down now and I got a better second pour. Dark brown opaque body with a sticky thick crown. Aroma is thick and sticky, resin, pine, grape fruit, hardy roasted malts, lots of yum, slight hints of warming alcohol. FAWK this smells good. Hominick just got knocked out in 7 seconds……that blows. Taste is intense, thick sticky roasted malts, caramel, tons of pine, thick resin, hints of alcohol. So happy I five people here to split this bottle with or I’m sure I’d be hospitalized. Perfect lingering bitter after every sip. The mouth feel is thick it’s like softy carbonated cough syrup. The intensity of this flavor is kicking my ass, I’ll have to nurse my tongue back to health slowly after I’m done. A herbal quality is starting appear. Time for glass number three!!!! Head starting to swim, taste buds destroyed, Jeff looking more attractive. Great beer glad I finally cracked it open.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Got to try some of this at the Brew’s Best Beer Fest on my trip to Vegas, fall 2011. Actually, started there (as I really did not want to miss this one). Amber-copper colour with a nice creamy beige head that has great retention and decent lacing. The aromas are mixed between the grainy and roasted malts, with some farm notes (that are not offensive, but different). The taste has this great hoppy feel with medium bitterness and caramel in the background, with a dry-hopped finish that lingers. Quite a nice easy-drinking, heavy alcohol content brew.