Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Rated Nov. 2007. On draft @ BW3 downtown Indy. Pours cloudy murky brown with copper edges and creamy tan head. I get a vague sweetness and oak agedness in the aroma. Nothing but thick cigarette smoke around me so that is just about all I can smell. Flavor starts off smooth then the 90L to 120L crystal malts jump out along with centennial hop kick in the face creating the classic Arrogant Bastard Ale sensation. Lots of malts and lots of hops. I only pick up a faint wood note. Very faint in fact. Re-rate in a better environment. 12oz bottle pours a crystal clear deep amber with light mocha head. The aroma is lighter than I’d like with sweet caramelized type malts, pine hoppiness and faint wood. The flavor has that classic ABA bust of flavor coming from medium roasted malts and maybe 90L crystal malts mixed with a solid pine hop bitterness. Midway a short lived up welling of malty sweetness murmurs up about the same moment as some mild oakiness. The oak goes very well with the base ABA flavors. Comes up short in the aroma though.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

Pours a clear dark copper color with a 2 finger cream colored head. No carbonation but there are some jellyfish like globules floating about. Aroma is fairly hopped with a little earthlyness to it. Taste came as a shock to me. Strong oat presence that burns a little. Unfortunately it is very flat and more or less not worthy of drinking by me at least. Burns on the way down after a bit. I am sorry for doing this to a high rated beer but I could not finish it. It still had a month and a half left till the best by date.

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

Been drinking/sampling several oaks over the past few weeks, so this is nice to compare....especially to the regular Arrogant Bastard. I believe I may have liked that one slighty better, maybe cause of the cleaner flavor minus the oak. Not too oakey though or overpowering, but it seems to add extra bitterness. The grapefruit/citrus hops stand out. This is malty too...like a red/IPA hybrid. Hard to explain, as it's a sweet/malty beer but a borderline hop bomb. Looking forward to the rest of the 4-pack.

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

Been saving this one for a special occasion, and what better than what is suppose to be the end of the world (and my 1600th review). Pours a slight hazy copper colour with a huge beige frothy head, great retention and dirty-foam lace. Big hoppy nose at first, but then, the dark fruits come out. Dates, prunes, with notes of nuts and roasted malt. Malty taste (caramel, roasted) with the beautiful hop in the background, creating a mild dryness and bitterness. Not much vanilla felt from the oak chips, but seems to be balancing all flavours and aromas in this one, making this, a little better than their normal Arrogant Bastard (which is awesome).

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

Was somewhat frightened of this one going in since I don't have much experience with oak aged beers yet but I really enjoyed this brew. Nice off white head with a dark brown pour. Smell was wood, maybe alcohol in there as well. Flavor was surprisingly very smooth and not overpowering. Great stuff; would buy again!

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

A very nice brew, the oak adds a little bit of something, that would most likely be most noticeable if you had regular Arrogant bastard to taste side by side. Generally a solid brew, fun for the whole family.

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

As with many Stone beers, I was hoping for better than I got. I don't know what it is about Stone beers, but me and them don't see eye to eye. A copper coloured beer, mainly clear, with a thin tad head. Aroma is wood, smoke, and sweet malt. Flavour is hoppy, with hints of the oak coming through.

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

I've been trying to find this beer for years and was shocked yesterday when I saw it in the grocery store. Poured a dark red-brown with a huge tan, fluffy head. Aroma is not very strong until it really warms up, but has some pine hop and roasted malt, caramel, and vinalla from the oak. Body is super smooth and full with a dry, bitter finish, but not harsh. Flavor is pretty subdued as well, but nice. The oak touch is nice, but could use some more complexity to the malt. Had just a small amount of toffee sweetness. Other than that, it's still a great beer.

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

A good looking beer with a deep hazy copper color and thick foamy head. Aroma is pretty mild, with just hints of malts and fruity hops. The flavor on the other hand is anything but mild. It really hits you with hops and touches of oak and malt with a nice dry finish, really well done beer. Vs. the original arrogant bastard this has a much more mild aroma and flavor, the age has certainly mellowed it out. The oak adds a nice buttery oak element that is really a nice addition to the original.

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

First time with an oak aged brew. Quite a unique experience. Clear, brown body with red highlights. It has a foamy medium tan head which leaves some long lasting lacing on the sides of my glass. Sweet and spicy nose, with caramel, oak, malt, some subdued hops and a slight hint of cinnamon (which may be some lingering oak notes). Starts with sweet malts with the oak coming to the forefront. Then slowly the hops take over and dry my taste buds with a bitter, dry finish. Full, pleasing mouthfeel. Wonderfully done.