Tag Archives: Stone Brewing Company

Arrogant Bastard from Stone Brewing Co.

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Arrogant Bastard is perhaps the best known beer from Stone Brewing Co. In many ways it exemplifies what the brewery is all about. The label copy arrogantly proclaims its bellicose nature. “This is an aggressive ale. You probably won’t like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth.” From the forceful bitterness to the huge malt and hop flavors it is an unabashedly aggressive beer.

It has been a couple of years since I last deemed myself worthy of tackling this beast. I took the challenge last night. Here’s my notes:

Arrogant Bastard
Stone Brewing Co., San Diego, California
Style: Imperial Brown Ale
Serving Style: 22 oz Bottle

Aroma: Toast and bread crust lead off, with some caramel sweetness and dark fruits. Raisin. Hints of chocolate. Pine resin hop aroma is subdued. A touch of alcohol.

Appearance: Dark brown with ruby highlights. Full, creamy, ivory-colored head that is very persistent.

Flavor: Balance of rich, bready/toasty malt and pine-resin hops. Aggressively bitter. The bitterness hangs around long after swallowing. Malt flavors are a complex mix of toast, bread and raisins. Touches of tootsie-roll chocolate and coffee-flavored roast amplify the hop bitterness. Hops are mostly piney with some traces of grapefruit pith and earth. Alcohol notes increase as the beer warms. The finish is dry with lingering coffee and bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. A bit astringent. Medium carbonation.

Overall Impression: What is this beer? Ratebeer and Beer Advocate both call it an “American Strong Ale” – whatever that means. I’d call it big and bitter brown. Does it really matter? Whatever it is, it’s good. Ferociously bitter, but somehow still balanced. It would go great with a grilled steak; charred on the outside and raw in the middle.

Stone Week Minnesota Begins March 29th

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Caution, the following post contains hyperbole and sarcasm. Deal with it.

Once upon a time in Minnesota, thirsty beer fanatics in search of the over-the-top elixirs created by San Diego’s Stone Brewing Co. had to make a long and arduous trek across the St. Croix to Hudson, Wisconsin. Wisconsin of all places! The horror! The infamy! But we swallowed our pride and trek we did.

Then one sad and dreary day Stone Brewing Co. pulled out of Wisconsin. Rumors flew. Was it distributor issues? Inability to meet demand? It could have been anything. The only thing certain was NO MORE STONE!

But then other more encouraging rumors began to bubble up from the trub at the bottom of our collective fermenter. Greg Koch, CEO and co-founder of Stone Brewing Co. was making frequent trips to the Twin Cities. What did this mean? Did it mean anything? The questions were swirling. Had the land-o-lakes been deemed worthy to receive the Arrogant Bastard (the beer, not Greg Koch)? Would the Vikings ever get their stadium?

Then, while no one was looking, a Facebook page was started; Stone Brewing in Minnesota. A regional sales rep was hired; Nate Sellegren. Finally, a distributor was announced; Original Gravity. It was real. Our dark night of the soul was over. We were worthy. No longer would we be without our Ruination Ale or Vertical Epic. This was epic!

Now the day is neigh when Stone Brewing Co. beers will be unleashed upon the state. Today the brewery announced STONE WEEK MINNESOTA. Beginning March 29th, the Twin Cities will experience five days of beer madness, the likes of which the state has never seen. CEO and co-founder Greg Koch, described in the brewery press release as “Grand Marshal to the never-ending parade playing out in his own head”, will return to the Mini Apple and the Pig’s Eye (sorry St. Paul, that was your city’s original name) to oversee a week-long lineup of earth-shaking events. And of course there will be beer. Again from the press release, “In addition to providing a prodigious portfolio of nine highly praised year-round releases, Greg dug back in the archives to break out some vintage rarities, barrel-aged niceties, and other treasured oddities.” Translation: there will be some really interesting beer.

There are too many events for me to even attempt to list them all. However, the March 29th kick-off event at Stub & Herbs is off the hook with 32 Stone beers on tap, including a vertical flight of Old Guardian Barleywine going back to 2007. The whole grand itinerary of Stone Week Minnesota can be found here. Be sure to click and show the beer lists. There’s some pretty amazing stuff.

BE THERE!

Stone in Europe?

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San Diego based Stone Brewing Company, known for big, bold American style ales and an edgy marketing strategy that says “you are not worthy” announced today that they are seriously considering the possibility of maybe opening  brewery in Europe. Stone will be sending out requests for proposals to various municipalities in Europe to explore the idea.

Stone to open a Brewery in Europe? from stonebrew on Vimeo.