Brewery: Stone Brewing Company
Where: Escondido, California
Style: American Strong Ale
IBU: LOTS
ABV: 11.2%

It's been snowing all day. It's been cold. The temperature hasn't gotten above 27°F.  I figured it was time for another real beer after a day of not doing a whole lot other than being lazy.  I have been interested in trying Stone's Double Bastard Ale for quite some time, and I think today is the day!

I was quite impressed with Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ale.  This Double Bastard is exactly that.  It's about twice of everything that made the original Arrogant Bastard so great.  This beer is a pure explosion of malt complexity that follows up with a nuclear reaction of hops.  I'm not gonna review the beer any further than this.  I will post what is printed on the back of this bottle for your enjoyment!  From the bottle:

Warning:  Double Bastard Ale is not to be wasted on the tentative or weak.  Only the Worthy are invited, and then only at your own risk.  If you have even a modicum of hesitation, DO NOT buy this bottle.  Instead, leave it for a Worthy soul who has already matriculated to the sublime ecstasy of what those in the know refer to as "Liquid Arrogance."

The rest of the bottle comments are absolutely fantastic.  I'm not going to post them here.  Go get a 22oz bottle and read it for yourself!  You won't be disappointed!

This beer goes into my top 5 of all time. 

This beer has been on my to-do list for a while, but since it's not a style I drink regularly, I kept putting it off. I finally broke down and added this bomber to my shopping cart on my last visit to Gail's Hops and Grapes. 

Stone Brewing Company's Arrogant Bastard Ale is rather unique.  I guess the easiest way to describe this beer is a richly amber colored HOP EXPLOSION.  It rings in at 7.2% ABV, so it also has a significant alcohol punch, but the flavor is still excellent at cooler temperatures.  I knew this beer was hoppy, so I was prepared for it when I took my first sip.  As soon as I did, I was almost let down.  The initial taste was rather malty and sweet, but about 3 or 4 seconds into that first sip, the hops came on like a street corner crack whore.  The hop bill and IBU rating for this brew are listed as classified!  It's just hard to pass by on a beer that contains this note on the bottle label: 

This is an agressive beer.  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.  We would suggest that you stick to safer and more familiar territory --- maybe something with a multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it's made in a little brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless fizzy yellow beer will give you more sex appeal.  Perhaps you think multi-million dollar ad campaigns make a beer taste better.  Perhaps you're mouthing these words as you read this.

I highly suggest clicking on the Arrogant Bastard Ale link above and reading the material on the website for this specific brew.  It's quite entertaining!

Friends are great things to have until they start suggesting $12 bottles of beer :) I have to take advantage of it though. It hasn't been that long since beers like this one were against the law here in North Carolina. There was a dark time when 6% was the maximum legal limit.  Hickory, North Carolina is not the beer cultural center of the world.  In fact, it's not the cultural center of much of anything.  We are, however, fortunate enough to have Gail's Hops and Grapes, which caters to wine and beer enthusiasts with a rather nice selection of good wine and beer, including some top shelf options for those who are so inspired. 

Rogue's Double Dead Guy Ale is my first venture into top-shelf beer.  This is a 26oz / 750ml bomber of 9% ABV love.  The bottle is beautiful, but I still can't wait to try one of the Rogue XS varieties in the ceramic swing-top bottle.  I wish THIS was a swing-top bottle so I could drink half of it today and half of it tomorrow, but I suppose I'm going to be forced to suffer through the entire bottle tonight instead. 

It's too cold right out of the fridge in the glass, so I transferred it to my pewter tankard and warmed it up to a good drinking temperature. 

Tasting notes from the website:

Deep amber copper color.  Buttery peanut brittle, orange blossom tea aromas follow through to a rich chewy and fruity full body with nice notes of caramel drizzled dried apricot and roasted grains and spice.  Finishes with a long, tangy grilled grapefruit and chocolate fade...

My senses of taste are not quite that refined, but I can definitely enjoy this beer.  Moving it to the pewter tankard significantly improved the aroma and flavor of this beer.  At the colder temperature right out of the fridge, the alcohol level was quite evident on the palate, but at 55 degrees, the rich character of this beer came to life.  I think I'm gonna end this post here and finish this bomber...  It's really good stuff... :)

I had my second sampling from the Mendocino Brewing Company in Saratoga Springs, New York.  When the flavor of this beer hit my tongue, I had to stop what I was doing and think about this beer.  It has a very complex flavor, and it's definitely one that takes a few minutes to settle in with. 

From the website:

Eye of the Hawk is an excellent, strong, rich bodied ale that is "Bottle Conditioned"
to perfection. "Eye" is coppery reddish-amber in color and its unique taste is
the result of a judicious mix of caramel and pale malted barley, balanced with
Cluster, Cascade and Saaz hops. This gives the Eye its luxurious flavor, substantial
mouth-feel and that slightly dry finish. Eye of the Hawk has garnered a cult following
that is enviable.

The caramel malt is quite distinctive in this beer, but the hop punch mellows after the first few swallows.  If this beer is bottle conditioned, it must be by a different process that I'm used to seeing.  There is no sediment in the bottle and the beer's clarity is excellent.  I can also understand the 'cult following' that this beer might have.  Since I'm a fan of amber ales and lagers, I can appreciate this brew, but it's a beer that 'Joe Six-Pack' might not like as much.  The richness of this beer's body reminds me of the heavier stouts and porters, which makes it quite enjoyable in the realm of amber ales...  I still want to try Mendocino's Red Tail Lager but I haven't located any yet...

I was digging around in the attic and basement for some long lost items this afternoon when I came across a box containing some equipment from my previous home brewing gear.  I found a bottle capper, two large funnels, a hydrometer, a new 5' length of plastic tubing, a spring-loaded bottle filler, and an unopened gross of bottle caps.  This is making me re-think what I'm going to buy when I visit the local home brew supply shop this week.  I had originally planned to buy one of their equipment kits and then add on the miscellaneous stuff that I wanted to go with it.  I already have a 5-gallon glass carboy that I can use as a secondary fermenter, so I'm now thinking about not buying the kit and possibly purchasing a 6-gallon carboy so I can ferment in glass rather than plastic, but I'll still need a bottling bucket.  I'll just have to wait and see what I can buy as individual pieces before I decide if I need the kit or not.  I might go get this stuff tomorrow since the local shop is closed on Mondays.  If things go well, I'll get to brew a batch this coming weekend...