Category: food

from the label (and website) of Stone Brewing Company’s Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale:

This is an aggressive 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 your words as you read this.

Too many strive towards complacency as a goal. We grow up thinking that the ability to become complacent is the equivalence of success in life. True Arrogant Bastards know that this could not be further from the truth. The real beauty, richness and depth in life can only be found if the journey through life itself is looked upon as a constant chance to learn, live and find life’s passion. Passion threatens the complacent, and fills them with fear. Fear of the new, the deep and the different. We, on the other hand, seek it out. Endlessly, joyously…and aggressively. To this end we bring you the “OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale.” Another reward for those seeking new sources of passion, and another point of dissension for those who are not.

Yes, all of that text is on the back of the bottle, the crammed in everything else to make room for their hipster, “cooler than you” manifesto to bitter beers. I have a problem with people who let products they purchase define them as a person, as if consumption is a viable alternative to living (Privateer Press’ Page five is another example of such.) This is further compounded by the implication that taste is an objective measurement and that the only enjoyable beer is a very hoppy one.

Okay, maybe that is just an aggressive marketing campaign, and maybe it appeals to someone, I don’t know who, but someone. It doesn’t tell us anything about the beer. Okay, let’s talk about it’s the beer. Right off I’m going to tell you that this is the hoppiest beer I’ve ever had. I don’t know if Stone Brewing knows makes anything other than hop beers… but, if you don’t like them then don’t bother with this week’s beer. The beer smells toasted, almost burnt with hints of wood and citrus. At first taste the hops hit you hard: bitter, bitter, bitter. Letting the beer rest on your tongue you can get hints of the oak and coffee and then the bitterness returns and that is what sticks with you.

I don’t like hoppy beers, so you can guess, I wasn’t too fond of this beer. People told me that my palate wasn’t developed enough to taste all the subtleties in this beer and that might be true. I know what I like though and what I don’t like. I don’t like hoppy beers, it doesn’t get much hoppier than Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale.

Rating (out of five):

 

 

 

I wish I had a picture of this but I guess I forgot to take one or accidentally deleted it. The beer was a lovely coppery color with a thick head. So, now use your imaginations to picture that in a frosted pint glass.

From the label:

Five hops and four malts make Hoptober Golden Ale a vaeritable cornucopia of the earth. Pale and wheat malt are mashed with rye and oats to create a medium-bodied ale with a creamy mouth feel. Centennial, Cascade, Sterling, Willamette and Glacier hops form a bonfire of citrus notes, fruity cheers and a bold finale.

From my notes:

Not as hoppy as I was expecting, the moniker might be a little misleading. This beer smells good. Citrus, spice, and maybe a hint of stone fruit. I was hoping it’d taste as good. But, it doesn’t. There are still hints of citrus and fruit in the beer but those flavors are overwhelmed by bitterness of the hops. Surprisingly, the finish, while bitter, tastes of grapefruit. Plenty of carbonation here. Smooth.

I’m not the biggest fan of hoppy beers. The bitterness of hops always seem to overwhelm everything else in a beer’s profile. So, I was a little leery picking this beer up, but, I’m a fan of New Belgium and so I gave it a shot. I wasn’t disappointed. New Belgium does a good job of balancing the flavors in this beer. I only wish it tasted as good as it smelled.

Rating (out of five):

 

from the label:

Old Chico Brand Crystal Wheat. Only available locally, Old Chico Crystal Wheat is our lightest offering. This filtered beer is brewed with malted wheat and barley – leaving it light bodied, refreshing, and wonderfully drinkable.

I’d link you to Sierra Nevada’s information on this beer but their website doesn’t seem to include it amongst their beers…? Old Chico is a really light wheat beer. As you can see from the picture above it has a golden blond color and a fine white head. Old Chico has a floral bouquet with subtle hints of banana and wheat. Beer had a clear citrusy taste with a hint of apple on the roof of the mouth. I was surprised to find a bit of hops flavor in the beer as well that lingers. Not the best wheat beer I’ve ever drank but certainly will do on a hot, summer day.

You might have a hard time finding this beer outside of Northern California. That is okay though as there are plenty of good wheat beers out there and Old Chico isn’t amazing merely competent.

Rating (out of five):