This post first appeared on the blog Stuff Smart People Like.
If there's something smart people DO NOT like, it's shitty beer, such as and Budweiser, Miller, or Coors product. Those kinds of beer are best left for dollar beer specials and hunting trips with your cousin Jethro. Smart people DO like good beer though. They like beer that actually has the taste of hops and malts. To that end we'll be reviewing different beers, giving you some background on them, and then offering a rating. Our first rated beer will be Arrogant Bastard Ale from Stone Brewing Co.
Stone Brewing Co. is headquartered in Escondido, California. They've been around since 1996. Stone has been consistently rated as one of the top craft brewers in the US by such sites as Ratebeer.com and beeradvocate.com. Arrogant Bastard is one of their flagship beers. It is characterized as an American Strong ale, or an ale that has an Alcohol by Volume (ABV) of greater than 7%.
Arrogant Bastard is approximately 7.2% ABV. It's an amber/caramel color and pours without a lot of head. The aroma is very hoppy with some citrus scents and a faint smoky aroma. You can definitely taste the hops, it's almost like a true double IPA in taste. The smoky flavor from the barley and malts comes out in the taste here, but not overpoweringly.Not too much carbonation, and it goes down pretty smooth. You get the hoppy aftertaste that lingers on the tastebuds at the back of your tongue, but it's a nice aftertaste.
All in all I'd give Arrogant Bastard an 93 on the 100 scale.
That being said, let's see how I stack up with other ratings.
BeerAdvocate has a rating of 94 based on 2694 reviews, with their experts giving it a 98. They also suggest food pairings of nutty cheeses such as Asiago or Parmesan. Maybe I would have rated it higher if I had enjoyed it with a hunk of cheese.
Ratebeer rolls in at 99 given 2863 ratings, although they use an adjusted performance compared to other beers on a percentage based scale, not merely an aggregation of ratings.
Still, looks like we are all in agreement that this is an upper echelon beer. If you don't like hoppy beers, stay away and refine your palate you neanderthal. If you're like me and love hops, grab some of this and enjoy. If you're like me you will also love drinking this beer because the name describes your personality. Until next time friends, friends don't let friends drink shitty beer.
P.S. If you have a beer suggestion for review, shoot us an e-mail or comment on these posts and we'll put it in the hopper.