Stone tends to write a lot about their beers, so instead of grabbing the blurb from their website this time I'll go back to describing it myself. How old-fashioned! Double Bastard is another American Strong Ale, ranging anywhere from 10%-11.5% ABV depending on the vintage. It's released seasonally in the winter, and since Stone's distribution is extremely widespread, it's pretty easy to come by. The bottle I'm tasting tonight was recently re-released at Stone -- on a weekly basis, they do "special" bottle releases or growler fills, and the 2007 Double Bastard was one such release. This was a nice grab, since I feel I can trust Stone to age their beers properly, not like sticking a box in some guy's hot garage or something. So, happy 5th birthday to this beer!
Appearance: Clear, dark copper-brown, with a modest head that recedes quickly to a paper-thin foam layer and leaves no lacing on the sides of the glass.
Smell: Raisin, brown sugar, chocolate, a touch of spice, and slight alcohol. There is even a slight piney character that appears to be residual from the hops, even after 5 years. Very cool, and very Stone, since they hop the crap out of their beers.
Taste: The taste is not quite as complex as the smell, but it's still warm, sweet, and tasty. More strong notes of brown sugar and dark fruit, and yes! There is still a bit of earthy, resiny bitterness there on the finish.
Mouthfeel: The body is very smooth, and the carbonation seems pretty upfront when I first take a sip. After a second, though, it dissipates and leaves the beer with a rich, thick, viscous quality that is definitely strong, but not in an off-putting way.
Overall: This beer holds up really nicely, and is in fact a very different beer from how it is fresh. After it's first released, it comes across like an imperial IPA, albeit one with a stronger malt profile. Now, though, the hops have obviously faded, but they still contribute some pine bitterness that makes this different from many other malt-forward strong ales. In general, whether aged or not, I've always thought Double Bastard is a great "bang for your buck" beer, and especially considering that it's not barrel-aged, it packs a considerable flavor punch.
3.5/5
Smell: Raisin, brown sugar, chocolate, a touch of spice, and slight alcohol. There is even a slight piney character that appears to be residual from the hops, even after 5 years. Very cool, and very Stone, since they hop the crap out of their beers.
Taste: The taste is not quite as complex as the smell, but it's still warm, sweet, and tasty. More strong notes of brown sugar and dark fruit, and yes! There is still a bit of earthy, resiny bitterness there on the finish.
Mouthfeel: The body is very smooth, and the carbonation seems pretty upfront when I first take a sip. After a second, though, it dissipates and leaves the beer with a rich, thick, viscous quality that is definitely strong, but not in an off-putting way.
Overall: This beer holds up really nicely, and is in fact a very different beer from how it is fresh. After it's first released, it comes across like an imperial IPA, albeit one with a stronger malt profile. Now, though, the hops have obviously faded, but they still contribute some pine bitterness that makes this different from many other malt-forward strong ales. In general, whether aged or not, I've always thought Double Bastard is a great "bang for your buck" beer, and especially considering that it's not barrel-aged, it packs a considerable flavor punch.
3.5/5
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