Stone Double Bastard Ale

"Ye Shall Know the Bastard, and the Bastard Shall Set You Free."

Holy Bastard this ale is awesome!

Double Bastard Ale

First, I'd like to thank the DoubleTree hotel in Princeton, NJ for providing water glasses that almost perfectly match the taster glass on the Stone website. They obviously thought of men like me when they chose them.

Second, I'd like to thank Stone for brewing such a Bastard of an ale. With classified hop varieties and IBU, this beer has been brewed since 1997. It's available (according to the website) November in 22 oz. bottles, 3 liter bottles, and limited draft. We happened upon a 22 oz. bottle in a liquor store in New Jersey (I'm traveling for work with a friend/co-worker/co-brewer/co-arrogant bastard). We made quite the Double Bastard drinking this extra-hoppy concoction.

This is one of those IPAs that is hopped so heavily that the malt bill has to be increased enough to balance. The malt sweetness is not initially noticeable since it blows your nose off with hop aroma. I got a waft of smokiness as well. The beer pours amber and thick with a sticky, hoppy head. The first taste has that initial smoky flavor, balanced malt sweetness and, of course, hoppy bitterness that stays on the tongue.

I really enjoyed this ale. Our bottle was labeled as a 2009 release and will cellar and age well (and taste great) regardless of vintage. Buying the bottle is worth it for the quote on the back alone, my favorite line:

Perhaps you have been so lulled by the siren song of ignorance that you don't even notice your white-knuckle grip on it.

Bottom Line: Be a Bastard, be a Double Bastard. Drink this ale if you can find it. I haven't seen it in South Texas, but if you do share with the rest of us aficionados.

Stats:
Hop Varities: CLASSIFIED
ABV: 10.5%
IBU: CLASSIFIED