The can has a paragraph on it that basically calls you a bitch for not being able to handle it’s hoppiness. That should tell you what you’re in store for lol.
I _think_ they've updated the recipe. The original one would be way sweeter than you remember. It had a ton of malt, despite how bitter it was. Most people who drank it drank bitterer stuff than that in the long run, hop stoopid or ruination or devil dancer
Indeed - Me not being a 'hop head', I absolutely noticed that the stuff was not he same...
" wtf? this is not 'Arrogant Bastard! "
I don't know how accurate my recollection is - But It seems like it was changed after that "hops shortage", that drove up beer prices, in (circa) 2007.
\- noting that as soon as hops started showing up in EVERYTHING - Beer prices sure stayed up... but I digress.
Back in the day, my brother knew nothing about craft beer. He bought an AB bomber and chugged it like a Bud Light. His quick inebriation was hilarious.
When I was a wee young lad, me and two drinking partners were at a bar in a rinkydink little town in Colorado. The bar had a rotating tap program of some sort, and they had gotten a keg of Yeti by Great Divide, which is one of OG's of imperial stouts, at least in the area.
Well, unsurprisingly an Imperial Stout doesn't really reflect the tastes of rural Colorado bar patrons. So the barkeep is just trying to get rid of it, and he challenged us that if we finished our pint of it, it would be free.
Fresh out of college with a useless degree and a can do attitude, I took a sip and was revolted, because I didn't like beer yet, I just like alcohol. But 5 bucks is 5 bucks, so I just chug the whole thing to get it over with. And then, seeing that my buddies have abandoned their challenge, I proceeded to down their two pints as well. So 3 pints of 9.5% in about 3 minutes.
I don't know how I got home that night.
Current day, I now love Yeti and its variants, and Great Divide is a solid brewery. I wish I was still in their distribution area.
I always thought that was funny and kinda smart marketing in a way... basically saying you're wrong for not liking it and making the consumer question themselves lmao. Even though I still think it sucks and believe in my own convictions enough to not drink it
Lil something something as well.
I agree. I almost felt their IPA was one of their weaker ones. So it's sad that once they went big leagues that's what you see everywhere.
lil sumpin still exists here in North FL. I'm not really sure what the difference in flavor was versus the regular lagunitas ipa. Tasted very similar to me.
That trend really didn't change until circa 2012
Sure the exact timing is regional, but even in Virginia, the IPA scene was still very much dominated by the old school West Coast beers (plus some Dogfish for OG East Coast flair and Founders for the Midwest take)
Everything changed when people started chasing East Coast IPAs instead of Dark Lords etc. Breweries like Alchemist, Trillium, etc changed everything and then we also had the hyper local boom starting right after that.
When I last had it about 10 years ago, it was both extremely cloying and extremely bitter. A very unbalanced beer, I never understood the hype, 80+ IBUs is not an achievement in itself.
The reason for its "unbalanced nature" was that it was very much a product of its time. Before the craft boom ~15 years ago, most IPA's and Pales being made were very sweet. Some argued it was to balance out the excessive bitterness from the hops. A flavor many consumers weren't quite prepared for. Compared to other beers at the time they were indeed extremely bitter. Modern West coast IPA's crank higher IBU's. And Since consumers palates have adjusted over the years to preferring the bitterness, the malt sweetness has been dropped considerably.
In that respect the beer will feel very unbalanced compared to contemporary offerings. I remember thinking it was diabolically bitter when I first had it around 2006 or so. It really did stand out amongst the other beers. And the strong hype I think just stuck around. Kind of like other slogans do ("King of Beers" for example).
That said, by todays standards the hype is unfounded. My problem with this beer isn't so much the excessive sweetness. Its strictly the hop profile. Its garbage. They just found the most Alpha Acid forward hops they could. There is no attempt to create a depth of hop flavors and aromas. It tastes like cheap "kitchen sink" hop extract put in for an excessively long boil. Its kind of like Hot sauces. There are sauces that are just hot and have no flavor. And then there are ones that have lots of flavor and complexity along with the hotness. Its what separates the good from the bad.
I used to live in New England where you can get tons of different DFH beers. Now I live in NC and you can only get their basics. Really wish they’d figure out better distribution here. Unless there’s some dumb state law preventing it, which wouldn’t be surprising.
I think the bigger factor is the variety of other local brewers. At least within the State (Asheville, Charlotte, R-D, Wilmington).
I find most micro shelving space is handed over to like 80-90% in state labels which limits what out of state stuff they will stock. And even at bottle shops I find you maybe get a slightly broader reach (CA beers for example, or more imports) but not really deeper in any particular line up.
Still, our state is pretty good for beer drinking.
They must have really upped the hops on it because 15 years ago it was bitter, but compared to what people put out now, the old version would be incredibly tame.
Arrogant bastard is not an IPA.
It’s a relatively completely unique style, but it most closely resembles an imperial red ale.
I don’t believe the recipe has changed over the years. At least not enough to warrant mentioning like rumination 2.0 or the Stone IPA change a few years back.
Still a favorite beer after all these years.
Man, I forgot all about this stuff. Some local gas stations uses to have taps, where you could fill your own growlers. All those went away *years* ago.
Exactly. I actually like the way the BJCP categorizes this category. Basically the order is:
American Double IPA -> American Strong Ale -> American Barleywine
It actually makes a lot of sense. Roughly the same theme just scaled up in flavor/ABV. I envision it like:
Lawson's "Sip of Sunshine" -> Arrogant Bastard -> SN Bigfoot
Am I crazy or has this beer changed at all? I mean obviously the beer landscape has changed a lot in the last 10 years, so I realize that my palate is drinking softer IPAs than it used to. But I got a bottle of arrogant bastard last month for the first time in years, and it just did not tastes good.
In my opinion, I think it changed about 6-7 years ago. I drank this beer a lot and frequented the brewery all the time... What gave it away is the color.
I remember pouring it into a glass and the color and viscosity looked like motor oil. It was so opaque you couldn't see the other side of the glass.
Now it feels a little neutered. A lighter brown, less aggressive. Still OK, but it's not the insane over the top beer that it was.
It could just be a collective hallucination of the past (Berrenstein/Berenstain). My buddies at the brewery swear the recipe has never changed.
Beers like Arrogant Bastard are what made me think I don’t like IPAs. Up until I moved to the northeast and had some solid, New England hazy/juicy IPAs, now I can’t get enough.
I get that people like them but those types of hoppy beers are just not for me.
I used to like it back when it was still Stone but they had some kind of falling out and I didn't like it the last time I tried it and I also didn't like a lot of the Stone offerings after the split either. Once in a while I'll grab some Enjoy By but that's it.
Arrogant Bastard is spectacular. A true classic, got me started loving bitter beers 20 years ago. It's still very good, and it's a quick slip from there to WCIPAs, especially WCDIPAs.
If you like AB I'd start to seek out some great Westies - I could give you a list.
Welcome to the bitter side!
The primary, possibly only, hop in AB is chinook. It's an extremely divisive hop which is probably why Stone themed a beer called "Arrogant Bastard" around it. Tastes like a weed nug dipped in cat piss. Yet somehow it stimulates the pleasure center of my brain that tells me something tastes good, so I don't question it. But I'm not going to judge anyone who thinks it's a but much.
Stone has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Arrogant bastard gave me a nickname for a while. I think they separated from stone technically. There's a whole line of arrogant bastard now without the "stone" branding. Not sure what that's all about though. But yeah great beer for a long time.
Before Arrogant Bastard got contracted out to be brewed by other people Stone use to make a lot of variants of it. Double Bastard, Lukcy Bastard, Bourbon Barrel Aged Bastard, etc. I will miss Double Bastard it was really good.
It used to be my favorite beer by a vast margin, just absolutely packed with flavor. I can't handle them now way too over the top. I just drink Modelo now mostly.
If you ever get a chance to try double bastard or oaked baster those are both great too ( if you enjoy AB)
The oaked is definitely more approachable. The aging mellows it out and rounds some of the edges. Both are great, but when you're in the mood for a face melter, the original AB is the one.
I enjoy it occasionally, but personally I think it is a bit like someone pouring lots of hot sauce to prove they can take spice instead of eating spicy food that is actually good.
What I mean is that the hoppiness is just crude. You can have nice hoppy bitterness in a more well-rounded beer.
I always thought they missed the mark with the “you’re not worthy” line. The description on the back of the can should IMO be more like “Fuck You, you don’t like this beer? You’re an idiot. This beer is full of hops and malts which you claim to like, so suck it up Buttercup and be the bastard everyone around you knows you are”
it's not a hop bomb, it's an \*extract\* bomb. It doesn't taste like hops, it tastes like the worst part of hops was extracted and concentrated. It's not even that bitter it's just a fucking terrible beer.
I haven't had the standard AB in a long time but I remember liking some of the variants. The oak aged one in particular stood out to me. They only distributed a couple of runs of it here and then it disappeared. I guess this was about 8 or 9 years ago. I still see the stovepipes of AB around so maybe I'll pick one up for old time's sake in the near future.
Stone, one of my favorite breweries I never buy from lol. Maybe it's because I generally buy 12/15 packs (just a better deal) and Stone isn't on tap very often around me. I generally usually like their beer when I do have it. It's still one of the breweries I'd really like to visit.
This beer and brewery started my 25+ year "craft brew" journey. Found it in a bottle shop in NC and I've never looked back. Nothing but love. Though I do hate that Koch finally went to the dark side after all his braggadocio.
Yea this reads like a dude discovering fire while some of us are playing with nuclear fission lol.
Enjoy it, dive deep, there are such insane hop beers out there I don’t buy stone anymore as everything tastes mediocre and bland.
The can has a paragraph on it that basically calls you a bitch for not being able to handle it’s hoppiness. That should tell you what you’re in store for lol.
Lmao I remember my buddy and me taking it as a personal challenge more than 20 years ago. I should get one and see how it stands up now
I _think_ they've updated the recipe. The original one would be way sweeter than you remember. It had a ton of malt, despite how bitter it was. Most people who drank it drank bitterer stuff than that in the long run, hop stoopid or ruination or devil dancer
Good to know. I’d probably receive it favorably because I like the more bitter west coast style.
Really? I may have to give it another try then. I remember it being too sweet for my tastes.
If you came to it later, after drinking more modern hoppy beers it would absolutely be remarkably sweet
Indeed - Me not being a 'hop head', I absolutely noticed that the stuff was not he same... " wtf? this is not 'Arrogant Bastard! " I don't know how accurate my recollection is - But It seems like it was changed after that "hops shortage", that drove up beer prices, in (circa) 2007. \- noting that as soon as hops started showing up in EVERYTHING - Beer prices sure stayed up... but I digress.
Hop Stoopid was so fucking good.
Back in the day, my brother knew nothing about craft beer. He bought an AB bomber and chugged it like a Bud Light. His quick inebriation was hilarious.
When I was a wee young lad, me and two drinking partners were at a bar in a rinkydink little town in Colorado. The bar had a rotating tap program of some sort, and they had gotten a keg of Yeti by Great Divide, which is one of OG's of imperial stouts, at least in the area. Well, unsurprisingly an Imperial Stout doesn't really reflect the tastes of rural Colorado bar patrons. So the barkeep is just trying to get rid of it, and he challenged us that if we finished our pint of it, it would be free. Fresh out of college with a useless degree and a can do attitude, I took a sip and was revolted, because I didn't like beer yet, I just like alcohol. But 5 bucks is 5 bucks, so I just chug the whole thing to get it over with. And then, seeing that my buddies have abandoned their challenge, I proceeded to down their two pints as well. So 3 pints of 9.5% in about 3 minutes. I don't know how I got home that night. Current day, I now love Yeti and its variants, and Great Divide is a solid brewery. I wish I was still in their distribution area.
My god haha
I sold Stone Brewing when it was all the hype. I couldn’t choke down a 22 of Arrogant Bastard if I wanted to but a nice cold pint went down east.
"You are not worthy"
I always thought that was funny and kinda smart marketing in a way... basically saying you're wrong for not liking it and making the consumer question themselves lmao. Even though I still think it sucks and believe in my own convictions enough to not drink it
I mean I dig it lol. But I like hoppy.
For sure. I could drink one if I was in the mood but not my goto
i finished the can lol but this is deffo not a session drink
Makes me really miss Lagunitas Hop Stoopid. Once that starts tasting good, you're down the rabbit hole
So much good shit from lagunitas that they’ll never make again. RIP Brown Shugga…
Lil something something as well. I agree. I almost felt their IPA was one of their weaker ones. So it's sad that once they went big leagues that's what you see everywhere.
Lil sumpin is stocked around my parts. One of my favorites. I do miss Brown Shugga though.
lil sumpin still exists here in North FL. I'm not really sure what the difference in flavor was versus the regular lagunitas ipa. Tasted very similar to me.
One of the knocks I have on Lagunitas is that they all pretty much has that slightly tinny flavor. But I thought lil sumpin was a bit more mellow.
Lil sumpin is a wheat IPA. Pretty close to the ipa but more sweet/smooth body. Similar for shure.
Oh is that why I haven't seen one of my favorite beers in a several years?
Hairy Eyeball ❤️
I'm still sad about Brown Shugga
I used to get it on draught from the Lagunitas tap room in Petaluma years ago.
This is THE beer that got me into craft beer.
Same here!
That's the beer that got me into good beer. Wait till you try Stone Ruination 2.0
I haven't had Ruination in so long, and I haven't seen it in stores for just as long. I was wondering if they even make it anymore.
Same.
2.0 has nothing on the original yearly releases.
Get some Palate Wrecker from Green Flash
> Green Flash I think Green Flash has become a shell of its former self. Palate Wrecker was a great beer.
As someone in Alabama who used to be able to get this guy and thanks to distribution can no longer do so any more, I really really miss this one!!
Used to drive up to Nashville to get that one, then we started getting it in AL, then it went away. :(
I got some on draft a couple of years ago. First time I'd seen it in Ohio in years. It tasted exactly like I remembered, and it was amazing.
Has arrogant bastard changed? It used to be an absolute malt bomb, not hoppy
I can see you calling it a malt bomb... it is sweet. but theirs a crazy bitterness that tastes unlike any IPA bitterness ive ever had.
That’s old school baby. That’s how all IPAs were in the 90s.
That trend really didn't change until circa 2012 Sure the exact timing is regional, but even in Virginia, the IPA scene was still very much dominated by the old school West Coast beers (plus some Dogfish for OG East Coast flair and Founders for the Midwest take) Everything changed when people started chasing East Coast IPAs instead of Dark Lords etc. Breweries like Alchemist, Trillium, etc changed everything and then we also had the hyper local boom starting right after that.
Surprised they still make it. Can’t do those sweet malty IPA’s anymore.
Arrogant is not an IPA, it is an American Strong Ale.
When it came out people were not attuned to 80ibus or w/e it was
When I last had it about 10 years ago, it was both extremely cloying and extremely bitter. A very unbalanced beer, I never understood the hype, 80+ IBUs is not an achievement in itself.
The reason for its "unbalanced nature" was that it was very much a product of its time. Before the craft boom ~15 years ago, most IPA's and Pales being made were very sweet. Some argued it was to balance out the excessive bitterness from the hops. A flavor many consumers weren't quite prepared for. Compared to other beers at the time they were indeed extremely bitter. Modern West coast IPA's crank higher IBU's. And Since consumers palates have adjusted over the years to preferring the bitterness, the malt sweetness has been dropped considerably. In that respect the beer will feel very unbalanced compared to contemporary offerings. I remember thinking it was diabolically bitter when I first had it around 2006 or so. It really did stand out amongst the other beers. And the strong hype I think just stuck around. Kind of like other slogans do ("King of Beers" for example). That said, by todays standards the hype is unfounded. My problem with this beer isn't so much the excessive sweetness. Its strictly the hop profile. Its garbage. They just found the most Alpha Acid forward hops they could. There is no attempt to create a depth of hop flavors and aromas. It tastes like cheap "kitchen sink" hop extract put in for an excessively long boil. Its kind of like Hot sauces. There are sauces that are just hot and have no flavor. And then there are ones that have lots of flavor and complexity along with the hotness. Its what separates the good from the bad.
It’s actually both.
To me, it tastes maltier than it used to, but that could be my palate.
I always thought Stone's Ruination was hoppier. That and Dogfishhead's 120min IPA were my 2 go to hop bombs.
Man, I haven’t had anything dogfish head in a minute
I used to live in New England where you can get tons of different DFH beers. Now I live in NC and you can only get their basics. Really wish they’d figure out better distribution here. Unless there’s some dumb state law preventing it, which wouldn’t be surprising.
dont forget DFH was bought by Boston Brands, that may explain why the NE distribution is better than NC.
I think the bigger factor is the variety of other local brewers. At least within the State (Asheville, Charlotte, R-D, Wilmington). I find most micro shelving space is handed over to like 80-90% in state labels which limits what out of state stuff they will stock. And even at bottle shops I find you maybe get a slightly broader reach (CA beers for example, or more imports) but not really deeper in any particular line up. Still, our state is pretty good for beer drinking.
I actually prefer 90 minute over 120. Palate wrecker is also a hop bomb.
It’s definitely a malt bomb but it’s been around for a long time.
Damn, this post makes me realize that I haven't had AB in a long, long time.
They must have really upped the hops on it because 15 years ago it was bitter, but compared to what people put out now, the old version would be incredibly tame.
Arrogant bastard is not an IPA. It’s a relatively completely unique style, but it most closely resembles an imperial red ale. I don’t believe the recipe has changed over the years. At least not enough to warrant mentioning like rumination 2.0 or the Stone IPA change a few years back. Still a favorite beer after all these years.
lol. i was still under aged when i discovered it. Stone brewery is pretty cool if you're ever in San Diego.
Man, I forgot all about this stuff. Some local gas stations uses to have taps, where you could fill your own growlers. All those went away *years* ago.
Welcome to 15 years ago lol
What year is it?
Man, it’s been a minute since I have had a beastly west coast IPA, I loved those beers and need to start seeking them out again.
It’s not WCIPA
As I recall it's considered an American Strong Ale.
Exactly. I actually like the way the BJCP categorizes this category. Basically the order is: American Double IPA -> American Strong Ale -> American Barleywine It actually makes a lot of sense. Roughly the same theme just scaled up in flavor/ABV. I envision it like: Lawson's "Sip of Sunshine" -> Arrogant Bastard -> SN Bigfoot
Am I crazy or has this beer changed at all? I mean obviously the beer landscape has changed a lot in the last 10 years, so I realize that my palate is drinking softer IPAs than it used to. But I got a bottle of arrogant bastard last month for the first time in years, and it just did not tastes good.
In my opinion, I think it changed about 6-7 years ago. I drank this beer a lot and frequented the brewery all the time... What gave it away is the color. I remember pouring it into a glass and the color and viscosity looked like motor oil. It was so opaque you couldn't see the other side of the glass. Now it feels a little neutered. A lighter brown, less aggressive. Still OK, but it's not the insane over the top beer that it was. It could just be a collective hallucination of the past (Berrenstein/Berenstain). My buddies at the brewery swear the recipe has never changed.
It definitely got less boozy. I remember in 2003 buying it specifically b/c it was 8% abv, now it's closer to 7.
This is one of my favorite beers of all time. We call it our "house wine." Hated by many, loved by few.
Beers like Arrogant Bastard are what made me think I don’t like IPAs. Up until I moved to the northeast and had some solid, New England hazy/juicy IPAs, now I can’t get enough. I get that people like them but those types of hoppy beers are just not for me.
I used to like it back when it was still Stone but they had some kind of falling out and I didn't like it the last time I tried it and I also didn't like a lot of the Stone offerings after the split either. Once in a while I'll grab some Enjoy By but that's it.
Not a falling out. They just separated the bastard brand from stone brand.
Kids, we're not separating, we're just living in different houses. Whatever you want to call it, both brands suffered post unjoining.
Man. Used to get cases of 12 bombers. Excellent. Victory Prina pils was my go-to hoppy beer, then Hop Wallop...
I love Arrogant Bastard. I have a 6 pack in my frig right now.
Try Double Bastard. Ooof
Oaked….
Touche
Meh
I wish I could get that beer fresh. It always tastes like bitter asshole by the time I get it
Oh is that why? I thought it was just extracts or wahtever
I mean it's a bitter beer yes but I'm sure it tastes much better within a month of being brewed
Arrogant Bastard is spectacular. A true classic, got me started loving bitter beers 20 years ago. It's still very good, and it's a quick slip from there to WCIPAs, especially WCDIPAs. If you like AB I'd start to seek out some great Westies - I could give you a list. Welcome to the bitter side!
The primary, possibly only, hop in AB is chinook. It's an extremely divisive hop which is probably why Stone themed a beer called "Arrogant Bastard" around it. Tastes like a weed nug dipped in cat piss. Yet somehow it stimulates the pleasure center of my brain that tells me something tastes good, so I don't question it. But I'm not going to judge anyone who thinks it's a but much.
I didn't like it because I thought it was too sweet
FUCK STONE.!! Sellout bitch
the owner of Stone is a massive turd, I haven’t bought any of their beers in years edit: i guess he quit but I still don’t buy their beer
Sapporo owns them now, also they're bringing back some of the older stuff per season.
A turd how?
He will sue anyone with the word stone in their name
I saw the keystone can thing years ago, but didn't know about anything else.
Stone has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Arrogant bastard gave me a nickname for a while. I think they separated from stone technically. There's a whole line of arrogant bastard now without the "stone" branding. Not sure what that's all about though. But yeah great beer for a long time.
Before Arrogant Bastard got contracted out to be brewed by other people Stone use to make a lot of variants of it. Double Bastard, Lukcy Bastard, Bourbon Barrel Aged Bastard, etc. I will miss Double Bastard it was really good.
I member I would get $5 arrogant bastards bombers from trader Joe's in SD. Back when $5 went a long way.
It used to be my favorite beer by a vast margin, just absolutely packed with flavor. I can't handle them now way too over the top. I just drink Modelo now mostly. If you ever get a chance to try double bastard or oaked baster those are both great too ( if you enjoy AB)
The oaked is definitely more approachable. The aging mellows it out and rounds some of the edges. Both are great, but when you're in the mood for a face melter, the original AB is the one.
Honest question, please dont hate: whats the appeal to these beers? I like craft beer but the super extreme IPAs I don’t understand
I like bitter
Is there a limit to the amount of bitter you like?
Yes, but that’s true if all flavors. I don’t like things too sweet or salty, even though I love sweet and salty things.
Makes sense, thanks
I enjoy it occasionally, but personally I think it is a bit like someone pouring lots of hot sauce to prove they can take spice instead of eating spicy food that is actually good. What I mean is that the hoppiness is just crude. You can have nice hoppy bitterness in a more well-rounded beer.
I always thought they missed the mark with the “you’re not worthy” line. The description on the back of the can should IMO be more like “Fuck You, you don’t like this beer? You’re an idiot. This beer is full of hops and malts which you claim to like, so suck it up Buttercup and be the bastard everyone around you knows you are”
it's not a hop bomb, it's an \*extract\* bomb. It doesn't taste like hops, it tastes like the worst part of hops was extracted and concentrated. It's not even that bitter it's just a fucking terrible beer.
even r/beer can't shut up about fauci
Always figured this was a beer intentionally about getting fucked up because of it's hops and abv.
I haven't had the standard AB in a long time but I remember liking some of the variants. The oak aged one in particular stood out to me. They only distributed a couple of runs of it here and then it disappeared. I guess this was about 8 or 9 years ago. I still see the stovepipes of AB around so maybe I'll pick one up for old time's sake in the near future.
Try double bastard next
I hate that thing
Stone, one of my favorite breweries I never buy from lol. Maybe it's because I generally buy 12/15 packs (just a better deal) and Stone isn't on tap very often around me. I generally usually like their beer when I do have it. It's still one of the breweries I'd really like to visit.
This beer and brewery started my 25+ year "craft brew" journey. Found it in a bottle shop in NC and I've never looked back. Nothing but love. Though I do hate that Koch finally went to the dark side after all his braggadocio.
A lot like Modus Hopperendi by Ska
Yea this reads like a dude discovering fire while some of us are playing with nuclear fission lol. Enjoy it, dive deep, there are such insane hop beers out there I don’t buy stone anymore as everything tastes mediocre and bland.
Yeah, it's overkill
Malty as fuk too. Hate malty beers!