From Stone Brewing:
Since 1997, our infamous Arrogant Bastard Ale has been kicking fizzy yellow beer drinkers square in the palate and forcing them to take notice of what good beer really is, forever changing the tastes and habits of the uninitiated and converting them to the culture of craft beer. Such was the instant allure of this mighty brew that the year after it debuted, we crafted an imperialized version and dubbed it Double Bastard Ale. Other iterations followed: a wood-infused take called OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale, as well as a blend of all of the aforementioned members of the Arrogant Bastard Ale family called Lukcy Basartd Ale (no, you didn’t read that wrong, and we didn’t commit an offense against the grammar gods…that’s the way we spell it). All four are cult favorites among craft beer enthusiasts craving exceptional brews with substantial flavor and oomph. This year, that lengthy staying power led us to celebrate the beer by not only conducting our annual November release of Double Bastard Ale, but also reviving two other dastardly Bastard variations and adding an entirely new offspring of this self-assured line to the mix. Get to know all three of this year’s specialties and marvel at their complexity, diversity and awesome ability to continue to engage—and perhaps challenge—even the most stalwart craft beer devotee.
EXTREME HEAT WARNING!
Spicy is a vague term painted with a broad stroke across edibles ranging in flavor from slightly peppery to tongue-numbingly hot. So, let us be frank. Crime and Punishment, our chile-infused bastardizations of two of the more robust members of the Arrogant Bastard Ale clan, are more than just spicy. They are downright incendiary. If extreme heat isn’t your thing, they just might hurt you. Are you up to the challenge?
Crime is Lukcy Basartd Ale (a blend of Arrogant Bastard Ale, Double Bastard Ale and OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale) brewed with freshly harvested peppers and aged in bourbon barrels. Like a criminal act, this capsicum-laced temptation—brewed with jalapeños and black nagas, to name but a few—provides entrée into the seedy underbelly of Stone’s pepper-induced purgatory. Similarly, Punishment is 2013 Double Bastard Ale brewed with freshly harvested peppers and aged in bourbon barrels. Brutally hot and unyielding in its imposition, this intensely hellish spawn of Caribbean red hots, fatalis and Moruga scorpion peppers is a just dessert for any spice-taunting masochist who dares to engage it.
At this point, any heat seeker is thinking, “OK, how spicy can these beers really be?” Take a gander at the massive pack of peppers we brewed them with and you’ll start to get a much better idea of exactly what you’ll be taking on when uncorking these bad boys!
The Culprits: Yellow & Red 7 Pot, Yellow & Red 7 Pot Douglah, 7 Pot Jonah, Red Scorpion, Black Naga, Green & Red Jalapeño, Red & Peach Moruga Scorpion, Chocolate Douglah, Ghost, Giant White Habanero, Habanero, Caribbean Red Hot, Fatali, Peach Ghost Scorpion, Yellow Moruga and various other hybrids
A BOLD, BELLIGERENT BEAUTY OF A BEAST
How do you tame a brew as extreme in its inherent make-up and intense flavor as Double Bastard Ale? Answer: You DON’T! You can only hope to gently sand down its sharp edges, and that’s’ just what we’ve done with the extensive and inventive barrel-aging process behind Southern Charred. 2012 Double Bastard Ale was funneled into heavily blackened Kentucky bourbon and American oak barrels, as well as a special set of Kentucky bourbon receptacles previously used to age a smoked imperial porter. Over a year later, the result is a monster of a beer that, in addition to its brawny malt bill and raging hop character, also pounces on taste buds with a well-rounded assault of vanilla, smoke, butterscotch and caramel. Drunk new or years from now, it’s something special, and the most graceful behemoth you’ll likely ever encounter.
The Barrel Breakdown
Southern Charred was unfiltered and aged in the following combination of barrels:
51% Kentucky Bourbon Barrels (10 months)
8% Charred American Oak Barrels (10 months)
41% Second-Use* Kentucky Bourbon Barrels (13 months)
* Formerly used to age Stone Suitable for Cave Aging – An Imperial Smoked Porter Tribute to Danny Williams
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