Stone – Arrogant Bastard Ale: Brewed in California this “unprecedented and uncompromising celebration of intensity” craft beer is brewed at a strength of 7.2% abv and they say that “it is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth” (go to www.arrogantbastard.com for more). You have to love Stone’s attitude, if anything it is good for a chuckle especially because they usually live up to their demeanor.

Flavour: Somewhat malt forward like a scotch ale at first with earth and toffee notes, the herbal and citrus hops quickly take over revealing a dry, bitter lingering finish.

Overall Impression: If you want to say a big “FU” to macro beers, this is how you do it. Always a solid option in the USA, this is a good one to revisit from time to time.

Rating: Solid 8/10, complex, flavourful but in balance enough to make it work.

Food Pairing: These malts and hops need meat, go with a porterhouse or strip loin steak to enhance the malts and more importantly the meat it self.

One of my favourite things about Stone is they have a drink by date on their beer that they stick to, they will pull expired beer from shelves. You can report expired beer on the shelves here, they want you to drink it within 90-120 days depending on the style. Sadly in BC, I doubt we would get it distributed to the shelves before it expires – one day perhaps, one day.