Tag Archives: Double Bastard Ale

Black Butte XXIX and Double Bastard – Bigger, Longer, Uncut

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It’s been awhile since I posted a beer review. I don’t know what happened to the Vendome Beer Panel – they stopped doing them (or they stopped inviting me to participate). I guess that horrible task of sampling free beer is over.

Here are reviews of two limited release beers. Please read responsibly.

Black Butte XXIX: (2017) Deschutes Brewing, Bend, OR. 12.2% ABV.
This is Deschutes’ 29th birthday reserve. It’s an imperial porter brewed with cocoa, cinnamon and cayenne, then 50% aged in bourbon and rum barrels. [NOTE: refer to previous posts for reviews of Black Butte XXVIII (March 28, 2017) and Black Butte XXVII (March 5, 2017).]

Black Butte XXIX pours black with a ¼” light tan head that fades rapidly to a thick ring. The first whiff is spiced rum, then spiced rum, followed by more spiced rum with sweet chocolate, vanilla, bourbon and cherry.

The flavor is sweet rum, chocolate, coconut, vanilla, dark fruit, and cinnamon with cherry at the end. The cayenne is slightly noticeable in the aftertaste, giving just a bit of heat in the throat. The bourbon is very subdued, almost non-existent, but the rum is right in your face, along with strong notes of dark chocolate.

The mouth feel is thick and silky smooth with medium to low carbonation. The high alcohol content is completely absent in the flavor (too bad), but very noticeable in its effect. As it warms there is even more aroma of rum. The flavor is a bit sweeter with rum notes even more prevelant. The cinnamon is subtle, but makes an appearance (not so much when cold). The dark fruit (raisin, plum) fades a bit, and a little coffee emerges. The alcohol is still not apparent.

Black Butte XXIX is excellent! It is complex and very enjoyable. This is an impressive beer; good job, Deschutes!

I sampled XXIX on August 20, 2017 from a 22 oz. bomber that was bottled on June 12, 2017. The bottle cost $16.49 at Total Wine.

Double Bastard – Bigger, Longer, Uncut: Arrogant Brewing, Escondido, CA. 13% ABV.
First a very short history lesson – Arrogant Brewing split off from Stone Brewing in 2015. I believe Arrogant Brewing pushes the boundaries and makes the more “over the top” ales, including Double Bastard (an excellent Strong Ale). Today’s beer is Double Bastard Ale aged in Islay Scotch Whisky barrels. I will refer to it as “BLU” (Bigger, Longer, Uncut).

BLU looks like regular Double Bastard, but that’s where the similarity ends. It pours a deep amber color with a ½” beige head that fades after about a minute to a substantial ring. The aroma is smoky Scotch, sweet, tobacco – it smells like you’re walking into a tobacco shop.

It tastes sweet with notes of chocolate, vanilla, brown sugar and tobacco, followed by smoke/peat, Scotch Whisky, and smoky chocolate, with a lingering smoky/peaty essence in the aftertaste. As this beer warms, the aroma intensifies – close your eyes and you would think you’re sniffing a shot of Scotch. In the flavor, however, the smoke seems to fade, or is overtaken by sweetness, to wit, vanilla and chocolate (especially dark chocolate). The peat subsides and the sweet notes of chocolate and toffee take over. This seems counter-intuitive to me – I would think the peat/smoke would become more pronounced as the beer warms, but it’s just the opposite as the complexity of the underlying beer shines forth.

The body and mouth feel is thick and smooth. Carbonation is on the low side. As the beer warms (60°+), alcohol becomes noticeable late on the palate, but is not hot or unpleasant. In fact, I would opine that the alcohol is well hidden in the flavor (but not in it’s effect!).

Double Bastard – Bigger, Longer, Uncut is all about the Scotch. At first I was a little put off by it (the Scotch), but the more I drank it, the more I liked it. In my opinion, this is a beer that should not be consumed ice cold. Let this one warm up to cellar temperatures (55° – 60° F) to really appreciate the nuances and complexities. Double Bastard is a huge beer with huge flavor, and is able to stand up to the intensity of the Islay Scotch barrels.

I sampled BLU on August 27, 2017, from a 22 oz. bomber, given to me by my neighbor and good friend, Rob Lansley. It was bottled on October 14, 2016, so it had been aging for almost a year. I’m a little surprised that the Scotch flavor is still so pronounced after nearly a year in the bottle.

So there you have it. I highly recommend Black Butte XXIX. Anyone who appreciates a good imperial stout would enjoy this beer. I don’t drink much rum, but it really adds additional character and depth to this beer. I can also recommend Double Bastard – Bigger, Longer, Uncut, but with one admonition – you may not like it if you don’t like Scotch Whisky. As I stated, I don’t care much for Scotch, but after my initial disdain, I really enjoyed this big beer (thank you, Rob!). In fact, I got another bomber ($11.99) to share with . . . anyone interested? This is a great candidate for aging – maybe I’ll get one more bottle to age for a few years in my cellar.

Well, what are you waiting for? Get off your couch and go buy some good beer. Both are available at Total Wine right now, but are limited release and will be gone soon. Don’t miss out. (Caveat: fizzy yellow beer drinkers, don’t bother.)

Sláinte!

Bastard’s Midnight Brunch and Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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francis2_nobkgrd

Good craft beer is widely available these days.  In the last few months I have sampled many different beers with the intention of posting reviews.  Unfortunately for you, my writing has not kept up with my beer consumption.  Here are a couple more reviews of some good beer, both brewed by Stone.  Please read responsibly.

Bastard’s Midnight Brunch: Stone Brewing, Escondido, CA; 12.7% ABV (2016 release).
Stone offers a wide variety of limited release, specialty, and barrel aged ales in their line-up.  Bastard’s Midnight Brunch is Depth Charged Double Bastard Ale aged in bourbon barrels and maple syrup barrels (refer to my review of Depth Charged Double Bastard, posted December 2, 2015, for more information about the base beer for Midnight Brunch).  Depth Charged is Stone’s Double Bastard Ale brewed with espresso coffee beans, so Midnight Brunch is twice removed from it’s foundation, Double Bastard Ale, which itself is an excellent beer [Double Bastard » Depth Charged » Midnight Brunch].

This beer pours a murky reddish-brown with a 1/4″ cream colored head that fades fairly quickly.  The aroma is sweet: toffee, chocolate and maple.  The flavor is . . . WOW!.  It’s slightly sweet, with dark fruit, raisins, coffee (very slight), and tobacco.  These flavors fade to a slight bitter chocolate in the aftertaste.  After some time, the vanilla and coconut notes from the  bourbon barrel step forward and linger for awhile.  This too fades, to a hop bitterness.    At the end of it all, the bitterness lingers.  As it warms, the Double Bastard roots become more obvious, and a nuttiness comes through.  What great flavor progression!

This beer is full bodied, quite thick and smooth.  The carbonation level is low to medium.  A 1/8″ ring of foam persisted throughout the session, but left no lacing in my tulip glass.

Sweet is the overall impression, but not so much that one feels the need for insulin.  It is very malty like Double Bastard, but is much more complex.  The coffee flavor from the Depth Charged is quite subdued, and the alcohol, although high, is only slightly evident to the palate (but will definitely do some damage).  This is an interesting beer – very good.  I prefer the regular Depth Charged, but it’s more to my liking than regular Double Bastard Ale.  Sorry I can’t give you pricing information – this beer was a gift to me from Sheila  (now, is that a thoughtful gift, or what?).  I would guess about $18 – $20 for a 500 ml bottle.

Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout: Stone Brewing; 9.2% ABV (2008 & 2016 releases).
In 2008, Stone Brewing released Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout as their 12th anniversary ale.  This beer was an instant success, but since it was their anniversary brew, it was not repeated, nor was it added to their stable of regular offerings.  During 2016, in honor of their 20th anniversary celebration, Stone re-released several of their special and/or anniversary ales.  Lucky for me (and all of you), Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout was one of those that Stone released again.

Beers like this are widely available today, but in 2008, they were relatively rare.  When I first tasted BCOS (in 2008) I fell in love with it, and purchased numerous bottles to enjoy over time.  Imagine my shock when I saw a shelf full of this wonderful beer at Costco a few months ago.  Did I buy some?  Oh yeah, numerous bottles.  I’ve consumed a few of them already, and have several of them cellering now for future enjoyment.

Since I still had a couple of bottles of the 2008 release, I sampled a 2008 bottle and a 2016 bottle in a side-by-side comparison for this review.  Imagine my pleasure as I consumed two different vintages of this treat at the same sitting (that’s two 22 oz. bombers of high alcohol imperial stout).  DO NOT try this at home, folks – I am a professional, capable of such exploits.  Well, enough background; you all paid full admission, so here is the review of the two vintages of this monster . . .

Appearance
2008 – Pours black with a thin, medium cocoa-colored head that fades immediately, leaving a micro-thin ring around the perimeter of the glass.
2016 – Pours black with a 1/2″ medium cocoa colored head, which also rapidly fades, but leaves a 1/8″ foam ring that persists.

Aroma
2008 – Sweet, nutty, vanilla (no coffee; much sweeter and nuttier than 2016).
2016 – Sweet, coffee, nutty (the coffee is very noticeable, as is expected with a stout).

Flavor
2008 – Semi-sweet chocolate, dark fruit, cherries, vanilla, nutty.  This vintage is very mellow, easy to drink, thick, and velvety smooth.  There is no bitter chocolate in the aftertaste, just a lingering semi-sweet chocolate.  No alcohol is noted in the flavor at any time (from cold to room temperature).
2016 – Coffee, semi-sweet chocolate, a little raisin, somewhat sweet, but balanced.  There is a lingering bitter chocolate in the aftertaste, along with a hint of nuttiness.  As this vintage warms, the coffee subsides from the flavor and the chocolate dominates.  The alcohol is definitely noticeable in the flavor when compared to the 2008 version, although it is not hot or unpleasant in any way.

Overall Impression
There is a huge difference between these versions.  There is no coffee aroma or flavor in the 2008 release.  The mouthfeel and viscosity of the two is the same, and the alcohol is noticeable in the non-aged version (that’s to be expected).  It is really amazing to drink these two identical beers and taste the huge difference due to aging.

I purchased the 2016 release at Costco – $6.39 for a 22 oz. bomber.  I purchased some more at Total Wine – $7.99 per bomber.  Costco has been out of stock for a long time, but it is still available at Total Wine.

I recommend both of these Stone beers.  The Bastard’s Midnight Brunch is very good, but is undoubtedly more expensive than Depth Charged Bastard.  For that reason, I recommend Depth Charged over Midnight Brunch; I also preferred the deeper coffee notes in Depth Charged (that’s saying something, considering I don’t even drink coffee).  I highly recommend Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, and in fact I currently have a number of bottles aging at Mac’s (including one remaining bottle of the original 2008 release).  This is a complex stout and is the brew that started me drinking “big” beers, especially imperial stouts.  Now, go buy some (caveat: fizzy yellow beer drinkers, don’t bother; you will hate it).

Sláinte!

Depth Charged Double Bastard Ale & 2015 Barrel Aged Narwhal

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francis2_nobkgrd

Mac’s Brew Pub is out of Mac’s Brew, so I’m drinking a variety of high quality commercial beers (refer to the upcoming newsletter for the lame excuse as to why I’m out of Mac’s Brew).  Here are reviews of a couple limited release beers I recently sampled.  Please read responsibly.

2015 Depth Charged Double Bastard Ale: Stone Brewing, Escondido, CA.  11% ABV.
This is Stone’s Double Bastard Ale brewed with espresso coffee beans.  I have never posted a review of Stone’s Double Bastard Ale, but let me give you just a brief description: it’s a huge malty and hoppy extreme version of Arrogant Bastard Ale that is very high in alcohol; it’s not for the faint of heart.  Depth Charged Double Bastard is a more balanced version of the original, owing to the coffee addition.  Let me explain.

Depth Charged pours a deep amber color, very clear, with a slight head, beige in color, that rapidly fades to just a ring around the perimeter of the beer.  The aroma is sweet and malty, with strong coffee and some caramel notes.  The flavor is smooth with Double Bastard caramel maltiness and a bit of coffee.  The coffee flavor is subtle, but knocks down the over-the-top bittersweet Double Bastard malty/hoppy flavor. There are nice coffee, chocolate and caramel notes in the aftertaste.  This beer has a heavy body with a thick creamy mouthfeel, and goes down very smooth.  The carbonation level is good, but not high, and keeps it from being too heavy and syrupy.  As this beer warms, the coffee shines through brighter, making it even nicer.

In my opinion, Depth Charged is much more drinkable than Double Bastard, as the smack in the mouth bittersweet heavy flavor is mitigated by the espresso.  This is much more balanced (bitterness/sweetness) than the original as it is a bit more bitter than Double Bastard, and is more mellow.  The alcohol level, at 11%, is high, but it’s not at all boozy.

Good job, Stone.  This beer is very complex and enjoyable.  It’s really an amazing, fantastic beer.  You gotta taste it to appreciate it’s depth.  Unfortunately, it was brewed only once, so if you want some, you better look for it right away.  My sample was a 22 oz. bomber, which was part of a 4 bottle “Bastard Box” I purchased at Costco for $19.99.  I HIGHLY recommend this beer, and hope Stone will continue this along with their annual Double Bastard release!

2015 Barrel-Aged Narwhal: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA.  12.9% ABV.
Barrel-Aged Narwhal is an imperial stout.  It pours midnight black with a 1/2″ tan head that fades after a couple of minutes, leaving a tan ring around the edge.  The aroma is sweet chocolate and vanilla.  The flavor initially follows the nose – sweet chocolate – then a transitions to slight bitterness, with coconut and vanilla from the bourbon barrel aging.  The carbonation is evident mid-pallate, but not late, and it does not clear the sweet chocolate flavor.  It is a little boozy from mid-palate on, but not hot or unpleasant.  The aftertaste is sweet chocolate, which fades to a slight and pleasant bitterness.

This is a very good beer.  It’s a limited edition brew, so you better get it soon if you’re inclined to drink some.  I bought a 750 ml bottle from Total Wine for $18.99 (as I recall).  I highly recommend this one; it was worth the cost, but I won’t be buying another bottle this year (pretty expensive).

So, the bottom line is this: I highly recommend both of these beers, but especially the Depth Charged Double Bastard Ale.  You won’t be disappointed with either beer (caveat: fizzy yellow beer drinkers – don’t bother; you won’t like either one).

Cheers!