Crime
Arrogant Consortia

CrimeCrime
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From:
Arrogant Consortia
 
California, United States
Style:
Chile Beer
Ranked #41
ABV:
9.6%
Score:
69
Ranked #28,075
Avg:
2.98 | pDev: 33.89%
Reviews:
128
Ratings:
537
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 22, 2022
Added:
Feb 06, 2011
Wants:
  23
Gots:
  132
A habitual offender returns
This beer is the result of what many beer enthusiasts would consider a most egregious crime―sequestering Arrogant Bastard Ale, Double Bastard Ale and OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale in Kentucky bourbon barrels, then blending them together with chile peppers. This new version of Crime is still very hoppy in spite of the barrel aging, with lots of oak and malt. The long finish reveals layers of oak, vanilla, bourbon, and malt that combine to produce complex caramel flavors, with peppers adding pleasant tamarind, subtle tropical fruit flavors and a milder heat than in previous concoctions.
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Rated: 3.62 by not2quick from Missouri

Nov 22, 2022
Photo of Rogerlb
Reviewed by Rogerlb from California

3.84/5  rDev +28.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I scored bottles of Crime and Punishment (both 2018) from Stone's May 2022 rare bottle drop online. These have been presumably well-cellared by Stone for 4 years and strong ales age well don't they?

Crime, the base of which is Lukcy Basartd Ale, a mess of original AB, Double Bastard variant and Oaked AB, notoriously has "too many" chilis added. Poured into a tulip, pours clear dark amber, with a thin but persistent ring of head that's slow to dissipate. Aroma is malt, hops, citrus and toffee, the typical Arrogant caramel and bread, with no hint of peppers, vegetable or the bourbon lurking in there. Smells quite "bright".

Taste is initially balanced Arrogant Bastard- bitter, licorice, wood, citrus hops, raisin, smoke (a hint of the bourbon barrels?) then peppers come on pretty quick. Organic (not just hot sauce added), hot in back of mouth, nearly wiping out all nuance. Yet it isn't overpowering, not as bad as previous reviews may suggest this is undrinkable. This is a pepper beer all right. Jalapeno, green bell pepper which recedes in the finish, leaving the AB aftertaste and mouthfeel: toffee, raisin, sweet malt.

20 minutes later as it warms the pepper heat has mellowed and better integrated into the beer profile. The pour later is also more hazy (the bottle notes "Drawn off unfiltered.") The base is generally a mess (three variants of AB) but you get more of the bourbon barrel. Alcohol and astringency are barely noticable, less so than in original Lukcy I seem to think (it's been years since I had it.) Basically the Arrogant base is most prevalent here and the adjunct becomes sideshows.

Good strong ale almost ruined by chili, I'm glad I got a 4-year-old aged bottle which places the chili in better perspective. It adds an enjoyable layer but not sure it improves it. Age no doubt helped the Lukcy mellow as well and become less harsh for uninitiated sippers but also less eccentric. I'm bumping this up to 4 overall just because I generally like chili beers as a category, it wasn't a disaster, it satisfied my curiosity, and I got to enjoy one of my faves, Lukcy again.
Jun 21, 2022
Photo of MikeWard
Reviewed by MikeWard from Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +27.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
500ml bottle into a goblet. 2015 vintage.

A bit of an ugly pour. Muddy reddish brown body. Small white head shrinks to a thin ring, no lacing.

Faint aromas of malt and an even fainter touch of bourbon barrel.

On tasting, all subtlety goes out the window as the chilies take hold and spread warmth in the back of the mouth and throat. The barrel is also more of a presence.

Mouth close to full, finish a bourbon/chili burn with a touch of bitterness.

Overall, can see this as a love/hate kind of beer. I enjoy the heat, and it was a good match for tonight's burritos.
Feb 12, 2022
 
Rated: 3.14 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Jan 27, 2022
Photo of TooManyGlasses
Reviewed by TooManyGlasses from Canada (AB)

4.49/5  rDev +50.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2015 bottle purchased in Anaheim in 2016 and suitcased back to Canada.
Pours a dark reddish brown with short lived tan head.
Aroma is quite reminiscent of Arrogant Bastard - caramel malt, bready with significant piney hops, citrus peel - hint of peppers - some vanilla and notes of the barrel/wood.
Taste hits palate with sticky sweet caramel malt and notes of brown sugar; strongly piney and grapefruit peel - bitterness builds but takes a back seat to the chile pepper heat that does distinctly also build.
Rich full mouthfeel with a sticky bittersweetness and a wonderful pepper intense heat that warms the mucosa.
For the heat lover, this, and its more potent sibling Punishment, is fantastic.
Dec 02, 2021
Photo of zeff80
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri

3.43/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
2015 bottle. Consumed 1/20/21. Poured out a slightly murky, light brown color with a very small, off-white head of foam. It left no lacing. It smelled of bourbon, oak, vanilla and spicy peppers. Mild pepper heat. It would slowly build up. Sweet toffee with bourbon, oak and a touch of vanilla.
Jan 23, 2021
Photo of Eddieeight
Reviewed by Eddieeight from Ohio

5/5  rDev +67.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
I have a 2015 bottle poured into a snifter. Pours dark brown with a cream colored head. Smells very malty and a little bit like bananas. Taste is awesome. I get a burned caramel / toffee base with a little bit of pine on top of that. The bourbon is present as well. Then a few seconds later the Chile pepper heat hits you and coats your mouth and throat which is just freaking amazing. Mouthfeel is medium with medium effervescence. Not too thick or heavy. Overall this is an excellent beer if you like spicy beer. The only other beer I’ve had like this is ballast point habanero sculpin which also had intense amounts of heat. I love this beer and would love to have it again!
--------------------------
Well it's 2 and a half years later and this has been sitting on my shelf for some time. This is a 2015 bottle as well, which makes this remarkably the oldest beer I will ever have tried - 7 years old. I always wanted to try this again. You know I always think I should wait for a special occasion to try a special beer, but sometimes it's just the act of drinking the special beer that can turn it into a special occasion. Tonight is one of those nights. I went to see the legendary noise band Melt Banana earlier this evening. Their music is so full of exuberance, joy, ecstasy, and brilliance, it was really inspiring. The crowd danced like crazy banshees. The guitarist jumped around playing fast frantic chords. The singer barked and yelped. There's nobody that sounds like Melt Banana - they are very unique. It was truly wonderful and made me absolutely happy to be alive. So I'm taking off a half day of work tomorrow and slipping into this beer, hey, let's make today really special. Poured out a beautiful deep red hue into a snifter. Nice creamy white 1 inch head that dissipates after about one minute. Leaving a slight rim around the glass. There's not really a whole lot going on with the smell, it is slightly butterscotch, caramel, and toffee, it's very faint, even after swirling the glass. Tasting it is sweet on the uptake, fruity on the top, with cherry and raisin flavors and somewhat malty as well. But BAM that heat envelops the throat on the swallow, it just completely sears it and delivers the red hot devil deep into my soul that i've been craving. I LOVE this beer. I think I know why this scored so poorly here on BeerAdvocate. It's because nobody likes spicy beer. But I crave it. I have tried some other memorably spicy beers - Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin, Motorwerks Mango Habanero, Hoppin Frog Hauser's Heat of the Moment. So this one earns a spot on my top four list of spicy beers. And dammit that sure makes my day special!
Feb 18, 2020
Photo of ovaltine
Reviewed by ovaltine from Indiana

4.35/5  rDev +46%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2015 vintage, splitting this with my son as one of our two “Christmas early” beers, this excellent chile beer pours a hazy rich brown color with a tan head. The nose has oak, caramel, toffee, booze, and fruity hop notes, but surprisingly no heat.

The heat is definitely present on the taste, but not painfully so - the chile heat combines exceptionally well with the oak, caramel, toffee, and hop notes (the booze has receded way into the background on the taste) to make a beer this is an excellent sipper on a cold winter night.
Dec 19, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by archero from Texas

Sep 12, 2019
 
Rated: 4.5 by crob3888 from California

Jun 16, 2019
 
Rated: 3.8 by Griffith from Connecticut

Apr 05, 2019
Photo of Snowcrash000
Reviewed by Snowcrash000 from Germany

4.35/5  rDev +46%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a cloudy deep, dark amber coloration with a large, creamy head. Smells of bready, caramel malt, red/dark fruits, citrus and pine, with just a hint of chili peppers. Taste is dominated by caramel malt, toffee, red/dark fruit: redcurrant, plum, fig and an intense, but not overbearing chili heat, as well as lighter notes of citrus fruit: grapefruit and pine, with just a hint of vanilla and and a certain earthy oak note. Finishes with a medium bitterness and some toffee and red/dark fruit lingering in the aftertaste, as well as a strong chili heat lingering on the tongue for quite a while. Full mouthfeel with a rich body and medium carbonation.

I don't know if the chili has mellowed this much over 3 years or if people are just a bunch of ninnies, but this is exactly what I expected from this brew and I was not disappointed. I was was actually quite surprised by how much citrus/pine is left in this after those 3 years, but the malt and chili heat clearly dominates, with the hops providing a good balance. There are some hints of bourbon, vanilla and oak to this as well, but they could actually be a little more pronounced. Fantastic brew that does exactly what it says on the tin. As a German maker of sharp eucalyptus candies puts it: If it's too hot, you are too weak. Arrogant Consortia couldn't have put it better themselves.
Mar 24, 2019
 
Rated: 5 by Kwright from North Carolina

Jan 23, 2019
 
Rated: 3.74 by onewayboogie from California

Oct 26, 2018
Photo of LifesAnesthesia
Reviewed by LifesAnesthesia from Virginia

3.67/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Aged 3 years from purchase in 2015:
L - Opaque brown with reddish and copper hues with a small thin tan head that sticks around and leaves some lacing behind.
S - hops, malt, caramel, peppery, bready yeast
T - Follows the nose and incredibly complex: with bitter hops up front, followed by bready yeast, dark fruits, caramel, notes of earth, tons of pepper, and some notes of oak and bourbon.
F - Medium to full bodied with a light to moderate amount of carbonation. Smooth yet crisp. There's a nice mouth, lips, and throat tingle from the peppers.
O - I'll start off by saying this is a pretty decent pepper ale - I've had better, but overall this one isn't too bad. At the same time, this is my least favorite from Arrogant Bastard. The ale is complex with a good flavor (thanks to the wonderful flavor profile of the arrogant bastard line), but I'm not sure the peppers go so well with the flavor profile. It's decently hot, but not as hot as many complain of - then again, maybe the pepper profile has mellowed after 3 years of aging. Definitely worth a try and a fun brew, but probably would not try again.
Aug 17, 2018
 
Rated: 2.89 by 2beerdogs from California

Jul 06, 2018
 
Rated: 2.62 by CreightonSM from New York

Jan 31, 2018
Photo of MonDak_Joe1953
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

3.49/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from 500ml bottle into glass. '2016' dated bottle.
Muddy brown colored body, with reddish highlights when presented to light. Light tan cap, fed by bubbles. Good spotting of lacing.
Aroma of dark biscuit malt, dark fruit, hot pepper, toffee, and bourbon barrel.
Strong tastes of sweeter dark fruit and toffee, with the hotter chiles. Good roasted malt background, with bourbon barrel notes. No real bitterness, but has tongue sting from the peppers. Has rather a mellow burn, not overwhelming. Aftertaste is like what eating a medium hot chile and a handful of raisins or prunes provides.
Medium mouth feel. Taste profile moves through rather quickly, with a slight burn from the chiles.
This is not a beer that I would look for often, but a very good experiment of what can be done with a malt beverage. Is it too hot - no, but is it very pleasurable - no to that as well.
Jan 21, 2018
Photo of BillNevins
Reviewed by BillNevins from New Mexico

4.05/5  rDev +35.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2013 bottle just opened Dec 4 2017. Whew this is a hot one. I live in New Mexico and love hot chile, so I am not running away but this is one arrogant bastard of a spicy hot ale! Sip it slow, though, and let it warm, and it does grow on you. The hops are still there, deep behind the burn, and that richness of Double AB comes through. Not bad. I think I will check out the 2017 bottling and see how it has developed.
Going to finish the bottle while eating beef and potato slow cooked stew on a cold night, and ya know I do think this will be fine.
Not sure how often I will go back to this beer, but it ain't a bad experience this time through. Salud!
Dec 05, 2017
Photo of VeganUndead
Reviewed by VeganUndead from Virginia

3.31/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Bottle aged for 2 years so obviously a bit skewed of a presentation. Malty sweetness on the nose with obvious heat, pour looks like mud. Heat is not dominating anymore but residual, not terrible, not great, a bit weird
Oct 23, 2017
Crime from Arrogant Consortia
Beer rating: 69 out of 100 with 537 ratings