Arrogant Bastard isn't an IPA?

It is not IPA in the way I see IPAs.

If you think only hoppiness, so yeah, that hoppiness is very similar as hoppiness in many ipas. But that malt base is uite different and I think IPA should be paler (I know, there is some exceptions). So American Strong is good definition. I thik it is strong hoppy amber.

 

As there isn't any official definition of IPA, just people's opinions about what they think constitutes one there's going to be no definitive answer.A lot has happened since the days of wooden ships and nobody except Orval brews anything vaguely like the beers that went to India.
Beer exists along a spectrum and as we know in a rainbow certain colours can be detected.But where one merges into another and exactly what constitutes "orange" are matters of perception. Strong ale never was a style, just a description.

 

It certainly gets enough mentions on here for it to be an IPA.

 

With these overly hopped American beers who can tell anymore

 

Half of BA complains that we call anything hoppy an IPA, the other half complains that we don't call a beer that is hoppy an IPA. The line has been drawn, pick a side.

American Strong Ale is a catch all style and the most appropriate for Arrogant Bastard. It may be hopped like an IPA but that is all you got, it is not an IPA.

 

When in doubt, read the label or look the beer profile up. They do have such things on this very site you know...

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/92

 

Your comment makes perfect sense. Why wouldn't it be an IPA if the definition for IPA now has so little meaning?

Hoppy Strong Ale is a designation I would include in my own shortened list of beer styles. I believe we would get by much better if we had less than 20 of the damn beeer style names

I could see placing into the category Hoppy Strong Ale: hoppy Imperial Ambers, hoppy Barleywines, hoppy Vintage Ales, hoppy Wee Heavy, and maybe a few others as well. IPA and all the other variations from mild to Imperial ESB and IIPA could be in a category called Pales, or Hoppy Pales, depending on how hoppy they are. One would know how strong they are by looking at the label at the ABV.

And yes I know almost no one agrees with me on this.

 

But then how would we be able to properly evaluate a beer based on a 4 oz. pour and preconceived notions?

 

I think that's an almost perfect way to describe the style. And yes, well worth exploring.

 

Fresh Big Foot is wonderfully hoppy too.

 

I had the same experience. Based on everything that I knew about Stone at the time I assumed that Arrogant Bastard (I happened to try Double Bastard first) was some kind of DIPA. When I poured it I thought, "hmmm, this doesn't look like an IPA." When I smelled it I thought, "hmm, this doesn't smell like an IPA." As soon as I tasted it (and liked it) I ran to the computer to see just what it was that I was drinking.

 

Tell me you got the joke?

 

Rogue Dead Guy Ale is a lager, so apparently you can just call your beer what ever the hell you want because everything is made up and the points don't matter.

 

It uses an ale yeast, but they call it a maibock and an ale at the same time. silly rogue.

Anyways, I don't know if they lager it but they sure don't use a lager yeast. Always bothered me..

 

American strong ale isnt really a style, but a catch all category. Basically it means that it is a high abv beer that is not an IPA, Stout or barley wine.

 

Is not a barley wine both strong and an ale?
Strong Ale is as you say a catch-all name. Like dog, that's what you use when you don't know what the breed is.
I've been drinking IPA under its different guises for around 40 years and still haven't pinned down exactly what it is supposed to be.It isn't even necessarily pale nowadays.

 

Got one sitting in my fridge right now and never had it before...excellent timing. Gotta love the $5-ish bomber options at Trader Joe's.

 

Why did you do that last part? You could have decided for yourself exactly what it was you were drinking if you had sat there and contemplated while finishing what was in your damn glass!
At least you said you liked it on your own, rather than looking at scores and reviews to decide if you did or not.

 

A Stone beer was hoppy? I am shocked, SHOCKED by this news.

 

Is Stone Levitation a Weak Ale then?