2015 Double Bastard Ale and Arrogant Bastard Box Unleashed Nationwide

I'm not buying this beer simply because of the ridiculously long press release.

 

It's been quite a few years since I've last had a Double Bastard, we do get Stone. Awesome Brew!

Cheers!

 

As long as the price is what it was last year. I'll pick up a box or two and maybe age one to see what happens.

 

I've always heard the phrase "vim and vigor". Tomato Tow-mah-TOE

 

Hoping the box set makes its way to NH this year?

 

Made it through the first paragraph then my eyeballs started rolling so much that I couldn't finish the rest

 

So Depth-Charged is exclusive to the box set?

 

Depth-Charged!!

 

Double Bastard is still one of my favorite beers.

My question is..I thought it was brewed by Stone..what is Arrogant Bastard Breweing Co.?

 

Presumably, as with the bombers of Bourbon Barrel Aged Arrogant Bastard last year. I bought so many of last year's box from Costco... looking forward to doing the same this year!

 

why would they make a sub-brand?

 

There are now several different Arrogant Bastard variation and even those "collaborations". Add to the fact that the regular AB is the highest selling bomber in America (meaning it has a relative large market all by itself) one can see why it makes sense to split it into a sub-brand.

 

Didn't a previous press-release imply that they are going to contract-brew it at other breweries?

http://road.arrogantbastard.com/

 

Yeah, but that's their whole shtick.

 

This was the deal of the season last year - $10 around here for 4 bottles. I kept thinking it was a mistake.

 

Looking forward to the box release. Not sure about a java-infused Double Bastard, but I'm usually willing to give Stone a chance on most things they do. I love that they do things outside the norm. I try not to take my enjoyment of their liquid arrogance too seriously. Cheers!

 

The Depth-Charged Double Bastard sounds intriguing and I think would be worth the price of admission. But I wonder how long before the boxes hit the shelves here and if they will go quickly? I ask because I can still find the previous boxed set with the Bourbon Barrel Bastard at a couple of places... nicely aged by now.

 

Surely that was, I got it for $24 I think and was still happy since it was basically BA AB for free, but I would have had nothing but this box if it was $10!

And I hope I can find this, only saw it once last year and purchased on site, but never saw it again after that. Depth-Charged sounds interesting, definitely don't mind this becoming a yearly thing with Lukcy and an AB alternative in it rotating.

Never was able to find BA AB 6 packs, maybe I'll hunt those down in anticipation for this.

 

No one contract brews Arrogant Bastard, he confirms that in that link.

 

Yeah, I don't have any specific information, but I think basically what happened was Stone decided to spin off AB, partially because a lot of casual beer drinkers couldn't parse the name of the brewery from the name of the beer (likely because for most AALs, there's no meaningful distinction there), and partially because the Bastard's brash style didn't quite jive with the tone of the rest of Stone's lineup (see Greg Koch's posts here and here). To commemorate AB spinning off, they sent him "on the road", just as a way to do something fun. All speculation of course, so caveat emptor.

 

That's not speculation. That's dead-on accurate.

 

With the spin off, does that mean the end of Arrogant Bastard in the Stone Mixed 12 packs? I always loved getting Arrogant Bastard in those.

 

I didn't make the correlation before but the latest box is the first one without arrogant bastard in it. I also loved getting them in the mixed 12.

 

It looks like Ruination 2.0 might be replacing it as the new flagship under Stone brand. I am going to have a hard time separating Stone and Arrogant Bastard in my mind.

And back on topic, I am really looking forward to Depth Charged Double Bastard. Double Bastard is one of my all time favorites, and I have always been a huge fan of coffee beers. This should be good!

 

Yeah, I now saw that post http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...e-brewed-elsewhere.307864/page-3#post-4136187

 

Just picked mine up this morning, fresh off the truck. At 21.99, it's a bargain for such quality beers; especially for those of us that haven't been in the presence of such "arrogance". (Yes, I have yet to try Arrogant Bastard. )

 

$19.99 here in NE Ohio. Can't imagine there are many better deals to be had, especially in bombers.

 

Got the Bastard Box at Costco for $14.99 last year. That price was a straight up steal. $3.75 per bomber of one of my favorite beers ever? Hell yes.

 

Except they claim its not contract brewing.

Apparently they've done something like just turning the recipe over to allow some other breweries to brew their own batches for use in their own brewpubs, etc..

See Post #88 in this thread:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...e-brewed-elsewhere.307864/page-3#post-4192633

 

Yeah, I later acknowledged this a couple of posts later. The initial press release was just very vague due to the Arrogant Bastard schtick.

Also for future reference- you can direct link to a specific post in a thread, just click on the #88 and it gives you a direct link.

 

Just had the Depth-Charged Double Bastard. The worst thing I can say about it is that it might not be the best new (to me) beer of 2015. Out of hundreds of beers. And only might not. I will be buying probably a dozen of these boxes. I think if I had to choose one beer to drink for the rest of my life, this would be it.

 

While I am a fan of all these beers, I REALLY hope somewhere around here puts out a single of the Depth Charged

 

I used to buy a lot of Stone beer.
I've spent maybe $20 in Stone in the last year and a half after they started an indiegogo (an online crowdfunding site) for a new Stone brewery overseas . They're a multi million dollar company and they were asking their consumers to fund a brewery overseas . And the "gifts" for helping them with cash were just ridiculous.

Ideally, I buy no more Stone beer. There are many other great breweries who don't ask their fans to fund overseas breweries.

 

Kome here kuickly... Kuaff wanna kuaff you bastids.

 

Or, you could look at it as Stone giving fans a way of feeling like they had some sort of stake in something that, monetarily, you're right was going to happen either way. And giving those fans access to exclusive beers at reasonable prices to boot.

 

Here's the truth about that (should you be interested):

 

I wonder if @StoneGreg has any opinion how Depth-Charged will hold up to age? Also, I sure hope some is socked away in some rye whiskey barrels (though I could see peaty Scotch or rum as well).

 

Here's my answer: I don't know. It's the first time we've made that beer. (By "we" I mean the Arrogant Bastard Ale Brewing Co of course.)

What we do know: Double Bastard Ale has historically aged quite well. Coffee beers that we've made that have not been focused on hops (such as Dayman) have also aged quite well.

Triangulated guess: Depth Charged Double Bastard Ale should be quite cellarable.

Question for you though. Why age? Why not just drink? The reasons for aging might be 1) thinking it'll get better, or 2) targeting some future special occasion. I guess it could be 3) cellaring for the specific reason of collecting, with no particular focus on when or if it will get drunk.

Actually, I principally age for 4) because I have too damn many 'big' beers and can't drink them all, and tend to prefer them from "time to time" rather than as my "everyday" styles (which tend to be IPAs and sub-8%abv styles), so the big age-able styles tend to gather and gather.

What's your reason(s)?

 

For me, its mostly #4, occasionally #1 ( i.e. Enjoy After 10/31/15, which I should open soon )

Only have one bottle of Depth-Charged on hand. It definitely won't survive long enough to be aged.