Okay Here it is...my
review of
Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale.
Notes Poured into a Belgian Goblet for tasting purposes.
Appearance - Poured a deep/dark reddish brown, with a beautiful 1/4" creamy head which dissapated within a few minutes, leaving a nice lacing on the curve of the goblet and a surface layer of both large and small bubbles that remained on the surface of the beer throughout the drinking session.
Aroma - Cold, the ale has an almost smoky/woody aroma mixed with both resinous and floral hops, along with hints of brown sugar and bourbon. The wood nose that comes through is definitely oak, and it predominates the aromas. There is also a hint of coffee.
As the ale warms, the coffee, oak, bourbon comes richly to the surface, yet the hops still clearly comes through the center of the aroma...very citrussy.
At the warmest there is even a surprising hint of roasted coconut coming through.
Overall, the aroma is very porter-like...
Mouthfeel - The best word to describe the mouthfeel is "tangy," there is definitely a hop "bite" to it that touches the tip of the tongue, roof of the mouth and the back of the throat upon swallowing. My favorite salty snack is wasabi coated peas, and the bite is very similar, though not as hot.The bite dissipates quickly and the ale coats the mouth smoothly, like a Belgian strong ale...or a chcolate milkshake, but with a bit more carbonation.
This definitely warms as it goes down..at about the half way mark in the glass one feels a warming of the belly.
Taste - There is a lot going on here...The flavors are nearly identical to the aromas...chocolate, toffee, coffee, oak, bourbon, smoke, and a definite hop bitterness...but the hops are mellowed, or smoothed over by the oak aging, which drops it out of the level of "hop bomb" like it's un-aged brother...It moves it into the realm of chocolate/coffee stout.
The flavors are there from cold to room temp, but grow more pronounced as it warms. A noticeable smokiness comes through as it warms, either from smoked grain or because of a toasting of the oak...it is not overpowering, like in a Rauchbier, it reminds me of a porter I once tried that had peat smoked malt as 1/32 of the grainbill...just a hint in aroma and flavor.
Overall - This is an amazing ale...at 7.2% ABV it is not a Barleywine, but in terms of drinking pleasure...taste, aroma, mouthfeel, it could very well be. Maybe drinking it in a different glass would have changed this impression, but in my Belgian maudite goblet it brings the barleywine tendencies out...
I found regular Arrogant Bastard to be very much a hop bomb (which I can only take in small doses) but this version is mellowed quite a lot. It is mellow, but it is not "sissified," this is still a very aggressive ale.
Despite the aggressiveness, this is a very sexy beer...It's a hot blonde in a velvet dress, with a stiletto in her garter belt. The kind of woman, where after a night of unforgettable passion, you wake up in an ice filled bathtub missing a kidney...and spend the rest of your life wanting another night with her.
The hoppiness still is reminiscent of bashing your head against the wall, but this wall is padded, like in a mental ward...The complexity of the aromas and flavors, especially the smokey/oakiness, makes this very drinkable...
I wish I had another bottle...I wonder if there is an decent clone recipe for it.
This made my top 10 list of beers.
Grade - A+
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