Lucky Bastard

Most of us who drink beer by now have either seen Stone Brewings flagship beer Arrogant Bastard Ale in just about any grocery store, or in just about every bar and pub to be had. Stone loves this beer because they make about a million variations on it. For their thirteenth anniversary they have produced yet another incarnation of this classic western microbrew, the so-called Lucky Bastard. As per usual there is the usual ugly mug of some stereotypical gargoyle on the front of the label with the title of the beer. It weighs in at a healthy 8.5% alc as well, so like most of their beers this one has a nice little kick to it. The most awesome part about this beer though is the fact that stone made a huge description on the back of the beer, with all the letters in every word rearranged. It's intense, but for dyslexics like myself it is a wonderfully easy read. Actually for those not aware of this little psychological experiment, almost anyone will be able to read it based off of the functions of the human nervous system, and eyesite. Apparently Stone wants to show the public at large just how awesome the human brain is. The description on the back says that this thing is a mix of the Bastard line, that is to say Oak aged Bastard, Double Bastard, and regular Arrogant Bastard. I used a nice rastal glass so if you get a good wiff, it's the usualy citrusy smell typical of many uber-hoppy beers. Arrogant Bastard on it's own is listed as an American Strong Ale, but I'd label it more an Imperial Pale Ale. This one steps it up a notch with some wonderfully hoppy taste to it, you get the kick but it does not have the sweetness that you may get when drinking a heavy duty Imperial India Pale Ale. Alot of the hoppy-bitterness really comes through nice on this one. It also has a nicer tangy citrus aftertaste that I love much more than any of the regular Arrogant Bastard line. In a way it almost tastes like the correct proportion of tang was thrown in with this beer, but that's definitely not a bad thing. It's probably one of the best balanced heavier pale ales I've ever had. Hop heads rejoice cause this is definitely one you need to add to your list. It's fairly prevalant as well, I've seen it at many grocery stores, all specialty beer stores, and even the Mint Alehouse in Enumclaw (those who have not been, or only know Enumclaw for the horsy thing, I fully encourage you to discover this awesome pub!) I'm not usually a big Arrogant Bastard fan but this version where the company kind of dabled the proportions of several of the beers was pretty good, so for once I'll give the thumbs up to a wonderfully done Lucky Bastard.