A Bitter 50th Post

For my 50th post, I am gonna do something different. Sometimes when I am verbalizing my obsession with wine to someone who has dared question it, I reference my beer drinking days in college. Unless I was at a kegger, simple yellow beer didn't do it for me. I'd drive that extra mile for a taste of something new. In those days it might have been Bluemoon Belgian White Ale or that rare rye beer I'd drink at a local brewery pub. Exposing myself to as many different flavors and styles with my student loan money was the norm. The similarities to my current wine binge are clearly evident.

Being from Niagara Falls, and its close proximity to the other North Americans, my favorite "table" beer is Molson Canadian and if I can find it here in NYC, Molson Export Ale. Lately though I'm craving those hoppy, dense, buzz inducing beers of the good old irresponsible days of college. After refining my palate on wine and food in recent years, I feel its time to revisit and experiment with what makes a good beer in my taste. And honestly, having a couple beers on a week night doesn't do as much damage on the wallet as opening another bottle of wine.

Arrogant Bastard Ale
Stone Brewing Co.
San Diego County ($4)

With a label and name that would alienate most wine buyers in a flash, this beer seduced my playful side immediately. As if the name wasn't bold enough, the words "You're Not Worthy" adds to this cocky marketing strategy. The bottle also reads "It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth." Having read so much wine media lately, seeing this written as a selling point in such plain terms is refreshing, rather than that message being relayed in a passive aggressive way as I sometimes notice in wine branding. Turns out it's not just a gimmicky beer, it's a tasty one too that lives up to its claims of complexity.

Deep amber color with a sweet but hoppy nose. The palate is extremely complex for a beer, with citrus qualities of grapefruit and lemon. The finish is very bitter, but still fruity. The ass kicking 7.2% alcohol is well balanced with the flavors and the texture is just as close to perfect as I could expect. It's hearty, but not too filling. I've already decided to buy more. My grade: A-