Double Bastard Ale

~ Initial Review (2001 Vintage), 03-26-2003:
The foam presents itself grudgingly, as if it just as well rather stay asleep in the comfortable confines of the deep amber beer ocean below. Odd little patches of foam form on the top -- there's something that's shaped like the island of Bahrain, and look; there's an archipelago forming off Bahrain's north coast...

As I bring this microverse to my lips, the aroma reaches out and commands to be obeyed. "Repent! Repent your sins now, `fore it be too late!" A farmer's bounty of aroma follows, along with the more dire warning of something evil this way comes...

An explosion follows, that I can barely recall or recount accurately. Shades of Shiraz, hints of hazel, a rain of raisins -- all this, and so much more, befall my senses. I am caught up in an avalanche, with no where to run..., no where to hide. What bedevilment hath accosted me..?!? Into thy hands, I commend thee...!

And then...,

I took another sip...,

and enjoyed the trip all over again.... ;)

An exceptional beer, that really can have no peers.

~ Re-Review (2001 Vintage), 10-06-2004:
My second-to-last 2001 Double Bastard -- and a beer that I kinda glad that I haven't held onto to for too much longer. For while this is still a wonderful beer, it has not improved much with aging. Rather, I have to say that this came across to me as less of a "Double Bastard", but more along the lines of a "Bastard-And-A-Half". That is to say, still bigger than the standard Arrogant Bastard, but a fading shadow of the full-blown Double Bastard.

Both the pugent hoppiness and whiskey-ish alcohol seemed to be far-removed from this most recent sampling. Still tasty as hell, and a very nice nightcap, but as far as knocking my socks off et al, um, not so much....

So IMO, Double Bastard tops out at about 2 years of cellaring, and seems to get a little too laid-back after three. Me'thinks I'll have to find a good reason to share my very last 2001 sometime soon....

(Scores reflecting the fresher/better sampling).

~ Re-Review (2004 Vintage), 11-03-2004:
Going from one extreme to another (a slightly dated 2001 bottle last month, to this 2004 bottle, barely hours old on the BevMo shelf), one learns to appreciate this beer even more.

Despite early reports, I don't think this year's batch is too "hot" tasting, nor a lot lighter in appearence than ussual. Rather, it just seems like the beer's multifaceted approach seems to ahve been refined and "nuanced" a bit more towards saner levels of balance (compartively speaking, of course! This is still Double Bastard, that's for sure!).

Stone doesn't do "Holiday Releases" per se... but I know I'm not alone in saying that this is one of the many treasures that I look forward to when the days get shorter and the air gets colder. Most Highly Recommended.
//TB