Lukcy Basartd

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
ABV: 8.5%
Country: USA, California

Lukcy Basartd is Stone's ale to commemorate the brewer' s 13 years of existence. It is actually a blend of three of their beers, Arrogant Bastard Ale, Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale, and Double Bastard Ale. If you noticed something funny about the name of the beer, it is not a typo. Not only is the title spelled funny, but the entire description on the back of the bottle is spelled in a similar fashion. Since the first and lest letter of each word is in the proper location, my brain was reading the words correctly in my head. It took me a paragraph or two of reading before I noticed something was funny when I ran across a word that didn't get "fixed" in my head. I actually thought that the bottle read "Lucky Bastard" until I tried to go to www.lukcybasartd.com and it didn't work as expected. Had I read this label after drinking the beer, I would have been in serious trouble.

Pour showed a dark copper color with ruby highlights. It had a thick tan head that sat on top for a good period of time and left plenty of lacing. Sharp citrus and pine with hints of roasted malts and oak. Tasted similar to the aroma with hops dominating the flavor. Malts are plenty hefty and provided a rich sweetness that was balanced with plenty of bitterness. Hiding behind the hops and bitterness, oak flavors are noticeable. Alcohol was certainly present in both the aroma and the taste. An astringency and a sharp warmth were both present because of the alcohol. While it was a good beer, it didn't knock me off my feet. It tasted too much like the Double Bastard so giving this its own rating is tricky. The oak was an interesting addition. I've had other oaked beers and am turned off by them if the oak flavor is over done. The oak in this beer was a bit more subtle so it worked out pretty well. B+