Crime
Arrogant Consortia in Escondido, California, United States 🇺🇸
Brewed at/by: Stone BrewingStrong Ale - American Rotating Out of Production
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Score
6.36
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This beer was crafted for those who adore both pain and pleasure (but mostly pain), those who should know better and those who don't know better. It is the result of what many beer enthusiasts would consider a most egregious crime—sequestering Arrogant Bastard Ale, Double Bastard Ale and OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale in Kentucky bourbon barrels, then blending them together with jalapeño, serrano, and other chile peppers. The result is something unsuitable for the faint of heart, mind or palate. Still confident you can handle this? Very well, but be forewarned: You're playing with fire...be prepared for the consequences.
Crime was first concocted in 2010, when Stone CEO Greg Koch decided to ruin a beautiful barrel full of Lukcy Basartd Ale by dumping a variety of chile peppers from his backyard garden into the beer. This year’s version is still very hoppy in spite of the barrel aging, with lots of oak and malt. The long finish reveals layers of oak, vanilla, bourbon and malt that synergistically combine to produce complex caramel flavors, with peppers adding pleasant tamarind, subtle tropical flavors and significant heat.
Crime was first concocted in 2010, when Stone CEO Greg Koch decided to ruin a beautiful barrel full of Lukcy Basartd Ale by dumping a variety of chile peppers from his backyard garden into the beer. This year’s version is still very hoppy in spite of the barrel aging, with lots of oak and malt. The long finish reveals layers of oak, vanilla, bourbon and malt that synergistically combine to produce complex caramel flavors, with peppers adding pleasant tamarind, subtle tropical flavors and significant heat.
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5.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 4.5
Bottle - Lots of peppery jalapeño. Cloudy copper with a ton of floaties. It burns and is undrinkable. Why would they do this?
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Jul 2015
at 21:10
2/10
Tried
on 13 May 2015
at 20:33
5.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 6.5
Sample at Kurtkeller 018: Tequila-aged and Let’s Agree to Ruin Our Evening with Pepper beers-tastic 01 on 11/04/2014. Clear ruby-amber color with a medium off-white head that recedes steadily. Stringy lacing. Peppers and oak in the nose. Medium-bodied with flavors of vegetal peppers, grainy malt and a bit of wood. The finish is hot with a peppery aftertaste. A little too overboard for me, average overall.
Tried
on 14 Nov 2014
at 12:15
5.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 6
Bottle. Pours a hazy golden orange color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity spicy strong chili aroma with weak woody hints. Spicy and very hot chili flavor with woody caramel hints. Has a spicy hot agressive chili finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Nov 2014
at 23:41
4.5/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 8
Flavor 3
Texture 4
Overall 3
Bottle courtesy of obguthr, side by side with Punishment provided by maniac, a great example of beer tasting collaboration and planning. Cloudy. Intense aroma of fresh peppers. Holy cow, taste is hot, hot hot.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Sep 2014
at 10:05
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6
Underneath the searing pepper heat lie elements of a great ale. Bourbon barrel takes some of the edge off but heat still lingers on the lips and tongue.
Tried
on 29 Jun 2014
at 20:01
6.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
500 ml bottle from Imbibe Wine. Nose is Serrano or jalapeno pepper flesh with a slight hint of vanilla and toffee. (Like I am smelling peppers as I dry them before grinding them to make my chili powder). Cherry brown with a medium, long lasting, lightly lacing, beige head. Flavor is moderate spicy heat that tastes like grilled jalapenos (less heat than my normal chili beans I cook using my homegrown jalapenos) with some light sweet notes and a very slight background bitterness. Not nearly as hot as I suspected when I saw the wide spectrum of ratings. There is too much of the peppers present to get much of the beers hidden flavors and it is way too expensive to cook with. It is nice to savor slowly but when I buy a barrel aged beer I like more barrel characteristics. It probably should be listed as a spice/herb/vegetable beer. But it beats the "HELL" out of Cave Creek Chili Beer!
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 May 2014
at 16:29
6.4/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 2
Overall 7.5
Vicious pepper nose, guajillo? Cloudy rust, thin head. Flavor is dominated by smoked chilis. Mouthfeel is hot for obvious reasons, and rather unpleasant. Good flavor, but it shouldn’t hurt when I drink a beer, or visit the crapper the next day.
Tried
on 07 Apr 2014
at 20:21
5.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 3.5
C&C 750 mL bottle shared by ogbuthr at the WWGT2D? Charlottesville tasting, 4/5/14. Pours a hazy reddish brown color with a thin tan head. Fair head retention. Aroma of strong peppers, caramel, bourbon, whiskey. The taste is strong, hot peppers, Not much else. A hint of bourbon and caramel. Medium bodied, STRONG HEAT!!!!
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Apr 2014
at 18:44
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Draught at EBF, 3/22/14
Hmmm, how to rate this one. As someone who rants and rants about balance, being very outspoken against over-the-top beers, I’m quite torn. You see, on one hand, this stuff is about as balanced as putting a pound of hops in a blender and drinking the resulting liquid. On the other, I ABSOLUTELY F**KING LOVE IT! Wow. Incredibly spicy, tremendously flavorful chilis are actually supported by the texture and strong, but engaging carbonation. Certainly enough malt sweetness to attempt to balance it. I mean, it’s not too sweet or too dry, I didnt find a ton of alcohol heat and while I’ve never been any particular fan of Lucky Bastard, I just cant’ deny being absolutely in love with the massively firey heat. As a chili beer, this stuff is an easy 4.5+, as an actual beer to drink, I guess its probably closer to a 2.5. Guess I’ll split the difference.
Hmmm, how to rate this one. As someone who rants and rants about balance, being very outspoken against over-the-top beers, I’m quite torn. You see, on one hand, this stuff is about as balanced as putting a pound of hops in a blender and drinking the resulting liquid. On the other, I ABSOLUTELY F**KING LOVE IT! Wow. Incredibly spicy, tremendously flavorful chilis are actually supported by the texture and strong, but engaging carbonation. Certainly enough malt sweetness to attempt to balance it. I mean, it’s not too sweet or too dry, I didnt find a ton of alcohol heat and while I’ve never been any particular fan of Lucky Bastard, I just cant’ deny being absolutely in love with the massively firey heat. As a chili beer, this stuff is an easy 4.5+, as an actual beer to drink, I guess its probably closer to a 2.5. Guess I’ll split the difference.
Tried
from Can
on 30 Mar 2014
at 17:13