I’m going to tell you going into this article, that I’m writing this as if I don’t know what Stone Brewing Co. is doing. You’ll see what I mean in a second.
As you read this at work or on the toilet, the once brewed by Stone Double Bastard is hitting shelves once again. Wait, once brewed by Stone? What the hell? Again, let’s play dumb.
Some recent events in Stone Brewing Co. history. (I try to write the brewery’s name out completely when I can. They get a little annoyed when you just say Stone. Shit, I did it again.) Right before news of Greg Koch leaving the CEO position at Stone, news of the Arrogant Bastard himself (the beer not Greg Koch) going on the road, to be brewed at Great Divide, Maui Brewing, Brew Dog, and Maine Beer Company. (Rumor has it, each one of those brew days are a new rendition of Arrogant Bastard.)
So… Did Stone basically turn their contract brewing into a marketing campaign? That’s in the “comments” section on their road.arrogantbastard.com site. Apparently it’s not contract brewing when it’s brewed elsewhere. It’s just basic Bastard behavior, and brewing normality. It’s gypsy brewing with an arrogant twist.
NO ONE “contract” brews the Arrogant Bastard. I go where my Arrogance inspires action. With my newfound comrades, I will brew small batches of myself and with these comrades, donate funds along the way. Long Live Arrogant Bastard Brewing Co. aka Me.
When we reached out to the self titled “weasels” at Arrogant Bastard Brewing about what all this is, we got a short email from AB (Arrogant Bastard) that just pointed us back to the ambiguous site about him getting on a motorcycle and headed around the country. So that’s that.
What IS going on? Double Bastard is headed back to shelves now, and with him comes the Arrogant Bastard Box. The 4 pack of 22 ounce bottles includes Arrogant Bastard, 2015 Double Bastard, Oaked Arrogant Bastard, and new DEPTH CHARGED Double Bastard.
So there you have it. Arrogant Bastard Brewing’s Bastards are back. Officially, un-offically, by Stone (Brewing Co.)
Makes sense right?
Enjoy.
U.S. Distribution: AK, AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA and Puerto Rico
International Distribution: Australia; Alberta and British Columbia, Canada; Japan; Singapore; Sweden; Thailand; and United Kingdom
I swear beer culture is getting dumber by the second. It felt like we were getting somewhere for a few years there. Now it just seems like we are appealing to the same people who buy Apple Watches and want every erection to be more epic than the last. Why can’t we be happy knowing what time it is and having pretty good erections on a regular basis? I’m calling it here: Next will be the Arrogant Bastard Comic Book. The Gargoyle will go around the country destroying pussy beer with his powers of Arrogance and Hops. Your welcome, Greg.
Eric,
I somewhat agree. I do believe this is the kind of bullshit that distracts from the good beer. But you have to see this for what it is. It’s marketing 101. When sales decline, what is the easiest way to draw attention to your beer? Making an ass of yourself. Don’t get too worked up. Just sit back and enjoy the show!
This is very Rogue-like marketing.
Just don’t tell Rogue Brewing.
I still don’t understand. So, it’s created by Stone Brewing; but it’s not 100% Stone? Or is this like the stock market? If you buy in, your dividend is the ability to brew the name of arrogant bastard under your own portfolio?
That would be an arrogant dead guy? Or a dead bastard? Hmmm
Arrogant dead bastard!