Stone 02.02.02 Vertical Epic Ale

Formerly brewed at Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Escondido, California USA

light cloudy body with a shampoo head. orange blossoms and lemon rind fill the nose. Flavour ages well and features a backbone of sweet coconut almond with a floral characteristic. Mouth feels very grainy and unique, with a lemongrass aftertase. Hats off to Walt for finding this in a dumpster outside of a stripclub in Utah.

Big thanks to Walt for digging this thing out for the 2006 Chromefest: Poured golden yellow with a touch of orange. Big white head. Light apple and grapefruit in the aroma. Somewhat floral. Flavor was surprisingly grainy to me with light fruit and flowers. Sweet finish. Still pretty good after almost 4.5 years.

Bottle. So, imagine my surprise when I went to my corner 7-11 for a refill of my Diet Coke cup, when I walk past the cooler and see this staring back at me! Best $1.99 I ever spent, that is for damn sure. Anyways. Citric nose like dishwashing liquid, almost hazy body, yellow/orange with a lasting medium film of bubbles. Taste-good hops, citric, wheaty, light smoke, light plastic, zesty, good honey with almost a hint of funk. From listening to the masses talk, I figure that this beer would be past, but it isn’t. It was quite enjoyable.

I thought for sure that I had had this. Attractive, moderately-sized carbonation, in a clinging white head on a hazy dark yellow body. Beautiful aroma--flowers so big I might have to shoo away bees in a minute, plus bubblegum, canteloupe, banana, a touch of coconut, and good yeast influence. Easy drinking, with a sophisticated touch at the end.

Bomber from Belgianhomebrew, thanks man! Shared with Eyedrinkale on 8/5/2005. Served chilled, to start, in a corsendonk tulip.
Smells quite yeasty, though rather a meaty/heavy yeastiness. Sherry, marzipan and the gang are all present as well. Some wet, rotting flower petals. Maybe a hint of lavendar. Pineapple and old spoiling peaches as well. Color is a hazy peach, slight rust tones and copper-gold hues throughout. Respectable white head is dense and creamy, but quite small. It does retain well at a small covering and there is some spotty lacing. Handful of bubbles rise, slowly, every couple of seconds. The sediment is suspended throughout the beer. Flavor begins with caramel and taffee (sort of a chewy, vanilla and cream flavor). Peppery notes arise quickly to balance the sweetness, but it dosent take much, as this is quite well-attenuated. On the finish, there is a whiskeyish element, though I know this wasnt barrel aged. Could just be the pepperiness mixed with slight fruity esters. Sweet peaches and light clementines. Great palate is immediately noticeable. Low carbonation, small, expansive bubbles. No thinning or wateriness in this sample. Every sip I’m getting vanilla and pepper. Finishes with caramel and almost a nutmeg flavor. VERY Drinkable, I’m enjoying it almost too much for how analytical/observational I’m trying to be. Pepperiness never leaves, and the body holds to the end, as well. A soft and gentle, almost session like ale. Medium body overall, with the yeast not meaty like the aroma would suggest. I can taste similarities to the 050505’s yeast profile, but it’s not fuelic or crude. There just isn’t as much yeast pumped in to it. Dulls towards the end of the glass with some candi-like sugariness and almost a mineralesque yeastiness. No alcohol noted anywhere. Good stuff!

22 oz bottle (ClarkVV makes it happen). Pours with a small head. Aroma is sweet, tripel like with mostly nectarines. Taste is till plenty lively, with some sweet apricot and just a light bitterness. This stuff is holding up quite nicely. Thanks to Clark again for sharing.

Sampled 5/28/05 from a bomber. Somewhat cloudy, light yellow pour. Tastes strongly of apricot. Somewhat creamy mouthfeel that finishes nicely dry. There is a nice spicy kick to compliment the fruity taste that comes from the yeast, spices, and some hops are still present in this brew that is certainly aging well.

Not sure where to go with this one? Was not expecting much but got a pleasent surprise. Tasting this rare brew was almost like a religious expierence. I am a big fan of Stone Brewing products so this rating may be somewhat biased. Small pressure release upon opening, Whew! Poured lovingly down the middle of my tasting glass giving rise to a small tannish head that lasted for a respectable amount of time. Lace was minimal, spotty. Aroma was fairly intact, not large but decent. Notes of citrus, spice and fruit, lightly phenolic with some bananna esthers also. Body was med/ light, crisp and biting in a refreshing sort of way. Dry maltiness up front on the palate with flavors of vanilla, citrus, melon and yeast. The hops must of faded a bit as i dont really see them as a large player. The mouthfueel gets a bit creamier. A light woodiness emerges, notes of orange sherbert appear. Hmmmm? Lots to enjoy, still. I,m really surprised how well a beer of this stature has aged, even though were only talking three years. Finish is dry with notes of caramel and a touch of woodiness. No dissappointment here. A big thanks to Larry Pitonka for a chance (and one future chance) at this beer. Thanks Andre! Stone Rocks!