Stone 03.03.03 Vertical Epic Ale 3.73 318

Stone 03.03.03 Vertical Epic Ale

(RETIRED)

	Percentile
	96
	overall

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

bottled
available

on tap
unknown

Local Distribution
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Ratings	Average	Score	Seasonal	ABV	Style Pctl	Serve in
318	3.74/5.0	3.73/5.0	Special	9%	89.4	Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Commercial Description:
A new Vertical Epic will be released every year, with the goal being to collect them all and have a Vertical Epic tasting once the final Epic is released on 12/12/12. Each new Stone Vertical Epic Ale will be release one YEAR, one MONTH and one DAY apart. With Vertical Epic 03/03/03, we used some pretty interesting ingredients...coriander (a "Belgian-style" beer favorite!), alligator pepper (wow, bite into these little gems and you get a bigtime spicy rush of flavor), and a bit of both unmalted wheat and dark roasted wheat. And a blend of Belgian yeast and American ale yeast. And a nice selection of high alpha hops (a decidedly non-Belgian style twist). All told it makes for a dubble-ish taken-to-San-Diego-pushed-to-the-edge-and-slapped-around-a-bit beer. So, treat it gently. It's been abused enough already. Store it upright, cool and in the dark. It would enjoy a nice long rest. It will have plenty of patience. Now let's see about you . . . . In addition, we are pleased to provide the homebrewing recipe: http://stonebrew.com/timeline/030303

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Nuffield (2749), Roseville, Minnesota, USA

3.4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.4	8/10	3/5	7/10	3/5	13/20

Jun 16, 2003

What a treat to try this--thanks fly. Deep amber/orange with a big head. Hairspray aroma and effect, hints of bubblegum and the delicate spices, which come out more in the flavor. I'm uneasy with the flavors, however. It gets better with the time you spend drinking it.

Andrew196 (1091), Katy, Texas, USA

3.8	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.8	9/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	14/20

Jun 15, 2003

The aroma was very "belgium" grapes, yeast, etc. Orange, yellow, with some pink in the color, avg head. Very spicy, but not as complex as I was expecting...this beer would be much better around this time next year.

joet (1709), Fulton, California, USA

3.8	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.8	8/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	15/20

Jun 15, 2003

Thanks a bunch to fly for bringing this over! It's got a nice sparkle, Bubble gum, grains of paradise?, heavy clove, big punishing hops. I hope this ages well, I know the hops will mellow but with the spice? Bristly feel and feeling -- these hops against the mellow Belgian yeastyness.

fly (1333), austin, Tejas, USA

3.2	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.2	6/10	4/5	7/10	3/5	12/20

Jun 15, 2003

Fruity, spicey/spiced, sweet, and VERY light for my expectations. While having a nice flavor and fair balance I had a hard time getting over what I perceived as being a light character which made me wonder exactly how well this would cellar. Would the spicyness subside or would they increase in relation to the light body? Maybe this whole light thing is just a complete misinterpretation on my part. All in all a decent beer - and THE BIGGEST PART OF IT- krisbierjaeger - thank you SO much.

smoosh (523), New Albany, Indiana, USA

3.5	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.5	7/10	4/5	7/10	3/5	14/20

Jun 14, 2003 Updated: Jun 20, 2003

Bottle: Reddish and clear with a nice head. Too close to some of their others to be too "special" in my opinion. What an incredibly tough job, though, to make a beer that stands out above their regulars! Would be a terrific addition to nearly any other brewery's stable.

blank (998), Washington, Washington DC, USA

3.5	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.5	7/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	13/20

Jun 12, 2003

another good beer from stone. as with most american belgain style beers, it's not overly subtle, but that worked well. The hops mixed well with the belgain citrus flavors. Glad we waited for it to age a little and i'm sure it will continue to improve.

Wakie (612), Centreville, Virginia, USA

3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3	6/10	3/5	6/10	3/5	12/20

Jun 11, 2003

A fascinating beer that clearly would get better with age. A dobbelbock gone insane.

mribm (419), Hurley, New York, USA

3.8	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.8	8/10	5/5	8/10	2/5	15/20

Jun 11, 2003

I hate Belgian style beers and was kind of worried about this one after reading the description. However this didn't taste like a Belgian beer to me. When it poured from the bottle with it's think head and dark brown color, it was one of the most beautiful beers I have ever seen. This ale had a nice malty taste and the alcohol was masked very well. If it wasn't so expensive ($10 per 22 oz. bottle) I would buy it again. Is it good, YES. Is it worth $10 a bottle, NO.

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