Stone 04.04.04 Vertical Epic Ale

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

On tap at the Stone Winter Storm 2008. Flavors of spice and everything nice. Very tasty.

On tap @ Stone Winter Storm 2008. A completely different look than the 030303. Pours a hazed medium copper color. Nose was light, hints of hops, yeast and banana arose in time. On the palate this beer is medium in body and pretty strait forward. Malty with a fairly sweet finish.

Let me just say that the taste of this beer has definitely changed but not in a bad way, just different. I drank a ton of this back in 04. Pours an almost crystal clear orangish yellow. Moderate head that dissipates rather quickly and leaves no lace. Not too much of a nose. Smells of sweet alcohol. I don’t really know how to describe the taste other than, it’s different. Sweet, the lime leaf is definitely there but more mature/mellow. Definitely get the Belgian grain/malt flavors. Beautifu on the palate, the flavors absolutely roll around the tongue. Nice carbonation. Not too thin, not too thick. This was the beer that introduced me to Stone. Many headaches, many memories. I thought about saving alot of it way back then but alas, I drank all that I could get my hands on. It’s that good.

Pours a hazy copper color with a white head. Aroma is aged malts, some fruit, orange peel, and some spices. Flavor is malty, caramel, wheat, and a bitter citrus finish.

Easily the worst Stone product that I have tasted. I just don’t get the Epic series. Hazy gold./ Decent white head and lasting skiff. Plain aroma at first. Have to sniff to get the lime to rise above the dirty banana. Between shivers while sipping I get pasty lime, heavy pepper and banana leaves.

Just had a bottle at the Norfolk Taphouse, what a find! Pours a slightly hazy orange color, small almost non-existent white head. A little bit of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Aroma was a little citrus hops (almost lime). The flavor was utterly amazing. Did I detect some coconut? It sure seemed like it. A little bit of a malt and grass kick to it as well. Extremely smooth beverage, and the alcohol presence was almost non-existent. If I ever find this beer again (or if I get the pleasure of grabbing a bottle at some point) I’d love to see how it ages in 4 or so more years.

22 oz. bottle. Pours a slightly hazy orange/amber color with a small diminishing white head. The aroma is citrus hops (could be lime, but I think more lemony) and sweet caramel malts. The flavor is much of the same. The fact that this beer was not quite up to the 03 was disappointing. I wounder how this will age? Any chance it improves? Time will tell.

Cold 22oz bottle: Pours an egg yolk orange color with some suspended sediment, and a thin layer of ivory bubbles, with the concentration around the edges. Aroma is of nice malts, prominent alcohol, and some grass and fruit. Taste is of bready malt and fruit well blended with grassy bitterness and notes of brown sugar. Oily texture, medium bodied and lightly crisp, with ample carbonation. Ending is lightly sweet with some alcohol burn.