 joohefner (380), Isla Vista, California, USA
Sep 4, 2007 dark brown with a maroon tint. very sweet malty aroma with some chocolate and alcohol on the nose. a light spice note and some prunes. thick creamy body. strong chocolate flavor with roasted coffee in the background, and undertones of spicy cloves and more dark fruit. the beer finishes and leaves a sweet alcohol and licorice taste in the mouth. good but i thought a little heavy on the chocolate malts
kp (8400), Woodstock, Georgia, USA
Sep 1, 2007 Date: 06/04/2005
Mode: Bottle
Source: Trade
dark ruby red, thin tan head, rich sweet spicy dark malt aroma with essence of figs, light cloves, and a hint of alcohol, a bit thin, light malt flavor, traces of ripe fruit that grow in complexity and should age very well, nice spicy character balanced against tempered sweetness, light bitter finish
Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Score: **4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.
radiomgb (1920), Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Aug 24, 2007 Mahogany in colour, thin dissipating tan coloured head, little to no lacing. The aroma is a bit thin, for some reason I picked up on some vegetables, lightly sweet with some caramel, light citric hops, some minor alcohol. The flavour is of some noticable alcohol, gingerbread, quite sweet, caramel, yeast and some light spice. Very sweet mouthfeel, medium body, medium carbonation. Finishes long and sweet with caramel and spice. This is holding up better then the other Vertical Epic Ales that I have had but this is younger. Again I’m not sure if this can last until 2012.
650ml bottle obtained in a trade with <a
href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?UserID=10361 target=blank>DarkElf, thanks Stephen.
Opened on April 21, 2007.
kyzr (1119), Belgrade, Montana, USA
Jul 30, 2007 Nice brown pour with brown head. Spice, pepper carmalized sugar and alcohol on the nose. Flavor much the same. Just enough hops to know they are there. Really dry on the finish. So far my favorite of the Vertical epic series.
TURDFERGUSON (1594), Carrboro, North Carolina, USA
Jul 12, 2007 Bottle bought at the spirit haus a couple years back. Shared with some beer dork last sunday. Pour was a dark, hazy brown with a healthy white head. Nose is strong with brown sugar, a little alcohol, some clove and spices. Has a very sweet, yet refined, flavor--similar to a a nice, aged barleywine. Raisins, other dark fruits, belgian yeast was evident. This has held up well.
shadey (1496), Rochester, New York, USA
Jul 8, 2007 I had a beautiful rating all written but I lost it when my browser crashed. Now I just don’t care.
22 oz. Pour is black with a ring of mocha cream. Aroma is spicy and roasty with a bunch of chocolate. Flavor is a pleasant mix of spices, yeast, alcohol, and chocolate. The body is right on. Smooth and clean. Very nice and still fresh tasting after over 2 years.
muzzlehatch (4427), Burlington, Vermont, USA
Jul 5, 2007 22 ounce bottle from Table and Vine in Northampton, MA (fall 2005), consumed at cellar temperature from a Dieu du Ciel! tulip. As with the previous two VEs, the bottle pops with an audible (though faint) hiss, ahh it hasn’t died. It pours a similar luxurious, lasting head with thick lacing (this time dark tan); the body is the darkest yet, nearly black, translucent and quite cloudy....the nose too is "dark", strong chocolate and burnt caramels, a bit of molasses and perhaps the tiniest hint of port, moderate yeastiness; a sort of caky dubbel; unlike 03 and 04 this doesn’t really seem oxidized, aromatically at least....the flavor too is that of a luxurious dubbel, dark chocolate cake and hazelnut fondant, a hint of cherry, perhaps a faint touch of caramelized banana.....carbonation is low to moderate, moutfeel is silky at first but gradually turns a bit gritty, as a light metallic/mineralic component enters the picture, along with light tartness and dark yeasty breadiness, faint dry hoppy bitterness.....in the end, a tiny bit more carbonation, a slightly lighter texture, might’ve made this a masterpiece; as is, very very good with not a hint of degradation yet detectable to me.
pnista (1008), Bloomington, Indiana, USA
Jul 3, 2007 Dark porter look. Dark chocolate brown with a razor thin tan head. Sweet bubblegum esters. Tutti fruiti w some dark malt character. Gives a bit of roast, some minor chocolate and definite prune/ raisin. A full creamy mouthfeel with relatively average CO2 w the slightest bit of syrupiness (appropriate). A raisiny sweetness, less outstanding than the nose, though still very good indeed. Alcohol comes up a bit with some oxidized dark fruit, hints of chocolate, and roast. Really good balance. A dry lingering roast w some dark fruit. a bit creamy up front. Reminds me of an aged barleywine. Rather vinous, I wish I had more!
|
View Statistics
