Stone 05.05.05 Vertical Epic Ale

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

Bottle (650ml). Shared with blankboy, GregClow, jer and tupalev - GregClow’s bottle. Deep clear brown-mahogany with a small tan head. Mild aroma of yeasty malt and spices, a hint of milkiness. Tastes of oaky alcohol, rich roast (almost burnt) malt, and bitter spices. Mouthfeel is lively, sticky and alcoholic, with a hint of bottle metal on warming - this is very strong and very sweet, with a bitter spicy finish - reminded me of chewing on cinnamon sticks when I was a kid; seemed more of an ASA than a Belgian strong though.

Bottle. Dark brown body with a small creamy tan head (3+) Sweet sugary malt, mild Belgian-alcohol grows proportionate to the time your nose spends in the glass. Flavour has an intense introduction with a sweet middle, and dry bitter finish that lingers. Interesting mix of flavours are tough to decipher. Medium palate (3+). Nice but lacks transcendance.

Dark brown color. Small sized white foamy head. Aroma is banana, cherries and chocolate. A medium to full bodied Belgian Ale. Malts are fruity and sweet. Lots of fruit flavors, banana, cloves, and cherries dominate. Nice bright yeasts. Very smooth taste. A nice sipping beer. There are a lot of complex flavors going on in this one,some bottle aging will make this one awesome. It is very different for the rest of the verticals. Seems more in the ‘traditional’ Belgian style. Nice beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Poured a ruby brown color with a small, off white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of banana, nuts, cherries, spices, chocolate, and yeast. Taste of chocolate malt, roast, light tart cherries, yeast, anise, phenols, and peppery alcohol. A bit young at this point, but it should mellow out nicely.

2005 bottle. Pours a very deep auburn/light mahogany color, clear, with just minimal amounts of yeast sediment remaining at the bottom. Head is moderate-sized, and has a dark beige color to it, receding slowly to cover with ample lacing. The aroma wastes no time in bringing forth the clove, with notes of tart raspberries, orange peel, black pepper and moderately dry caramel malt. Flavor begins with a mix of light roasted malts, quite grainy and then works its way in to the clove esters. Highly spicy, they are impossible to miss and linger on to the finish. There is some sweet toffee and light brown bread with a chewy sort of carob/sorghum-liquorice thing on the end. More raspberry/citrus tones throughout and a sweet-and-sour sauce sort of thing on the finish, which, when combined with the clove, gets to be rather fatiguing by the end of the bottle. Full body, moderate carbonation, no thinning. I will agree that it is a little bit like "fuel" and the yeast seems a bit crude, but people seem to forget that they are trying to make this thing peak 7 or so years from now, not right now. Still I could stand for it to be a whole lot more delicate. You arent going to mistake this one for a real Belgian, IMHO.

(Bottle, thanks to rickgordon) Sampled at a tasting night at Marsiblursi’s place. Dark red color, small tan head. Strong chocolate and spicy alcohol scent, mixed with raissin and Belgian ale. Strong spicy taste with a roasted aftertaste, lots of alcohol and cocoa beans. Smooth mouthfeel, low to medium bitterness. This could potentially become great with aging.

(750ml bottle) Sampled at Goldorak’s Sunday MTL Gathering. Pours a deep mahogany body with an almond head. Nose is very warming. Nose of malted scotch, prunes and a hoppy background. ery good.

Pours a clear but very dark brown with a small amber head. Aromas of spices an dark fruit[figs], and a hint of coffee.Flavors of spices[ clove and nutmeg], dark fruit [figs and plums], and dark malt. Dry slightly bitter aftertaste.