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Stone 05.05.05 Vertical Epic Ale

 (RETIRED)
Percentile
97
overall

bottled
available

on tap
unknown

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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
3633.78/5.03.77/5.0Special8.5%91.7Trappist 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. This time around, we used no spices in the brewing of this beer. If you've tasted the beer before reading this, that may surprise you. The special Belgian yeast we used adds a distinctively spicy aroma and flavor. Roastiness, clove, hops, fruitiness, and those other great and funky phenols abound in the nose. What's in the flavor? You certainly get some dark roasted malts and alcohol overtones. What else? Hints of earthiness, chocolate/cocoa, hop spiciness, maybe even anise, and ... the incredible variety of complexities from the classic brewing ingredients of barley malt, hops, yeast and water, when applied with an artistic brewer's talent never ceases to amaze.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 edden (927), cow- lumbus, Ohio, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/105/517/20
Jun 2, 2005  
5/28/05: Bottle.
Black-brown body with an off-white head. Aroma of vanilla, alcohol, molasses, and plum. Malt flavor, slightly sweet and sour with a black cherry finish. Flat. In my opinion the best Vertical Epic thus far.


 CapFlu (3483), Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/103/516/20
Oct 28, 2005  
(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.


 boto (1336), Granby, Connecticut, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/103/515/20
May 7, 2006  
22oz. bottle: This one pours a dark mahogany with ruby tints to it. There was a fairly strong tan head on mine, that does subside after awhile. The aroma is pretty much that of a standard Belgian Strong Ale. I get caramel, raisins, some spiciness, and some other dark fruits. The body is actually a bit lighter than I expected. Certainly not light at all, but I expect these beers to be more of a "liquid bread". The taste is good, with some roastiness coming out on top of the caramel and fruits that you normally find in this style. Certainly a decent beer, but I’m not sure that it will make it another 7 years.


 BeerLimey (1873), California, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/58/103/515/20
Jun 25, 2005  
Deep reddish brown appearance, thick creamy head formation. Caramel aroma, mildly chocolaty and fruity. Smooth and chocolaty on the plalate, rich creamy fruitiness, warming alcohol finish and elevated hoppiness for the style. Nice flavor, good little complexities, but just lacks a little in the usual Stone boldness.


 Jokes (1453), Chicago, Illinois, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/103/516/20
Jun 9, 2005  
Dark reddish, brown with a fluffy, brown head. Spicy nose of clove, coriander, all spice, raisins, sweet apples, licorice, cherries, whole grain bread and some candi sugar. Full, smooth body with a chewy mouthfeel and a long, warm finish. The flavors show the spicy character of the yeast, it really is quite impressive. The spice character is intense and multifaceted. There is some nice malt laying underneath the spicy intensity, but most of it is lost. The occasional fruity sweetness comes out from time to time, but in reality, it tends to be lost in the shuffle. The substantial alcohol is quite fitting, giving another layer of spiciness. I’m not a huge fan of the crazy spiciness, but don’t find this unpleasant. I think time, a year maybe, will help make this a little more drinkable as the spices should mellow, allow the malts to further develop. All in all, it’s probably the best of the three Vertical Epics I’ve had so far.


 JPDIPSO (4915), Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/104/515/20
Sep 1, 2005  
Light chestnut color with a hint of rudy when held to the light. Fluffy tan head. Belgian aromas waft and greet the nose with Caramel, light toast, light fruit, attic yeast and a mix of spices, including cloves and coriander. Lots of malt sweetness form the start, with brown sugar, and pale malts. Mid quaff leads to floral and spicy hops. Some mild fruits also mingle. Finish os quite strong and with a touch of alcohol. I’ll chalk the later up to the immaturity of the brew. There room for this one to get better with age.


 elnadeau (786), Laguna Niguel, California, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/103/516/20
Jun 1, 2005  
Pours brownish with a smallish tan head, aroma is yeasty, sweet banana with a hint of spiciness. Seems a bit young, but I love the combination of complex flavors, dark fruit, roasty malty, earthy spicy yeast and more. Alcohol presence is balanced but not hidden. Overall a very intriguing creation, I like this one better than the previous two Verticals. A prime cellar candidate if you have the patience to sit on some of these..


 shadey (1500), Rochester, New York, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/104/517/20
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.



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