Stone 05.05.05 Vertical Epic Ale 3.77 363

Stone 05.05.05 Vertical Epic Ale

(RETIRED)

	Percentile
	97
	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
363	3.78/5.0	3.77/5.0	Special	8.5%	91.7	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. 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.

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Who's Rated This?

GonZoBeeR (2163), ste-Eulalie, Quebec, Canada

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	6/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	15/20

May 16, 2005

Aroma:Caramel,raisins.... appearance:very dark brown,good head... Flavor:Caramel,raisin,apple,grassy,spicy. for an american beer but not better than a real belgian dark stong ale...

kbjames (242), Utah, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	4/5	7/10	3/5	15/20

Jun 25, 2005

Another good offereing from Stone. I’m not a big fan of the Belgian Strong Ale style so I’m not a big fan of this one. But it is full bodied, smells of cloves and its really dark for this style.

MullMan (1083), Bloomfield, New Jersey, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	3/5	7/10	3/5	16/20

May 27, 2005

dark ruby color, light tan foamy head. sweet malt/candi sugar aroma. a little tangy too. flavor is candi malt sweet, a little bitter. slightly metallic. thanks mkobes!

jimmack (1221), Nutley, New Jersey, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	4/5	7/10	3/5	15/20

May 24, 2005

Bottle thanks to MBA and mkobes. Dark brown with a small tan head. Sweet malty aroma with some cloves and raisins. Sweet fruity flavor of malt, tropical and dark dried fruits, caramel and bread. A bit of hops on the finish. Curious as to how this will age.

Pailhead (2597), Allen Park, Michigan, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	6/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	15/20

May 29, 2005

Bottle: Probably in the minority on this one, but I get a smokey bacon aroma with some light fruit. Pours a deep red that only shows transparency when held to the light. Malty with lots of dark fruit, light raisin, caramel, and some definite smoke. Fruitiness increases in the finish with a little citrus. Very good, but takes a little hit in aroma.

cigarsnbeer (146), Valley City, North Dakota, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	6/10	4/5	7/10	3/5	16/20

Jul 7, 2005

Strange...I wouldn’t expect this from Stone, I thinks an American take on the Belgian Strong Ale. Fruity and peppery through out, with a cigar tobacco aftertaste, REALLY complex!

kmweaver (2474), Sebastopol, California, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	14/20

Oct 1, 2007

22oz bottle, courtesy of wetherel for no good reason. Thanks, John!! Pours a murky, dark cherry-cola color; light tan head with great lacing. Dried dark fruits and cola in the aroma; slightly boozy with some brown sugar. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: spritzy carbonation at the front of the tongue, followed by warm cola and brown sugar notes; solid chewy malt presence with minimal oxidation; dried dark fruits (blackberries, currants) appear at mid-palate. Slightly hot, but nothing significant. Lengthy, cola and dried fruit finish; just a touch of dry caramel.

bager (2121), Copenhagen N, Denmark

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	3/5	8/10	3/5	15/20

Oct 15, 2006

Bottled. Dark brown in colour with a small head. Roasted and malty. Sweet and with notes of dark fruits and a bit alcoholic.

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