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
362	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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drismyhero (815), Tacoma, Washington, USA

3.8	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.8	8/10	4/5	7/10	3/5	16/20

Jul 2, 2007
7/22/05 - I sure hope some kind establishment (Bottleworks) will hang on to all of these so I can taste them after they’ve matured a bit, I just lack the foresight. Strong yeast as always but a bit more sour/bready than dry. The Belgian yeast lacks much depth while still young, but a very nice balance.

ajm (932), Los Angeles, California, USA

4.4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.4	8/10	5/5	9/10	5/5	17/20

Nov 26, 2009

Bottle courtesy of Shyam. Better than expected. Nose of sweet licorice, roast, raisin, bread crust and chocolate. Color is nearly black. Flavor is very thick and full: raisin dominates, then dark chocolate, bark, roasty malt and subtle Belgian spice. Thick as hell - maybe even a little char.

frylock (1024), Buffalo, New York, USA

3.3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.3	7/10	4/5	6/10	3/5	13/20

Nov 22, 2009

Bottle shared by swoopjones. Dark amber color. Caramelized sugar and dark fruit aroma. Pears, plum and dark cherry accompanied by some toasty malts. Seems a little oxidized and a bit past its prime, I don’t think this will hold up until 2012.

swoopjones (1915), Buffalo, New York, USA

3.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.1	6/10	3/5	6/10	3/5	13/20

Nov 22, 2009

Bottle. lighter cola colored pour. Medium roasted malt aroma. Tastes past its prime. Choclate malts, malted milk balls, sweet malts. kind of disappointing after waiting this long

kingcrowing (2), Vermont, USA
does not count

3.8	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.8	7/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	15/20

Oct 26, 2009

Pours a dark brown ruby with a tinge of brown and ivory. Nose is diacetyl and sweet, a bit malty. Taste is a bit buttery and sharp. Not that belgian but still very nice. For a 4 year old brew. This is going to be really good in 2012.

obguthr (1032), Poquoson, Virginia, USA

3.3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.3	7/10	4/5	7/10	2/5	13/20

Oct 3, 2009

Pronounced aroma of dates and toasted grain. Reddish brown, medium yellow with little retention. Sweet fig, apple, and malt flavor, altbierish yet belgian at the same time. Medium body. Delayed warming effect. Seems to be missing a dimension and is a little boring.

yemenmocha (363), Glendale, Arizona, USA

3.4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.4	7/10	4/5	6/10	4/5	13/20

Sep 18, 2009

Deep brown cloudy nectar in my goblet. Thin head disappears completely in short time. Aroma is quite comple mix of clove, cinnamon, tea leaves, christmas cake and more. Also a bit alcoholy. Taste is disturbingly similar to root beer. I never thought it would be so but it is. Root Beer. There’s clove, nutmeg, some wild flavors from the belgian yeast but it has a distinct root beer with Lipton iced tea flavor. Finish is long, soft and a bit chewy with the flavors. Very sticky, and in a good way. A lot of hype for this beer so my expectations were a bit inflated.

DJMonarch (6845), Northwich, Cheshire, England

3.8	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.8	8/10	3/5	7/10	4/5	16/20

Aug 21, 2009

From the Bottle at the Falling Rock Tap House, Denver 08/10/2008 Very malty aroma. Mid brown coloured and rich on the palate with lots of alcohol present. Crisp and slightly dry sweet malt finish.

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