Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale

Dark brown coloration, cocoa-tan head. Spicy, malty nose, with flavors of dark fruits, anise, herbs, rather earthy... Tangy and tasty, gritty, and lightly sweet, medium bodied, holds together well, but no particular part pops out at all...fairly unimpressive by the end of the sampling. Just kind of ""eh", like a limpid stab at a dubbel. (I got half the bottle, shared the rest with friends, who were more nonplussed than I.) Perhaps I really didn’t to give that extra six years they reccommend on the label copy?

MN Ratebeer Winter Gathering, supplied by Nuffield, thanks! Pours dark brown with an off-white head. Aroma of roasted malt and some light sweet hints with a lot of alcohol too. Taste wasn’t the best. Roasted malt followed up with a medicinal quality. There was some molasses, raisin, and brown sugar in there too, but not enough to counter the alcohol.

Sampled at MN Ratebeer Winter Gathering in Maplewood, MN and supplied by Nuffield. From a 22-oz bottle pours a semi-hazy dark brownish amber brew with a thin off-white head that quickly dissipates clean. Aroma of roasted dark malt, some fruity character with additional scents of herbal spice, dark pitted fruit and a little chocolate. Taste is medium bodied, light carbonated with flavors of dark chocolate, ripe dark pitted fruit with some cotton candy. Finish is smooth, creamy with a chocolate and caramel aftertaste. Aging has done this beer some good.

MN Ratebeer Winter Gathering, January 12, 2008. Super thanks to Nuffield for bringing this one. Dark brown color with no head. Wonderful aroma of candi and brown sugar with sweet, dark malt. Taste is mostly a rich, sweet malt. A little oaky with some Noble hop. Very interesting.

Pour dark brown with fluffy white head that slowly dissipates to a fine film, surprisingly there is a small amount of lacing. Yeasty, chocolate, and funky aroma. Creamy mouth-feel with hints of coffee & dried fruit , cedar, and spice. Dry finish with flavors of hops. chocolate, and malts. Alcohol was well masked and this dubbel was not over-spiced.

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle. Sienna brown and ruby touched pour; murky. Doughy chocolate, honey and earthy maple in the nose. Reserved, and sophisticated. Damp red fruit, banana and cotton flavor with an aged quality of peat and cardboard; far from stunning and certainly in the retirement of old age. Weakly constructed in the mouth, without much body or strength remaining. Berries and husky, stale malt in a lingering and drying finish. In the coffin, but kicking out its last bit of character.

Thanks to Nuffield for sharing. Solid dark brown color. Spicy nose. Much better than the other VEs I’ve tried. Very solid malty body, with not much spice in the body but a spicy finish.

Very nice amber/dark brown pour. light head, such a fruity flavor, with some roastedness, slightly sweet, some stickiness on the lips, but mellow, wow, wish I kept more of these! Alcohol unnoticeable. So easy drinking!