Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale

Formerly brewed at Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Escondido, California USA

pours dark with a small bubbly head. aroma of raisons and dried fruit with a little bit of spice. mouthful continues the dried fruit theme with some prune followed by some spice, yeast, and a little alcohol in the finish. tapped the cellar in April 08, this stuff ages sooooooo well. all the dried fruit is huge and no alcohol in finnish. I will bump the score to the great aging of this.

A dark brown from a 22 oz bomber. The beer smell great and is interesting. I can smell cloves, but I had a hard time picking out individual smells and tastes (maybe due to the fact it is 1.5 years old). Definitely fruity, and it was a very sweet beer. I think I like it more now then when I first had it a while ago.

’06 GABF RB tasting Dark fruit, yeast, vanilla, pepper/spice aroma. Taste is prunes/plums and yeast.

22oz. bomber: This one pours an extremely dark, opaque brown. It is the darkest Dubbel that I have ever seen. There was a small tan head on it that drops away quickly. The aroma is complex. Some chocolate and smokiness comes to the top. There are some fruits and hops down in there also, but it is hard to distinguish individual notes. The flavor is complex also. A full richness, with a bit of sweetness. Some chocolate and fruits come to the top, as well as some hidden bitterness. A wonderful brew.

Had this beer on 9/22/2006. Aroma is a rich sweet malt scent with hop back tones. Color is deep purple, almost black with good carbonation and thick tight head. Taste is rich and smooth. Starting with a full body it goes down with a smooth feel. Finish comes on bold with a rich malt flavor that is sweet and roasted then is backed by a nice bitterness. Overall this brew is wonderful. Its well balanced, full of flavor, bold and rich, without being overbearing. I look forward to the next in the epic series on 07/07/07.

Considering the style, Scores ranging from 1 to 5, 5 being the most intense
Appearance:
Body:   Clear(1)->Murky(5) : 3     Golden(1)->Dark brown(5) : 4     Still(1)->Sparkling(5) : 3
Head:   None(1)->Large(5) : 3   White(1)->Tan(5) : 2   Lasting: 3   Lacing : 3
Aroma:
Intensity : 3  
Yeast : 3   Bread : 3   Tropical Fruits : XX   Soap : XX   Diacetyl : XX Sulfur : XX   Fusel : XX  
Malt : 3   Biscuity : 2   Hay : XX   Toasty : 3   Caramel : 2   Fruity : 3   Nutty : XX   Honey : XX   Maple : XX   Molasses : XX   Cereals : XX   Grainy : XX
Hops : 2   Noble(1)->American(5) : 1   Leafy : XX   Spicy : XX   Floral : 2   Lemon/Lime : 2   Grapefruit : XX Orange : XX   Herbal : XX   Grassy : XX   Pine/Spruce/Resin : XX  
Notes :   Peach/Apricot : 1   Earth : 2   Mint : XX   Butterscotch : XX   Smoke : XX   Dates : XX   Bourbon : XX   Bubblegum : 1
Flavor:
Initial Flavor : Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 4   Finish Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 4   Sourness : 2   Bitterness : 2   Complex : XX   Length : XX
Palate:
Light(1)->Full(5) : 4   Flat(1)->Fizzy(5) : 4   Clean : XX   Sharp : XX   Watery : XX   Oily : XX   Chalk : XX   Astringent : XX   Alcohol : 1   Mineral : XX   Oxidation : XX   Metallic : XX

Comments: A gently clovey, yeasty, toasty Belgian take that is rather cohesive at this point. Sweet and soft palate.

Rated blind from "Better Know a Style: Abbey Dubbel" tasting. Pours dark brown with barely a head. Aroma is ... wait this isn’t a dubbel. Smoked meat factory. If there is such a thing stone probably brewed this there. And then threw in some red fruit. Flavors are chocolate, fruit, charred, smoked, with more of that dubbel red fruit. Very surprised with this one but I still enjoyed it.

Rated blind from "Better Know a Style: Abbey Dubbel" tasting. Black/brown color with small off-white head. Meaty aroma with some dark aroma, small fruit. Dark fruity, very candy sweet, too much sugar. Thin, little carb. Too sweet and unappealing.