Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale

22oz bottle, first of 2nd to be consumed, not really sure what to expect, but this one pours a nice dark brown, taste is of Raisins,plums and finishes with some spice, perhaps this is a good portrayal of the style, nice job stone, and my first attempt at a cellar aged brew.

Thin head which dissipates quickly. Light carbonation. Sweet and malty aroma with some raisins, port wine, spices and buttery toffee. Quite the enticing aroma. Color is a cloudy dark crimson brown. Very impressive when held up to a bright light. Sweet and malty with lots of dark fruit, more spices and a noticable alcohol kick. Some roastyness present also. Finishes oily and warming. A pretty darn good dubbel.

On tap at Stone. Dark brown with creamy tan head. Roasty aroma of spices and yeast. Slight over-ripe fruit taste, nutty, with a mild spiciness to the finish.

22oz. Bottle (THANKS glkaiser): Aroma is lightly sweet. Smells malty and vinous with hints of chocolate, Belgian yeast, roasting, dark fruits and some nuts. Poured dark brown with a hint of ruby and a medium-sizes tan head that diminished quickly. Opaque. Flavor is lightly bitter. Tastes of a lot of clove, as well as spices, coriander, roasted malts, dark fruits, a little chocolate and a hint of bitter hops. Medium body. Sticky, slightly watery texture. Lively carbonation. Dryish malt finish. Overall, not sure why everyone loves this so much, though Dubbels are really not my thing.

22 ounce bottle from Table and Vine in Northampton, MA (September 2006) consumed at cellar temperature from a Dieu du Ciel! tulip. A nice hiss as the bottle is popped, this too has at least kept its carbonation as the three previous years had.....the appearance is quite similar to that of the 05, quite dark though this is a bit clearer with less obvious cloudy yeast; the head is full and medium-tan in color though it fades rather quickly, leaving impressive sheets of lace.....quite fruity (strawberries, apples), dark toasted/caramelized malts, but the most prominent element I note in the aroma is vanilla, not so much oaky/barrel vanilla as vanilla syrup or candy; light yeast and alcohol apparent....body is, interestingly, fairly dry and tart, easily the least-sweet of the four VEs I’ve tried, rather more robust, roasty, with muted bake fruits (apples again) and just a trace of that fine vanilla, strong cobwebby yeast, and harsher alcohol than I expected....quite full, not a trace of oxidizing/thinning, moderate to heavy carbonation, fairly dry and bitter at the finish. Probably my least-favorite of the VEs thus far, though this one is probably closest to being at the perfect moment of aging. Still pretty tasty as all in the series have been, and quite reasonably priced when new unlike so many "special" and "anniversary" beers.

Thanks to foureyedgeek for sharing this one! Nice port wine nose, raisins, bit of oak, heavy on brown sugar and molasses. Very sweet, with fruity hoppy nose that is very fragrant but not overpowering like some of the other hoppy Stone offerings. Vinuous with soy maltiness, bit of chocolate. Dark dark brown, clear, with medium foamy lacing light-tan head. Heavy watery body with medium carbonation and some alcoholic warming. Starts sweet with a lot of maltiness, plum, red wine, oak, malt vinegar, sweet. Molasses, malty like a doppelbock. Hearty. Very little bitterness, fruity and malty. Nice dry carbonic bitterness at finish. Sweet after on the tongue. Rich and malty overall with just a bit of nutty molasses tang. Alcoholic warming.

The flavor here seems the best of the epics yet. The yeast is better incorporated with the alchohol and I think this is a bit sweeter. Nutty and bready, not as much perfume.

Dark mahogany pour with no head. Smoky, fruity, malt aroma. Very smooth mouth feel. The taste on this followed the path of the aroma but with a more pronounced malt flavor than anything else. The alcohol definitely came through as it warmed.