Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale

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

Pours with a dark brown body topped by a medium thick to thick head with a good amount of lacing. It’s slightly sweet and malty with slight banana notes, a little roastiness and some dark fruit, as well as, some underlying spicy notes (Anise). Medium to full bodied, slightly tingly on the tongue and a touch dry.

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.

Bottle, consumed in October 2008. Pours an extremely dark Coca-Cola brown color with a frothy, well-retained, beige colored head. Minimal, spotty lacing mostly rejoins the glass. Aromas shows a malt base of cola, molasses, and chocolate malts, with a good deal of fruity fig. Candied hazelnuts, nutmeg, and faded, earthy hops lend warm, spicy depth, while a dash of lactose offers a creaminess to the nose. Flavors are similar, scorched caramel, figs, and cocoa showing up front, with cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove adding spice. Vanilla comes through at the mid-point, transitioning into an aged hop finish. Medium-full on the palate and smooth, the relatively light carbonation makes for a silky feel, with a slightly alcoholic burn on the finish. This is a very solid brew at this point, but I honestly cannot see it getting any better, let alone lasting until 2012.

rated blind from "Better Know a Style: Abbey Dubbel" tasting. pours dark w/ red tint, off white head. nose is roasty, chocolate, smoke, piney hop. flavor roasty, brown sugar, meaty, grainy, pretty hot too, some dark fruits in there. feel is smooth, carbonation a tad prickly.

Pour is deep dark brown with a thin dense and sticky tan head...smell is yeast, roasted cocoa, something smokey...not woody or meaty, just smokey...taste is spicy and slightly bitter and the bitterness builds throughout...some earthy dirty wood flavor...subtle sweetness is creeping around too...nice thick yet fizzy mouthfeel...I don’t think I’m digging the burnt bitter flavor, but I’m not really too sure, and I just finished a bottle and I still don’t know...

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle. Very dark brown with a frothy white head which quickly diminishes. The aroma is lightly spicy, yet has some coffee notes. The body is medium at best. The flavor initially hits the tip of your tongue with some bitterness, but after that a nutty roastiness (maybe chestnuts) hits you along with flavors of chocolate and dried fruit. This should age well.

Rerate; bottle. Aroma of caramel, fruit, dark fruit, yeast and some brown sugar. Color was nice and dark. More drinkable than I remembered, but probably not as tasty overall. More alcohol presence than expected. In 4 years this probably won’t be very good in my opinion. Lowered 3.8 to 3.6 On my second rerate; I upped it from 3.6 to 3.7 (Dark brown, almost black; large creamy, tan head. Aroma of brown sugar, roasted malt, dark fruit. Smooth moutfeel, medium bodied. Roasted malt flavor, with some spice and dark fruit. Some throat warming. Could use some more age. Have another bottle, will hold for a while. )

2006 Vintage / Nearly 2.5 years old...

1/01/2009: Stone Vertical Epic 06-06-06... I dropped and nearly broke this bottle while re-arranging my cellar! Aroma: Swet and malty with a dusting of chocolate/cocoa powder; hints of char/smoke. Appearance: Dark brown pour with ruby highlights; smal, foamy/frothy tan-colored head that has decent retention; clean appearance. Flavor: Sweet dark malts, faint notes of soft coffee and chocolate, anise, caramelized malts, even some subtle aged citrus candy. Palate: Medium-full body; very smooth; not over-carbonated. Overall: This beer is rich, strong, warming, and complex; flavors have melded very nicely; it is excellend and still going strong; aging very well - it will still be excellent on 12-12-12!

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