Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale

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

Bottle from shigadeyo via trade. Deep garnet red-brown body, thin buff head. Leafy aroma with sweet breads, cola, spice, and tea. Tart, acidic body with raisin and toast, plenty of bitter spice, and dark fruit skin. Spicy finish. Reminds me of Bells Hell Hath no Fury but without the heavy esters. Alcohol notes were subtle. A good beer but already showing signs of age. I’m not sure the thin, sugary malts are going to hold up for more than a few more months.

Bottled. Pours very dark brown in colour with a small head. Slightly roasted. Malty and slightly sweet. Hints of herbs, caramel and dark fruits. Somewhat hoppy finish.

Bottle. Pours a very dark mahogany body and soapy white head. Roasty aroma, almost dunkel-esuqe with toasted toffee and some citric hop notes. Nice creamy palate with toast flavours along with almond nuttiness and caramel. Good balance with a solid dose of bitterness in the finish.
Thanks for the opportunity, radiomgb. Sampled on April 21, 2007.

Bottle. Deep dark brown in color with no head. Citrusy lemony aroma. Clove peppery notes. Spicey citrusy flavor. White pepper. Full bodied. Sweet. Finish is bitter. Very nice beer. Enjoyable.

Crimson chestnut. Healthy light beige foam is slightly rocky and holds an air-whipped consistency. Floral hops, clove-infused apples, bubblegum and green raisin aromas fill the nose. Dainty nougat and unripe banana notes. Creamy and silky on the palate. Seductively soft and mellow, up front, with a flavorsome smack of brightly floral hops. Gritty roast eases its way into the mix and beautifies the deep juiciness. Vibrant display of chewy raisins and plums. Chocolate accented roast exerts its coarseness and highlights the slightly dusty yeast elements. Yeast adds a thickly fluffy texture, but stops just short of overexerting itself. Alcohol is quite keen in its sharpness, and rather than being overaggressive, it imparts a perfect touch dryness which keeps the yeast from becoming overbearing. All the while the spicy clove lends its poignant heat and further aids in keeping the yeast at bay. Clove- and bubblegum-infused chocolate pudding and juicy plums create quite the savory arrangement of flavors. Finishes softly and explosively hoppy, yet with a brash edge of roast kissed with fresh hop bitterness and a lingering bubblegum aftertaste. After a fairly not-so-epic line of Epics leading up to this, I stopped expecting Stone to ever succeed at crafting something of this caliber from a Belgian yeast strain. But 06.06.06 has certainly convinced me otherwise, as it’s my favorite in the series by far. A most pleasant surprise.

Big thanks to Beerdrenched for picking this up for me. Pours very dark brown with a light tan head. Aroma has dark fruits (figs & cherries), earthiness, brown sugar, anise and dark coffee. The body is lighter than expected for the style with light carbonation. Flavor starts out with some roasted malt, spice and the dark fruit aspected from the aroma. The finish is somewhat earthy and fairly astringent. This is an okay beer, but not up to what the hype is. I don’t know if I want to try this beer as a vertical is 2012, this doesn’t seem like it will age to well.

Clear dark mahogany in colour, long lasting off-white coloured head, good lacing. The aroma is malty, earthy, some gingerbread, molasses, moderate caramel sweetness. The flavour has some spice, dark malts, moderate sweetness, cookies, pepper, yeasty, some light chocolate. Moderately sweet mouthfeel, medium body, medium carbonation. Finishes sweet, some alcohol makes an appearance, lingering. The best of the Vertical Epics to date. I can see this one lasting.

650ml bottle obtained in a trade with <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?U target=blank>OldGrowth, thanks Tom.
Opened on April 21, 2007.

22 oz bottle - Pours dark brown with a thin head. It has a roast malt and yeast aroma. The flavor is sweet and roasted with notes of dark fruit and spices. There’s enough hops to maintain some balance though. Smooth, medium bodied, and mildly sweet to finish, I really enjoyed this effort from Stone. This is an excellent beer now, though not very complex. Hopefully get to taste it in a few years to see how it’s doing.