Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale

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

Bottle sampled with Beerded_one, Pours black with a one finger thick off-white\light beige head. Aroma of fruit, belgian yeast, spices, and slight roasted malts. The flavor is sweet, fruit, spices, some breadiness, very smooth. Great beer.

Let us see how Stone did with this one. Got this from my Secret Santa way back when. 22oz bomber, presumably bottled 06/06/06. Pours a clear reddish brown with a minimal beige head into my Chimay chalice. First whiff kinda reminded me of a mix between New Belgium’s Abbey and New Glarus’ recently unretired Copper Kettle Weiss. Aroma of some yeast, toasty malts, bananas, some dust and dark fruits a little deeper. Taste is much the same with a little more spice and brown sugar. A little bitter chocolate in the dry finish. Alcohol is apparent (not warming), though never in a bad way. Full bodied, light-moderate carbonation. Very nice, from one of my more favorite styles. Glad to still have an extra stashed someplace to see how she ages.

Pours black with a small off white head. Smells of sweet candy sugar, dark fruits, grapes, and heavy malts. The taste is also sweet but more of a dark fruity sweet with some sugar and raisins. Nice and thick on the palate. Very good representation of a dubbel from an American brewer. Very rich and thick taste and the aftertaste leaves a sweet resin on the lips and in the back of the mouth. Good job here.

Beautiful rich pour releasing some pretty wild aromas...cloves, licorice, and alcohol. The let-down came for me with actually tasting it. Cough medicine, syrup-like texture, and an extremely harsh alcohol astringency ruined all that came before. Maybe the whole "epic vertical" is just too "high-concept" for me!

Pretty respectable attempt at a Belgian style by an American brewer.

Aromatic Belgian inflected peppery fig and toasted almond sugar aroma, with sweeping medium fruits and light vinous notes. Pour of orange cornered mahogany, with a thin rim of white. Flavor continues on the same plane as the aroma, with a run of lightly charred toast notes and deeper nutty character. Caramel and dried plums and dates run with nice bright malt sugars. Alcohol hides away. Light distant euro hop sneaks in some balance, but the cloyingness runs away in the end.

Dark brown with a tannish head. Good lacing. Nice looking. Very spicy aroma. Coriander and cloves, almost minty. There is quite a bit of fruitiness there. The malts are a touch roasty, not too aggressive though. The flavor is loaded with fruits and spice. Roasted malts. Yeasty notes, slightly bready. It ends with a bitter spicy touch. The mouthfeel is heavy and leaves you with a tingly, numb tongue.

22 oz bottle from BevMo LaJolla. Pours dark brown and mostly opaque with mahogany highlights when held to light, and a huge fluffy beige head that diminished to a rocky cap leaving a trace of lace. Aroma is full and rich, molasses, hints of maple, dark fruit and spice, light cloves and all spice, peat and roasty malts, with floral notes evident as well. Flavor is roasty and sweet at the same time, black tea, prune, wood and spice, alcohol noticible with a bit of tangy spruce and bitter herbs in the finish. Full body, gentle carbonation and smooth on the tongue. I too will be interested to see how this one ages, but for a fresh, young dubble, it’s pretty darned good!