Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale

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

Pours dark opaque brown with a medium sized creamy tan froth that lingers for a bit. Aromas are medicinal with new leather and smoke. Full nectar with soft and creamy effers. Flavors are fruit filled and strong with malted pine leather and medicine with accents of iodine, raisons, dried stone fruit, melon, botrytis, chewing tobacco, and smoke. The finish has a peachpit bittering with a long medicinal occupation. I like it better as it warmed. This brew needs time in the cellar. I can tell it’s got the right stuff for the long haul. Overall: a complex brew that needs time to develope. It reminds me of an Abt Quadrupel more than an Abbey Dubel. It is very apparent they want this one to be in good drinking condition on dooms day 2012. REVISION 8-6-06 flavors of black unsweetened chocolate are starting to show thru. Becoming more dense and chewy. **REVISED** 9-20-06** Aroma has turned to bubblegum and beef jerkey. I hope all that medicine goes away. **Revised**1-28-2008 It’s really starting to come together. A pronounced chocolate and roasted coffee bean character is emerging nicely. The medicine has left the building.

Clear, brilliant purple with streaks of brown laying beneath a very thin tan colored head. The aroma is sweet and malty with cocoa, caramel, banana, molasses, roasted grains, bubble gum, beautiful yeasty esters, coriander, plums and cherries, anise and mildly spiced clove. The alcohol is noticable, but not out of balance by any means. The body is thick and smooth with lively bubbles tickling the tongue. The sweetness of the heavy malts, toasted grains, chewy bread and mild spice are clearly the emphasis here. The alcohol and moderate hopping come in to give an unexpected dryness at the finish, that really increases the drinkability. This is definitely one of the better Belgian Style beers that Stone has produced and much more suited to this Vertical Epic series than some of the previous examples. Quite tasty.

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.

Great aroma of dark malts, a little roasty, with some really nice deep earthy fruity aromas with a touch of yeast. The flavor is full bodied, and rich. Lots more of the earthy dark fruits, with a big dose of raisins, and plums. A superb example of the style, this has aged very very well.

22 oz bomber. Pours a very dark brown cola with a medium beige head. Aroma of banana nut, toffee and soda. Taste is malty with a banana nut flavor and hints of mild spice and light pepper. Not bad but not spectacular.

Bottle, from Julio’s. Good nose, sweet. Fruity, spicy. Dark fruits-plum, cherry, raisin etc, Clove, brown sugar, molasses. Dark reddish brown color, medium size head hat faded quickly to almost nothing with mnor lacing. Bittersweet flavor, like aroma. I get a little cardboard, little burntness or hint of grapefruit in there. Medium body, creamy oily mouthfeel, bitter dryish finish. Tasty, somewhat familiar. Maybe it’s the yeast they talk about.

Dark brown/black with dark ruby/brown edges and 2.5cm of frothy, tan head. Nose of roasty, bittersweet chocolate chip cookies with raisins. Some bready yeast, also. Flavor is the same with some earthiness and subtle, dark, berry-like tartness. Full/medium body, well carbonated yet soft. Excellent. Much better after a year than it was fresh.

22 oz bottle (sampled in July 2006…fairly fresh, eh?): Extremely dark, edging towards black, but with clear, golden at the edges. Thin, tight, creamy, ivory head...diminishing into a thin grey film…strong, yeasty fruit aroma with plump raisins, smoked peanuts, sour plums & lightly charred oak. Soft, creamy palate with fruity malts and herbal bitterness along with some playful candy sugar and sweet yeast. I think that this one has some nice potential on the tongue, both texture and flavour…
Oct 2009 update: The palate have improved: incredibly soft and smooth, wonderful texture with the perfect amount of bubbles! Much smokier than I remember with loads of peat and oak. <!-- /i -->