Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale

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

Mine looked and tasted alot like a dunkel. Extremely dark brown color, but watery, with a whispy white head. Smells of yeast, dark fruit and medicine. Flavor is mild, slightly malty, very fruity with a heavy yeast flavor. Slightly bitter on the finish. Very drinkable. Rerate 5/13/2008 at Brickskeller’s Lupulin Reunulin event. Ar - 7, App - 4, Flv - 7, Fin - 4, Ovr - 15. Greg Koch called this "typically Belgian", whatever that means. Pours a nearly opaque dark brown, amber with a thin eggshell head. Aroma is peaty, sugary, sweet malt with some Belgian candy and yeast. Flavor has plenty of sweet malt, some definite funk, cocoa, yeast, rum, cane sugar, banana and some tropical fruit. Thick body, lasting slightly smoky flavor. This has aged very well, the malty is a lot chewier now than when fresh.

Draft at Stone Winter Storm (01/25/09) ! Poured a dark ruby red with a very yeasty nose. Taste were very Belgium yeast and a dark roasted characteristic to it. An excellent dubbel! I liked this but it was admittedly a little late in the session. Will give some more comments when I open my bottle!

Sampled from BevMo. Pour was very nice, with a generous head in a Munchen glass. Pour is dark brown. Flavor is nice with a hefty amount of hops. Worth a try while its still around, and a good stone brew.

Looks like a porter with a thick tan head, lacing to spare, and an almost opaque reddish brown body. One whiff, and you know its something altogether different. Redolent of soy sauce and clove, this brew takes a nod from the Beligians with its complex aroma and flavor. Full bodied and tart with a solid malt roasty backbone, Vertical epic tells a tale of dark fruit, soy, and sweetness, ending in a long tart chapter that finishes unlike many other stories of it’s ilk.

Bottle. Pours a dark brown almost black with a medium sized tan head. Aroma is yeasty, roasted malts, dreid fruits. Flavor is roasted malt, clove, yeast, chocolate. Palate is full bodied, with a medium carbonation, sweet toasty finish. This is good

Pours deep amber. So deep in fact that it almost seems black. Foamy light brown head. Aroma is yeast, some fruits, and bubble gum. Flavor is malty with spices. Silky texture with fizziness as it crosses the tongue. Spicey belgian yeast.

Unlike my good friend Bartzilla, I bought several of these beers. Some are for saving and aging, but this one tonight.....she’s all mine. I too, am not a huge dubbel fan, although this one is pretty good. It’s clear this one will benefit from sitting, because right now everything is pretty much up front and in your face. It’s really dark.....looks like a porter. Almost pitch black. Not much in the way of a head or lacing. Smells great. I got a strong initial alcohol burn that lingered on forever. Not bad, just a bit overpowering. As I get deeper and deeper into this glass, I like it more and more. This one is going to be a winner in time.

Very dark brown body, almost black. A very minimal brown head. Roasted malts, musky peat accents and some light hops in the aroma, perhaps even some smoked ham scent. Nice spiciness in the taste, fruit such as dark cherry are present, a very dry hop presence as well. Spicy, roasted malt ending. It will be very interesting to see how this one ages.