Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale

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

Dark brown body with a substantial head. Innovative brew with aromas of chocolate, plum, raisin and fruit spice. Initially malty mouthfeel with notes of chocolate and caramel that lead into strong clove, banana and raisin notes. Yeasty, alcoholic finish with elements of smoke and clove spice, light undertones of chocolate. Overall, it tastes kind of like a mix between Chimay, a Weizenbock and a Scottish Ale. Yummy, but will improve with time after alcohol softens.

MN Ratebeer Winter Gathering, supplied by Nuffield, thanks! Pours dark brown with an off-white head. Aroma of roasted malt and some light sweet hints with a lot of alcohol too. Taste wasn’t the best. Roasted malt followed up with a medicinal quality. There was some molasses, raisin, and brown sugar in there too, but not enough to counter the alcohol.

This one has been aging in the cellar for a little over a year. I remember not caring much for it when it was released but then I didn’t have much experience with Belgians at that time. This pours a dark black with and ample light tan head. The smell is estery. The taste is strong spices and licorice and a slight charred feel. I like this better than I did last year but I still have not trained my palate properly to Belgian Strong Dark Ales. Also, there seems to be less medicinal flavors which could be due to age or my palate changing. I will probably drink my remaining bottles every two years update 03/04/09 smells yeasty and malty, tastes pretty nice, licorice and kind of like a dubbel. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 08-06-2007 15:05:25

This was good, but I think it will get better with some age. Roasted malt, candi sugar, spices and fruit re all in the flavor. Had the Stone hop finish makes it a little odd after the sweet! But it’s a good beer, and I look forward to aging some.

Pours very dark; I’m not seeing anything other than black. Tan head that goes away quickly. Big, spicy clove aroma, with some sweet dark fruit notes and a dose of hot alcohol. Faint roastiness. Very good flavor: the fruit, candy sugar, and other various malt and yeast tastes sit right alongside a less-traditional roasted malt flavor. The finish is dry and hot, with a touch of spicy phenols. Great now, but should be even better in a few years.

Fills the chalice with a deep chocolate brown color with ruby-red highlights. Produces a big, thick and dense tan head with superb retention and thick lacing. Rich, complex aromas of roasted malt, cocoa, dark fruit, caramel, banana, licorice and various spices. Mouthfeel was full, round and smooth with a soft carbonation. Intense flavors of roasted-chocolate malts are upfront; almost porter-like, follwed by notes of caramel candy, prune, raisin, anise, yeast rolls, and spices (clove, pepper, cinnamon). Finishes slightly on the sweet side but the alcohol rescues it from being too cloying. Really enjoyed this spicy, dark unique offering from Stone.

bottle thanks to TexasJeep. Shared at July tasting at KAggie’s. Pours a dark brown with a thin tan head. Decent lacing. Nose of oak. roast malt, caramel and dark fruit. Taste is of roast malt, oak and some smoke. Mouthfeel is medium-thin with alcohol warmth. This seems sorta like a cross between a porter and a strong ale.

Bottle. Opaque coffee color with a super thin white head. Aroma is very malty (and sugary) with a hint of alcohol. Slight grassiness followed by a nice lingering bitter finish and not as dry as I thought it would be. Palate is bubbly and very smooth. A very well crafted beer. Rerate... I didn’t pick up on the woody complexity that this beer has the first time I had it. Really well balanced. I bumped my rating up on this slightly.