Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale

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

Brown-black body with a small tan head. This is one heavy beer. Deep liquorice/molasses and wood on the nose. Very malty and creamy body with plenty of dark fruits, woods and molasses. Finish is black liquorice with a nice hoppy touch. Alcohol manages to tickle my palate despite being less than 9% in such a thick body. I first had it draft at the Cooperstown beer fest 2006 and it was magnificent (original rating 4.5). The bottle wasn’t nearly as impressive. From my notes the bottle had more woods/hops while the draft was that grossly amazing and complex mix of dark stuff. Deserving of a re-rate since the bottle is what most will be having including myself if I have it again. 06-06-06 The Number of the Beer.

Interesting... deliciously interesting. These verticle epics are great because they taste great up front.. and hopefully will continue to improve with age, this one seems like it will hold well. Big banana yeast esters in the nose and finish. Roast and fruity on the palate with a nice spicy finish. I think the sweetness up front will build nicely over time and this one will be amazing in a year or two.

Bomber. Am I allowed to open this yet? Pours brown off the mouth, jet adamant black in the glass. Falling tan head that manages to hang on in reduced form for quite a while. Big dark fruits--plum, prune--on the nose. Molasses sweet attack, with tiny-bubble foamy carbonation on top of a fairly thick body. Sweeter malts and some yeast lurk a bit from the nose through the mid-palate; coffee really stands up in the dry finish. Unique in many ways; well-made, interesting, satisfying. Borderline refreshing, too. Best of many worlds. Great beer.

Deep, dark burgundy. Fluffy texture; lively carbonation. Very roasty and toasty. Great notes of hardened caramel, toffee and black licorice. Big, grassy and herbal bitterness. Other flavors and aromas offer subtle complexity. Some comforting warmth in the throat from the alcohol. Tasty, flavorful and pleasant beer.

I believe this was courtesy of DragonStout. Pours a deep brown with amber hues and tan head. The aroma is sweet and fruity with added tartness. I think I smell wood too. The flavor starts off with dried figs and plums without being too barleywine like. I also get some hotness and caramelized malt sweetness. Nice. Could use more aging.

Well well, finally a beer poured for the apocalypse! This is a big beer, just judging on a first glance and the aroma. Lots of caramelized spiciness, with a very nice and well balanced malt profile, toffee and figs with some inherent yeastiness coming through reminiscent of bananas and corriander. Zesty, with some spicy herbal hoppiness coming through in the after palate. Great finish, this is a keeper!

A bit musty, rich aroma. Brown color. Raisin note, nutty, richness, light toast with hazelnuts. Moderate palate. Not bad. I’m not sure if it will improve with aging; I’d drink now.

22oz. Bottle (THANKS glkaiser): Aroma is lightly sweet. Smells malty and vinous with hints of chocolate, Belgian yeast, roasting, dark fruits and some nuts. Poured dark brown with a hint of ruby and a medium-sizes tan head that diminished quickly. Opaque. Flavor is lightly bitter. Tastes of a lot of clove, as well as spices, coriander, roasted malts, dark fruits, a little chocolate and a hint of bitter hops. Medium body. Sticky, slightly watery texture. Lively carbonation. Dryish malt finish. Overall, not sure why everyone loves this so much, though Dubbels are really not my thing.