Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale

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

Aroma has alcoholic lightness, caramelly and roasty. Body is surprisingly light, relative to color, good carbonation, smooth but not creamy. Flavor is very malty and, umm, kind of, umm...tastes a little like pot. I think pot has a very nice taste, and is something that goes very nicely with a beer of this darkness. Nice light finish with some banana esters and alcohol. Doesn’t fit in a category, and I like it for that.

Bottle from Holiday Wine Cellar: Pours very dark brown (almost black) with a medium light-brown head that is mostly lasting. Aroma is fruity with roasted malts. Flavor is nutty with hints of spiciness and a yeasty dry finish. Was able to fill up my Trappist glass twice with the bottle. Complex and delicious!

Bottle. Poured a deep brown-black with a light tan head. Clove smell is dominating in the aroma. Smell some fruit as well. Flavor is yeasty, tasting some fruit in there also. Smooth taste from start to finsh. A young beer, especially since it is not supposed to be tasted till much later. It should be very good around 12.12.12.

From 22oz Bottle. Pours a deep dark, chocolatey brown color with a beige creamy head resting on top - fabulous retention. Loads of banana in the nose, but light and creamy like a frozen popsicle treat. Some coconut and smooth clove spice add some olfactory highlights. A mild chocolate licorice rounds out a solid malt base. Thick, rich and creamy mouthfeel without being overly heavy. This beer is going to be amazing if its already this good. The yeasty clove spice is a bit staggering as it confronts the palate at first, but it eventually gives way to some rich Belgian chocolate notes with a hint of anise. The chocolate flavors are nice and balanced without being overly dry or too sweet. Final smack of cedar cone hops and a smooth caramel maltiness. Well constructed beer with a delicious complexity as is - I will eagerly look forward to tasting this in the years to come.

Yeah, I know that I"m jumping the gun on this one. Really, really dark for a dubbel- not that that’s a bad thing. Like victory says, lots of cloves in it. A bit unbalanced for my taste- hopefully it’ll be better in a few years. Rating may change then. We’ll see.

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.

Pours a dark dark brown approaching black with decent clarity and a sparse light tan head. The nose dominated by strong flavors like juicy fruit and roasted malt. A hint of alcohol and a little spice are there too. The palate is smooth and creamy with appropriate CO2 and a bit of stickiness. A touch of alcohol warming. The flavors are really very nice in this brew. Big sweet malt with some roast, alcohol up front, and juicy fruit again. Creamy, with slight hints of acid and chocolate. There’s even a bit of spice and floral elements. The alcohol really enhances this brew. This completely lacks any of the sourness I’ve encountered in some Belgians and I really enjoy this one. I’ll be sure to go out and grab a couple more!

In appearnace, this beer is dark brown with a very thin brown head. The aroma is of sweet alcohol, malt, something like peppermint, and some fruit (both citrus and non-citrus). The flavor is similar, overall I’d describe it as both sweet and sour, roasty, hoppy, lightly fruity, with alcohol. Lingering sour flavor. Smooth palate with low/medium carbonation.