Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale

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

On tap. Pours a dark brown with a large, off-white head. Great lacing. Aroma of coriander, dark malts, caramel and a bit of candi sugar. Taste is malty, coriander, some oxidation, hint of bananas, and some alcohol. Light bubbles and creamy.

On tap during Stone Fest (Feb, ’08): This poured a deep amber to brown in color with a thin head that dissipated away. Aromas and flavors were quite malty with flavors of fig, caramel and chocolate. This was medium-bodied with nice richness and on the sweet side.

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 courtesy of Travis from Dunedin Brewing. Pours a dark brown color with thin tan head. Aroma is malty and sweet with notes of molasses, caramel, maybe some toffee and ripe dark fruit. Flavor is sweet and malty with notes of maple syrup, some vanilla, honey. Generally medium body with a sweet and malty finish.

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.

Very deep brown with a thin sticky head. Aroma is toffeeish with notes of caramel and roasted malt. Flavor is very rich - body was pretty meaty and still smooth. Kind of young, probably needs to be cellared as suggested on the bottle. Still a nice brew.

Bottle purchased recently. Aroma is quite sweet, sugary, with some molasses and vanilla notes present as well. There is also a light roasty chocolate aroma with minute aromas of yeasty easters. This is quite sweet, which I find a pleasant aroma. Moderately opaque, dark mahogany body present with a weak light tan head that dissipates a little too quickly. Dried fruits, prunes, plums, raisins to start. Light sweetness. Boozy roastiness with some definite coffee flavors in the middle-end. A little thin and the coffee notes are a little weird, but this is a fair effort.

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.