Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale

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

my #805 rating.... poured a deep, opaque brown hue with a thin tan head. It was slightly fizzy, but not enough to make it over carbonated. Some fruits on the aroma, mostly dried. The aroma also had notes of chocolate, yeast and nuts. Flavor was malty with some fruit notes, a little spice and a nice chocolate finish. Alcohol was mild but warming. Good beer, glad i waited the year to drink.

Rockin this baby out of an Old Guardian glass and boy fuckin howdy it looks great. Doesn’t hold a head much but oh well. Actually the aroma isn’t much except for some white raisin and black charcoal. Taste is peach and plum, grape and tangerine. Smooth and sweet and could use more carbonation. I don’t get clove but I do get a good Madagascar Vanilla. This ain’t no Abbey Dubbel but more of a psydo-dopplebock.

Dark brown with a decent, tan head. Aroma is spicy, licorice, and alcoholic. Medium-bodied with a creamy/foamy mouthfeel. Malty, sweet, roasty, and spicy. Hops are in the background, more obvious at the finish. Very tasty and complex.

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!

Bottle at Pier 32. Poured a small tan fizzy head that ended up mostly diminishing, no lacing, opaque, no visible carbonation, and a dark brown hue. Roasted malt, spicy, licorice nose. The flavor was toasty, malty, caramel, roasty, and spicy. Nicely done. Tingly mouthfeel. Medium body. Good brew and one I think will only get even better with time.

Licorice black with a medium cap of dirty frappuccino brown frothy foam. Intricate lacing in inky stretched and straggly strings. Aroma is a bit light at first but agreeably grows and becomes nice to partake in the nose as its a bit like a fresh poppyseed muffin and some black malt mixed with black licorice, anise, cinnamon, dark sugary sweetness and some dark, herbal, spicy yeast. Taste is one complex, tender display of leveled tastes and mixtures of dark spicy fun stuff. A ride of intricate little nuances of spices, dark, dryish malt, and sweet dark sugars really balance out and make for a pleasureable, palateable treat. The flavors aren’t overly intense here, it all seems very well placed and perfectly displayed as it tugs here, pulls there; leaves here, enters there. A fun dance of flavors that are bready, sweet, dark, yeasty, and spicy. I find it to be quite nice. Perhaps not as bold or in your face as other Stone brews, but definately well crafted in the nature of what has become the growth of Stone’s own brewing palate. As in the smell, many alluring complexities await the spicy realm of dark yeasty breads with anise, clove, cinnamon, black licorice, dry black malt, rye, poppyseed, and pale woodyness. A wonderful palate full of dark spicey fun, and balanced in with with a uniquely tender little undertow of dark sugary sweetness. Oh my... A treat to behold, no doubt; yes, sure, it’s not quite the brute you’d think it would be, but in a way it has it’s edge. Edge enough for me to absolutely drink the hell out of this beer. The medium, low set carbonation and smoother, dark malten body ooze an easy goin’ flow. Yet the active spice and yeasty parts pep it up to the point of total balance and control. Plus the finish has some great little blackened banana, coffee, black malt dryness that is remarkably satisfying to the palate as it finishes slightly dry and powdery. 06.06.06 is one to savor in, even given it’s impressively easy drinkability. 8.6%? I’m sure it’s there somewhere waiting...but undetectable in most regards until the first bomber is nearly emptied. A very finely crafted brew by Stone. A true treat that I may need to seek more of...

Dark brown, very little head. Funky Belgian aroma. Big on the yeast. Very tasty stuff, some slight roasty, chocolate, spice, big malts, good stuff. I’m not gonna try to describe this any better, it’s really good. Get some.

One of the best Vertical Epics yet. Similar to the 03, as I remember, but stronger, more body and flavor. I found a lot of fruit in the aroma: pear, strawberry, raisin/prune. Flavor was yeasty with some spices. Very little hop bitterness, way background. Malt backbone that could age well, but might not make it to 121212.