Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale

Formerly brewed at Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Escondido, California USA

Pours a hazy orange honey color with an off-white thick foamy head. The aroma has definite ginger, some artificial banana, and a sweet honey. The flavor has a strong yeasty sweetness with a solid ginger flavor and a little caramel to balance things out. A medium body. My one big complaint is that there is quite a bit of alcohol flavor left in it, so if it cools off until 2012, it will definitely be pretty decent.

Bouteille 650ml, courtoisie de Hogtownharry. De couleur orange-dorée et voilée. Nez de levures fruitées (tangerines sucrées, léger de poires et de lime, notes de pommes), d’épices (cannelle, muscade, gingembre, coriandre et poivre), moyen de sucre bonbon et léger de houblon floral et herbeux. Moyennement ronde en bouche avec un pétillement moyen ainsi qu’une texture moyennement huileuse et légèrement crémeuse. Goût de levures fruitées (orange et zest, lime, notes de poires et de pommes) et d’épices (coriandre, gingembre, léger de cannelle) lors de l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute un goût malté de pain, un léger goût de céréales ainsi que des notes de sucre bonbon. Parallèlement l’on note la présence d’un léger goût réchauffant d’alcool jusqu’en finale, où l’on retrouve également un regain d’épices (poivre, léger de muscade) ainsi qu’une moyenne amertume de houblon herbeux et légèrement floral. Post-goût long-moyen et plutôt sec, moyennement amer de houblon floral et herbeux avec un goût de levures fruitées (zest d’agrumes, notes de pelures de pommes) et un léger goût d’alcool (léger goût de gingembre toujours présent).

22oz. bomber. poured a nice medium gold color, white head that disappeared quickly. sweet candy aroma. malty sweet flavor with a little bite in the end. Very smooth, nice drinker for 8.4. very good.

Had on 8/1/08 (was trying to wait until 8/8/08, but next weekend wasn’t going to work out). Poured from the bottle a hazy orange color with no head, even when a vigerous pour was attempted. Smell of citrusy yeast, pepper and other spices. A sharp pepper taste was the front of this complex beer, with some malty bread in the back.

Bottle 75 cl Deep golden bode with a light white head. The nose ia a bit sour and bare traces og pears, orange peel. The taste is fresh and a bit fruity with notes of lime, plum and minth-leaves. The finish i perfect balanced and perfect lasting. The palate is round, smooth and mild.

On tap during Stone Fest (Feb, ’08): This poured golden in color. Aromas and flavors were of tropical fruit, bubblegum, citrus and spice. This was medium-bodied and finished with some dryness.

I was happy to find this on a road trip but it ended up being a bit of a disappointment. Pours a clear, bright orange color with a thin white head. Aroma is a bit stingy with oranges, perfume and an assortment of spices. The mouthfeel on this is very tart, tangy and slightly dry. The strongest flavors are oranges and coriander, with lots of spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg), some lemon, and light fragrant hopping thrown in there. Interesting but the flavors just don’t work for me. Halfway through the bomber I was sick of it. Not an awful beer but it is the worst Stone product I have had so far. Maybe I should have waited until "sometime after December 12th, 2012."

Incredibly complex, hard to describe. The ginger helps to temper the ester quality of the Belgian yeast.