Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale

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

The hell with the amll head. Nice aroma, well balanced. This ale went well with Jamaican beans, rice and curry. The Harder They Come of ales.

650 ml bomber, shared with StompBrockmore - pours a slightly hazy peach hue with a smallish off-white head. Beautiful, really. Aroma is filled with spices like nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon - not unlike a pumpkin ale in aroma, but yeastier and with sour fruit notes as well. Quite nice. The flavour is a taste explosion - more fruits, spices, yeasty/bready quality. Reminiscent of an amped up saison. An interesting and delicious hybrid of styles. Body thick and full of spice. Excellent product.

Golden pour with a smallish white head. Aroma of caramel malts. Taste with some citrus to balance out the sweet malt taste.

Bomber on 10/24/07
Small-to-medium-sized white head shows moderate retention, light lacing. Clarity is high, with plentiful carbonation in the bronze-straw liquid.
Spicy in the nose, but oddly, not nearly as offensive as the (unspiced) Weyerbacher muse. Some sweet vanilla and ginger notes give it an almost ginger-ale-like nose, which is joined by light caramel malts and white pepper phenols from the yeast. Fair enough Belgian flare, though it’s certainly not going to be mistaken for a beer from Belgian. Hoppiness is surprisingly apparent, though I’m not sure the leafy, slightly pungent and minimally citric crystal and glacier hops are best suited here. Probably some real hallertauer would have suited it just find. Medium strength of aroma, with some definite citrus quality on the finish and a fairly well-concealed alcohol.
Sweet and with somewhat too loose a carbonation, giving the malts a slight mushiness. Caramel, some breadiness and vanilla mix together, with strong ginger notes and ending with moderate acidity from the yeast but mainly the citrus peel. Fruitiness dosent overwhelm, but throws itself in to the mix, further unfocusing the beer. Too much sweetness and ginger; moreso than the 040404, which I enjoyed more. Hopefully this one dries out and improves like that one did. Alcohol under control. Medium-full body.

22 oz bottle. Pours a hazy orange color with a 2 finger off white head. Nose was of spicy fruits, caramel and lemon. Taste was the same. Some spicey flavors with belgian yeast. I wasn’t originally much of a fan of Belgians, but I’m beginning to like them and this brew validates that.

650ml bomber, shared with VeloVampire - pours slightly cloudy orange with a nice fluffy white head. Aroma is very spicy, reminiscent of cinnamon and nutmeg. Orange zest and citrus as well. Reminds of a spiced ale, like a pumpkin beer sort of, but with a strong Belgian accent. Very "spicy". Flavour is equally well spiced, with a character much akin to a cross between a Belgian saison and a North American pumpkin beer. Or an Imperial Saison. Quite unique.

Amazingly spiced. I could go on repeating what everyone else has said about the spicy malt finish and blah blah blah but you know what...it doesn’t matter this beer is great and gets you loose after a pint.

Bottle sampled on 7/05/07: Pours a transparent orange amber with a clingy-lacing white head. Aroma of sweet bready Belgian malt and yeast with a touch of light fruits and some earthy grass. Starts fairly full and biscuity malty sweet with some spices and mild warmth toward a doughy finish. Fairly true to style and should age well.