Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale

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

22oz bottle. My favorite so far out of all the Vertical Epics i have had so far (04/05/06/07). Light in color, more belgian style, smooth going down. Excellent.

Deep golden color, not much of a head or lacing on the glass. Spicy, floral aroma and flavor. Taste of green pepper, lemon, spices. Some hops come through toward the end, but not in the normal Stone way. A very nice and drinkable Belgian style brew. One of my favorites in the Vertical Epic series.

Pours to a transparent shiny orange copper colored body with lots of visible carbonation and a thin creamy off-white head. The aroma is toasty, yeasty, Belgian, ginger, cardamom, cloves, orange juice, bananas. The flavor is spicy with ginger, cardamom, lots of Belgian yeasts, bananas, orange juice. The flavors linger on the tongue. The palate is dry and gummy. A nice beer that sort of reminds me of Bells Batch 8000 w/o all the wheat. 8, 4, 8, 3, 15 = 3.8
Tap: Similar color to 08.08.08 but a darker hue. Thin wispy white head. The aroma is spicy but rounded. Lots of interesting spicy hops and other components like ginger and cardamom and grains of paradise in the flavor. A very balanced spicy palate with a subtle alcohol feel. Overall a decent brew.

This big belgian style beer is fantastic. It reminds me a little of a wit beer, but also of a bock. I feel like they captured the essence of the syle without mimicking any one variety. A beautiful beer. Truly epic

22 oz bottle 7/27/07: Deep gold/light amber lightly hazed body w/ a thin, but lasting off white head. Spicy peppery yeast w/ a muddled citrusy character @ first. Spices seem non distinct, w/ a bready malt, very light banana ester and a hint of alcohol. A moderate ginger floral appears as it warms. Very well balanced flavor all around. Between the malts, hops, and spices nothing really stands out all at once and is very harmoniusly blended. A bit of corn sugar flavor, bready malt, peppery yeast mid palate w/ a dry lemon peel finish and spicy yeast aftertaste which also includes herbal and resiny. Medium CO2, well hidden alcohol, anda lighter medium body; very smooth. Pretty good use of spices as none are dominant, except the ginger which adds a bit of floral quality as well as spice. Paired well with pepper jack and Port Salut cheeses, but got lost in the chorizo sausage and mustard I had for dinner, although I could think of worse pairings for this beer.

Bomber bottle. Hazy deep amber under a tall off-white head with thin curtains of lacing. Aroma of ginger, citrus and lightly toasted malt. Firmly malty flavor with more spices and far less of a hop profile than a traditional Stone brew. Velvety texture and complex finish. As a huge Stone fan I was slightly disappointed with this but its still a nice beer; however, as Stone brews generally go, this one is more of a large Pebble.

3rd LCRBM. Aroma is pure ginger with some citric background. Clear, copper-golden coloured with no head. Taste is sweet with loads of ginger, some citrus. Not even one hint of a saison or a triple. How can they make this up?

3rd LCRBM. Golden color. Ginger aroma. Lemon aroma and flavor. Sweet flavor in which pineapple esters are present. Disappointing.