Stone 08.08.08 Vertical Epic Ale

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

22oz bomber. Pours deep orange gold with some cloudiness and a medium white head. The aroma is spicy and perfumy with some fruit and some resiny hop notes. The flavor is fruity and lightly sweet with a decent bit of spicy phenol notes, some bready sweet malts, and a pleasantly strong citrus/resiny/grapefruit hop flavor. At midtongue, it has a lovely blend of fruity esters, delectable rich sweet malts, and a firm punch of hop bitterness. The finish is dry and very well balanced with a lovely American hop character and fruit-cakey lightly sweet malts. The mouthfeel is spritzy with a rich bubbly texture and a medium-bodied creaminess. Overall - a fantastic Belgian IPA. Fan-freakin’-tastic!

Bomber....obviously. Pours a resinous gold with not much head. Smell is of spice and barnyard funk. Very sweet flavor....to the point of being cloying. Malty, spices, some grass, and some toast. Finish is smooth and enjoyable, though this was better when it came out than it is now, for sure.

bottle, pours light gold, thin white head. Aroma is citrusy with lots of corriander and toasty malt. Flavor is mellow sweet malt, some peppery spice and a light hop finish. Nice and mellow, easy drinker. I like it.

Sample from July Beer Club Meeting. Bright orange color with steady columns of carbonation. Aroma of banana and spice, flavor of cloves. Thin and grassy...

From the Jug at the GABF Colorado Convention Center, Denver 10/10/2008 Fruity aroma. Clear golden coloured strong in alcohol hoppy and floral with a crisp and bitter malt finish.

Bottle from Paiste2002, thanks! Blonde. Peach and melon in the aroma. Initial fruit flavors (peach, melon, pineapple) followed by an earthy oily hopbitterness, lingering on in the aftertaste. Full of flavor, but the balance could be better.