Stone 08.08.08 Vertical Epic Ale

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

In short: A thin Belgian-ish golden ale with herbal spicy hops. Just ok. Disappointing Stone effort.
How: Bottle 22oz. Consumed 1 year after its release
The look: Clear golden blonde body topped by a little white ring of foam
In long: Nose of herbal and spicy hops, the herbal notes go in the green tea direction while the spicy notes go the coriander way. Taste of gingerbread man cookie, dried citrus fruits, basil, green tea, flower petals, dry grass, toasted bread. A strange sandy dryness in the finish. I could list 50 more flavour elements for that beer yet strangely it was far from captivating. Mouthfeel is a bit disappointing as I found the body a bit on the thin side and the medium tickling carbonation very not-belgian. Not bad but nothing interesting either in this Stone 08.08.08 Vertical Mundane Ale.

Bottle.. Pours a hazy golden with a white head that dissapates to a ring...Aroma is belgian yeast, fruit and some citrus.. Flavor is fruit with the lingering belgian yeast with a slight hoppiness..Good carbonation and medium body.. Still pretty tasty.

A hazy golden appearance with white head. Aroma is floral and citrus. Has a spicy and hoppy flavor with hints of bubblegum and a dry, bitter finish.

Bouteille 650ml, courtoisie de Blankboy. Nez de houblon herbeux (menthe, léger de thé), citrique (pamplemousse), moyen-léger résineux et aux notes florales, d’alcool, de fruits (poires, abricots, moyen d’agrumes, notes de pommes et de bananes), malté de sucre bonbon, léger de pain et moyen d’épices (clou de girofle, traces de poivre). Moyenne-ronde en bouche avec un pétillement moyen et une texture moyennement crémeuse et aux notes huileuses / résineuses. Goût de levures fruitées (agrumes, moyen de poires, léger de pommes et d’abricots, traces de bananes et d’ananas) accompagné d’un goût moyen-amer de houblon herbeux (menthe), moyennement citrique (pamplemousse) et aux notes résineuses (une amertume de houblon présente durant toute la gorgée) et d’un moyen-léger goût épicé (clou de girofle) auquel se rajoute rapidement un goût de grains de malt sucré, moyen de sucre bonbon avec des traces de caramel et de pain. Parallèlement, l’on retrouve un moyen-léger goût d’alcool réchauffant jusqu’en finale ainsi qu’une amertume de houblon légèrement plus asséchante et légèrement florale avec des notes épicées (poivre doux). Post-goût long et moyennement sec, moyen-amer de houblon herbeux, moyennement citrique, légèrement floral et aux petites notes résineuses, moyen-léger d’alcool et de levures fruitées (zest d’agrumes, pelures d’abricots, notes de pelures de pommes vertes).

The color of a (golden) lit candle. Hazy. Starts with a puffy head that takes a while to subside. Tiny bubbles. Really nice. Dual blast of sweet, citrusy hops, and sweet Belgian spices. Woody, flowery, spicy; a dry, champagne malt. Perfumey and superior. Strong, citrusy flavor. The spices of the flowery citrus hops mesh beautifully with the spices of the Belgian malt. A dynamite, spicy and citrusy flavor. Fizzy in the feel like champagne. A splendid, citrusy and spicy beer. Absolutely outstanding.

Expensive, big bottle shared with Arild and Finn H. at The Rake, London Bridge. Slightly unclear, sunset coloured body. Decent off-white head. Floral hoppy to the nose. Tangerine taste supported by hints of dark spices and quite heavily, dry hopped ending. Well integrated alcohol. Rather sweet textured, but still pleasant to drink (01.08.2009).

Average belgian strong ale. Flavor and aroma were ok, but nothing special. Light and refreshing

22. Dry pale Belgian w/ more hops than necessary. But, ummm, still an amazing west coast Belgian! 12/12 or later?, my ass!