Stone 09.09.09 Vertical Epic Ale

Dark Belgian ale. Porter like. Some sweetness. Some wood taste. A very interesting and different beer. I’m still trying to figure it out. It was very tasty...yet ...what was it?

Super dark pretty much black color with a fine light brown head.  Aroma stinky, almost sharp.  Reminiscent of burnt rubber or something weird.  Dead animal? Flavor is better, more of same weirdness, possible anise, with super roastedness.  Too much of something, roasted or not.  Flavor is very different.  Drink this of you’re confident in your beer drinking abilities and are looking for something weird.  Possible smoke or BBQ. Finish is the flavor, over and over. Unique, though 

Date: September 17, 2009
Mode: Draft
Source: Brouwer’s Cafe, Seattle
Appearance: black, creamy brown head, heavy patterned lace
Aroma: dark chocolate aroma, sweet fruity esters
Body: creamy body
Flavor: rich sweet chocolate flavor, sweet fruity esters enhance the chocolate, hint of fruity tartness, balancing earthy bitterness, roasted along with a big hop character keeps it balaned on the bitter side, sharp spicy ginger shows up toward the bottom of the glass
Overall: a Belgian porter? is there such a thing?

Date: October 18, 2009
Mode: draft
Source: brick store
picking up more of the bitter and earthy character to overshadow the malty sweetness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *** /4

The aroma is a tad musty. Dark, spicy Belgian ale aroma, like a Dubbel. Dark fruits are mild. Leathery. Not bad at all, just a little milder than I anticipated. The appearance is almost jet black, brown at the edges. Puffy chocolate milk head. Absolutely beautiful color. Thick gobs of lace. The flavor is dark plums and black berries. A tobacco aftertaste; burnt cookies. As it warms, the Belgian-ness emerges, as does the bitter burnt malt. The palate is a dry, ashy finishe. Very dark. It’s a very balanced beer that evolves. Bitter and gets better toward the end.

22. Pours an opaque black with a dense, moussy, fairly short-lived sandy head. Dense sheets of foamy lace coming down the sides of the glass for sure. Ultra-toasty nose, one of the pepperier BSA bouquets around without a doubt. Dry, herbal, and distinct but restrained aromatics. Creamy medium body with some soft woolly carb showing. Black pepper, white pepper, toast, roast, and a bit of char on the mid-palate. Long peppery finish. Commendably devoid of sweetness, but lacking somewhat in charm.

Bottle thanks to kaggie97 sampled at Oct Houston RB tasting. Dark brown, small head. Nose is malty and smoky. Taste is peppery, smoky, sweet, and very dry. Body is thinner than expected. Weird mix of styles that seem to clash rather than coalesce.

Bottle: Bomber - Consumed vertically and remained vertical as to the typical horizontal later on. When I bought this, I had the impression it was going to be more a trippel-geared Belg. How I was mistaken. Oh well. Pours dark porter-like. Tan head. Nose has lot’s of roasted nuts and malts, and candied-brown sugar goodies. Vanilla and coca. Taste is dark chocolate and treated leather. Yeast, dark fruits and banana bread, slightly nutty with roasted malts and added spiceys of nutmeg. Finishes off with what taste like new vinyl siding. Yes, vinyl siding. It’s good and different, but I would prefer the Trois Pistoles over this. Anti-climatic non epic ale for me.

Bottle: Darker brown color with a nice tan head. The nose is lightly roasty, lots of esters and vanilla, some chocolate and light floral coconut note. Nice roasty character with a chewy yeasty roast note. Surprising how similar this is to the Van Den Bossche Buffalo Belgian Stout that I just had before this. Go figure. Nice in both the belgian area, and the stout area. A little beefed up body.