Stone 09.09.09 Vertical Epic Ale

Brewed by Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Escondido, California USA

Bomber via Bonster. Lucious licorice black pour with medium tan head. Nose of chocolate and lemon zest. Lip smacking. Full bodied but far from overwhelming the palate. Just the right amount of coffee tone balances this nearly perfectly that trransitions flawlessly to a mellow and smooth finish. I notice no tones of vanilla or oak, but can grasp a bit of citrus other than in the nose. A pleasure.

Pours black with a dark brown head. Aroma of hops and roasted malt, with some bitter chocolate. Flavor is mostly hops and dark chocolate, with black coffee and some citrus. Thick and bubbly. A good beer that will no doubt improve with age.

Tap at Rattle’n’Hum. Big coffee and clove aroma. Wishy-washy marshmallow, band-aid and diaper flavor. Huh. The finish is much nicer, fairly dry, with vanilla and rootbeer/bark flavors. Pretty nice, probably a good ager.

Bottle. Pours dark brown with a tan head. Malty roasty aroma with chocolate and a light fruity sweetness. Lesser notes of coffee and a restrained toasted oaky counterpoint. The flavor brings more roasted malt, coffee, toast, and an underlying fruity sweetness. A hint of hops peek through in the finish. Opens up a bit as it warms. Vanilla notes aren’t that noticeable until it warms up a bit. Very tasty and surprisingly approachable. I shared this bottle with a few non beer geek friends and they loved it.

[2489-20090926] Tap. Rich chocolate roast malt aroma. Dark black body with a long-lasting creamy light tan head. More rich chocolate roast malt in the flavour with hoppy wood and a coffee grounds background. Full body is rich. Awesome, needs to warm up a little.
(@ Three Floyds; Munster, IN)

Enjoyed via draft in a whiskey snifter. The beer pours a jet black with a tan head. The aromas and palate both tell of the beer being more of an imperial stout than a Belgian strong dark. This was especially evident, as the beer I had before this was a Chimay Blue. Instead of the characteristic Belgian yeast-derived esters, I instead got strong notes of coffee grounds and a bit of vanilla in the nose. This was joined by a moderate character of roasted malt. The palate was complex and smooth, but lacked the overall quality of the best examples of the style. Again, I found the beer to be closer to a stout than to a strong dark. One guess is that the beer is a Belgian stout in the fashion of De Dolle’s classic example. Some vanilla comes through, along with coffee and some roasted notes. Overall, not bad, but not as good as I was expecting.

Very dark brown pour with coco colored, thick head. Aroma of chocolate, vanilla, and spicy Belgian yeast. Flavor follows suit: creamy dark chocolate, oranges, a bit of spice. The mouthfeel of this beer is the highlight: smooth and drinkable, silky like a glass of chocolate mousse. Easily the best in the Vertical Epic series that I’ve had.

pours dark brown, thick beige head. Really blown away by how drinkable and amazingly fantastic this one is. Aroma of spices, malty with hints of chocolate/vanilla, thin woody scent Flavor, malty, choclate, spices are present, but not overwhelming, hitns of pepper. Thin bitterness and long lasting chocolate mouthfeel. Same as with the aroma, palate is engulfed by chocolate, light vanilla and hints of wood, with a faint bitter hop in the finish all mixed with the spices. A lot better than I had anticipated.