Stone 09.09.09 Vertical Epic Ale

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

Very odd beer. Aroma was next to nothing. A light smokiness with not much else going on. Pour was a nice dark black with a thin tan film for a head. Taste was thin....a good bit of smoke with some dark malt and vanilla. Beer was absolutely flat. No carbonation at all. With carbonation this beer would be a lot better.

No aroma. Black, with a medium tan pour, good lacing. It tastes of a weird smoked meat at first, bacon or more likely pastrami. Finishes with some raisin and black pepper. Kind of a weird beer, but kudos on the creation. Dude, I swear this is some kind of rauch/Belgian beer, but it’s pretty good. I still like 080808 better.

Pours dark brown. Nose is cocoa, anise, roasty malt, smoke, spices, belgian yeast. Flavor is mild smoke, roasted dark malt, cocoa, spices, banana, wood, vanillan.

On tap in a tulip. Pours dark with a thick brown head. The aroma is sweet with a big hint of bitter roasted malts and just a touch of esters. The flavor is roasted coffee and that distinct dark roasted malt bitterness. Hidden in there is a touch of fruity sweetness sprinkled with orange peel. The finish reminds of old coffee grinds. Medium-high carbonation with a silky texture in there, too.

Black with a tan head. Aroma is light yeast, roasty, chocolate, light smoke, cream. Taste is roasty, light yeast showing, cream, some smoke, bitter chocolate.

22oz. pitch black with tan head. nose of low crystal malt and dark malts. moderate carbonation for the style.. noticeable but pleasant bitterness followed by low crystal malt and a perfect amount of black malt with some chocolate notes, some spice comes through mayve from the hops and some really nice yeasty esters. overall, it tastes like a hyped brown porter that is a little more fruity from the belgian yeast, i have heard some detractors of this brew, but i really like it. very nice

Dark brown beer sits below a tan head that leaves some nice lacing. Mild aroma of sweet malts with a hint of caramel. Flavor is the same, sweet chocolate and caramel malts with a bitter coffee finish. Flat feel to it. Maybe a little more porter than belgian. Barely medium bodied and nothing to really speak of as far as the palate goes.

Pours a very dark brown with a tan, moderately full, pillowy, creamy head which is somewhat lasting, and leaves nice Belgian lace rings. Nose is pleasant but still a bit premature; chocolate and spice are most prominent (pepper, cinnamon), some anise, light charred wood, faint restrained roast, some orange peel notes, and a light toasted caramel. Flavor is much of the same with dark chocolate, charred wood, some earthy coffee roast, some orange peel notes, dusty yeast with some faint esters, cinnamon and faint clove, toasted and burnt caramel, maybe a bit of molasses. Palate is okay with a medium body, soft to lively, silky feel, and dryness from the burnt and charred notes. Finishes fairly bitter and but mostly from the acidic roast, charred, and burnt notes with some lingering cinnamon and dark chocolate. I think it could potentially be a nice beer in some time but right now, the burnt and charred notes dominate too much of the beer and hide the more Belgian notes. The tangerine comes through but subtlety, the vanilla and French oak are complementary and create some nice toasted caramel notes (odd that I did not get any vanilla?). I would love to see what happens to this one in a couple of years when the body can build up and the Belgian yeast can take more of a presence. For now, it is just fairly good.