Stone 09.09.09 Vertical Epic Ale

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

Bottled:
Colour is dark brown, almost black. Head is large and thick. Aroma is smoke, Belgian yeast and chocolate. Flavour is dark, bitter chocolate, vanilla and smoke. Long bitter finish with grapefruity notes.

Dark brown color/ lingering tan head. Big peppercorn, roasty malt aromas with mild chocolate. medium body. Nice roasty nutty chocolatety flavors with mild spicy hops. Very good. Bottle thanks to Juice.

22 ounce bomber - $7.99 at Bullock’s Wine & Spirits in Marietta, Georgia. Appearance: Pours out a near black body with a large, burbling head of tan foam. Smell: Deep notes of roast and smoke and wood -- it’s like strolling through a former-cabin that had an all-too tragic accident. Lesser notes of spice, fruit, and Dutch cocoa seem buried within the smoldering rubble. Taste: Roast leads to toast which leads to a resounding wooden taste and long-lasting, spicy tastes of smoked black licorice and ground pepper. Lesser hints of dark chocolate and vanilla and sweet molasses dare try to peak out from under these heady flavors. I must say, it is quite smoky throughout. Curiously arranged, subtle mix of dark fruits, banana, and citrus from those added tangerine peels. Earthy bitterness leaking out amongst all the staunch roastiness. Some alcohol warmth and further fruitiness on the spicy, drying, malt-riddled finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Fairly smooth mouthfeel. Drinkability: Hmm. Well, it’s certainly different and very complex, though I’m not quite sure what to make of it at this stage three months from its initial release. Of the more recent Epic Ale releases (minus the 08.08.08 which I still haven’t had, unfortunately), this is the one I most curious to see how it’ll age. Let’s hope for great things, eh?

As promised, a complex beer with lots of peat and resinous wood flavors, some fir and smoke then a sweet finish. attractive, modest head and some lacing.

22 oz. Pours very dark brown with reddish hue with medium brown head. aroma roasted malts, smoke , dark chocolate . taste is smokey ,vanilla . seems like they mixed smoked porter with belgian yeast. i really enjoyed it .

22oz bottle. Medium tan head atop brown/black body, nice lacing. Aroma is moderately sweet, chocolate, roast, some vanilla, Belgian yeast, light alcohol. Taste is moderately sweet, roast, dark chocolate, some burnt, fairly dry. Medium body, light effervescence.

This bottle reads 8.6% alc. not 8.5% as listed on RateBeer, is the bottle mis-printed or are their different alcohol versions of this beer? This ale has a black pour with a chocolate shake colored two finger or more head (this is a dark ruby when held up to a light), head collapses a bit, left nice bubbly lacing on the glass, I got aromas of camp fire smoke as soon as the cap came off, chocolate and orange citrus, roasted malt, the smoke fragrance stays in the background even as the glass warms, and there are traces of charred wood smoke here and there, flavors of roasted malt, smoke, faint chocolate and citrus, some dark brown sugar sweetness, and this ale has a nice bitterness at the finish, mouth feel is nice with some creaminess on the palate, nice aroma and flavor, I liked this combination.

Bottle from ? I forget. Good strong dark belgian that lit me up. To me, howevs, this brew totally lacked complexity. Just didn’t really leave you thinking and tasting flavors. It just went down, got me drunk... tasted good, just not as much to it as I thought maybs. I realize its supposed to be aged 3 years but... ehhhhhh