Stone 09.09.09 Vertical Epic Ale

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

From Knightly. Roasty aroma with coffee beans, creamy bananas and a little licorice. Looks black in color to me and pours with a thick brown head with pretty good retention. The flavor shows a lot more chocolate than the aroma, which combines with oatmeal, coffee, tree bark, and ripe mild bananas. Very little spice that’s almost nonexistant. Creamy and smooth. The Belgian aspects of this beer are subtle and this definitely tilts strong towards Porter, which I think was a good move by Stone. But with that said the tropical banana adds a nice complexity to the silky Porter flavors. I’m thinking Stone Smoked Porter with a Belgian twist. I am a big fan of what Stone Brewing does but if there’s one line in the past I haven’t been as fond of it’s been the Verticals (what few I’ve had), but I really enjoyed this one. Kudos Stone! Not sure if I can see this one getting any better with age but who cares.

Bottle 22oz. - Poured dark chocolate color with light brown frothy head. Aroma - light chocolate and vanilla scent, also some roastiness going on. Flavor - I did taste some chocolate, some spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Palate - medium/heavy bodied, texture is oily and carbonation is soft. Finish is bitter, dry and fairly smooth. I also detected a woodsy aftertaste!! Overall - This beer sure had some different flavors going on, not all I enjoyed but liked for the most part. I found it tasted better as it warmed up.

Thanks for sharing, bro! Pours a black color with a medium mocha head which fades rather quickly and leaves lots of bubbly-webbed lacing. Aroma is cocoa, lactose, light Belgian spice, and light citrus hops. Tastes a lot like a Milk Stout or Foreign Stouts I’ve had before - light cocoa, some breadiness, Belgian spice, and some citrus hop bitterness. Meh.

Pours a black color with medium light brown bubbly head. Aroma is of chocolate, burnt grain, light coffee and light spice. Taste is more chocolate that I expected with some Belgian spice that plays nicely with the chocolate grain. I don’t pick up a whole lot of tangerine, but there is some subtle citrus. Overall, it’s pretty good, but again, like most Stone beers, they’re good, but not great.

The Dan Journal #319. Tasted 12/16/09. 22oz bomber. Rather dark, opaque hue. Skim layer of beige head. Good aromas with nuances of oatmeal and cocoa dust. Dark chocolate, fudge and toast. Full bodied but super smooth! Lower acidity and milder effervescence. Sweet malts and a dry finish. The astringency shines as it warms and brings with it a subtle coffee note. Mild dark dried fruity esters. Very nice!

I tried I bottle the week this came out and thought the hops were a little too forward and overpowered the rest of the flavors. 3 months later, I’m trying it again and the hops are much subdued and it tastes better to me. Pours jet black with a disappointing head. Aroma almost resembles a rauch, with some smokiness offset by the remnants of citrus hops. The taste is similar to the nose, but not at all overpowering and quite pleasant. The vanilla comes through at the very front and it almost seems like the smoky nose might be me mistaking the vanilla. Not entirely sure. I’m happy that I gave this beer another try, and I look forward to having it again in the future.

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.