Stone 08.08.08 Vertical Epic Ale

Formerly brewed at Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Escondido, California USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

The smell hit my nose before I could raise the glass to take a look, so I’ll give you that first: smells very sweet and creamy, with clove, vanilla, banana, orange and yeast. It poured VERY orange in color, with a small, creamy foam head, about 1 finger, into a trappist glass. The flavor is very complex and bitter, with clove, burnt vanilla, pepper, and resiny citrus hops. Fantastic taste! Palate is dry and long-lastingly bitter. All around an absolutely stunning masterpiece. If I had a cellar, I’d put a case of this in for a few years.

Medium offwhite head. Hazy amber body. Tropical fruit and barnyard aroma with banana and resin notes. Dry-sweet tropical fruit, resin and barnyard taste with citric smoky notes. Mid-bodied. Hot mouthfeel. Dryish fruity resiny herbal aftertaste with barnyard notes. (0.65l bottle shared by Skomakern.)

From notes. First reviewed 4/26/2010. Fortunate to be able to try this on tap at DLD. 08.08.08 poured a honey orange color, with a small 2 cm head. Not much head retention, but a little light lace stick. Sweet aroma. Sweet malt, mellowed fruits, bananas, and citrus. Some mild spices and earthy notes as well. The start of the sip provides a strong initial sweetness, with caramel, banana, and some citrus (orange and grapefruit) flavors. Alcohol really kicks in the middle. Although the hops have not disappeared completely, it definitely does not have typical Belgian IPA character. The soft hop presence reminds me of orange and lemon zest. Finishes a bit spicy. This beer has a medium/high level of carbonation, a little bit grainy. Medium body. Overall I thought this was a smooth, enjoyable beer. Personally, I thought it drank more like a Tripel due to the lack of strong hoppy character. It would have been interesting to taste when it was first brewed, as a comparison. The novelty of having one of the Epics was a great treat, even if the beer itself was not mind-blowing.

Pours a clear golden body with a very thin white head. Spicy with bananas, cereal, bubblegum, ending dry.

Bortled. Thx Santa. Light amber coloured. Aroma of yeats,sweetness, fruits, spice and some alcohol notes. Flavour of fruits sweetness alcohol yeast, Spice and some grape. Medium to full bodied. Dry and sweet end with light yeast. in the end

Bomber.
Appearance : Clear blond with small head that is short lived.
Aroma : Cereals with spices and honey. Rather malty with lots of honey and spices.
Palate : Very soft carbonation.
Taste : Rich honeyed cereals with spices. Finish slightly yeasty with spices and malt. Light alcoholic notes on the finish. Not much hops nor bitterness.
Overall : Obviously this is too old. A bit too spicy and not enough structure. Not bad but a bit flabby. Enjoyable spices and yeast but.

Poured hazy golden color with a lacy white head. Yeast, spices, and orange peel on the nose. Highly bitter, dry, and aggresively hopped. Exactly what you might expect from a Stone-produced Belgian beer.

22 ounce bottle into tulip, over 3 years old now, lets see how this goes. Pours cloudy golden amber color with a nice 1-2 fingers of dense white head with nice retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap. A bit of nice lacing clinging to the glass as well. Aromas of big spicy yeast, with some stale hops, orange, pine, bread, and light fruits; maybe a bit of funk in there as well. Some interesting aromas here, but they have good strength. Taste of huge spices, pepper, bread, light fruits, pine, and citrus. Decent amount of bitterness present on the finish, with lingering notes of spice, pepper, pine, bread, and citrus. Medium carbonation and medium bodied; with a fairly creamy and slick mouthfeel. Alcohol is noticed on the finish with a decent amount of warming. Overall a pretty decent Belgian IPA for being 3 years old. I have another bottle of this, so I will see how it is when 12.12.12 rolls around just for kicks.

On tap; pour is clear dark golden with a frothy, fine bubbled white head that retains well in this glass. The nose is very fruity, slightly vinous, yeasty, and spicy peppery. This brew is spicy out of the gate, pepper, light fruits, peaches, caramel, with a nice mellow hop profile, at least at this juncture. Very nice brew.

Honey color with faint haze with nice white head,. Spicy orange nose with a bit of malt. Big spicy bite on the flavor, thinner palate but higher carbonation aids to bite of spice and hops. Candy malt sweetness is present from beginning to end and coats the tongue so the flavor lingers. Great unique brew from the crew at Stone.

Well, I wonder what this beer tasted like on its release. It seems that age has not been a good thing. Little head, no lacing. I can’t even accurately describe this beer. If you have an 08, go ahead and drink it now...