Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Bottled at Oliver Twist, Stockholm. Clear amber, average head. Aroma of coriander and winegum. Sweet and estery, very fruity. Medium bodied with rounded mouthfeel and evident crystal malt character. A fairly streamlined, highly spiced beer, typical American-Belgfian style. Lots of flavours, but not so much depth. Finishes slightly stick. A drinkable beer for it’s size, but it leaves me rather unimpressed. Perhaps I’m not worthy?

Bomber on 10/24/07
Small-to-medium-sized white head shows moderate retention, light lacing. Clarity is high, with plentiful carbonation in the bronze-straw liquid.
Spicy in the nose, but oddly, not nearly as offensive as the (unspiced) Weyerbacher muse. Some sweet vanilla and ginger notes give it an almost ginger-ale-like nose, which is joined by light caramel malts and white pepper phenols from the yeast. Fair enough Belgian flare, though it’s certainly not going to be mistaken for a beer from Belgian. Hoppiness is surprisingly apparent, though I’m not sure the leafy, slightly pungent and minimally citric crystal and glacier hops are best suited here. Probably some real hallertauer would have suited it just find. Medium strength of aroma, with some definite citrus quality on the finish and a fairly well-concealed alcohol.
Sweet and with somewhat too loose a carbonation, giving the malts a slight mushiness. Caramel, some breadiness and vanilla mix together, with strong ginger notes and ending with moderate acidity from the yeast but mainly the citrus peel. Fruitiness dosent overwhelm, but throws itself in to the mix, further unfocusing the beer. Too much sweetness and ginger; moreso than the 040404, which I enjoyed more. Hopefully this one dries out and improves like that one did. Alcohol under control. Medium-full body.

Cloudy golen pour with very little head. Belgian yeast smell with some pepper. Very peppery/spicey flavor lasts throughout the taste. Some Belgian malt/yeast flavor. Low carbonation. Hopefully the pepper flavor tames over the years because it’s a liitle overpowering right now not letting much else to taste.

Clear shiny amber. Light off-white head quickly fades. Yeasty and quite caramelly ale with apple-like and exotic fruit notes. Floral hops come off rather sharp in its aromas. A bit rough-edged for what it tries to be, not too aromatic outside the hops and kinda syrupy on the palate with that softest of carbonation.

bottle. pours an effervescent orangetan with a whitish head that rings and lasts. sweet lemon peel nose with a candy wurthers original note to it. spices are apparent from the get go, not sure if that is from the yeast or the added actual spices. oh yeah, the ginger and multiple peels are noticeable. too sweet, without enough to balance. alcohol dries up a bit of it in the finish, butleaves a soapy grapefruit taste i don’t care for. reminds me of saison avery did. this is not one i would look for on a regular basis, maybe it will improve with time.

Brewed in the USA... Courtesy of AFI96, thanks Waylo. Pours orange in color with a thin foamy white head. Aroma of ginger, malts and nutmeg. Taste is also of ginger, spices, yeast and bubblegum. The mouthfeel is medium in body with a flat soda finish. Something is really missing here?

Pours a cloudy light amber with a white head. Fruity, spicy aroma. Taste like oregano, ginger and been there, done that, wont drink it again. Big fan of stone but this ones not for me.

Tasted on 5/1/08. Poured this one into a Unibroue tulip. It has a nice white head and the color is what I would imagine from a wit/trippel hybrid. The smell is expected from a wit with a little bit of punch. I realize this is 10 months old already but I just don’t really like this taste. I think I’m tasting some ginger and it just really isn’t pleasant to me. I also taste clove and spicy belgian yeast but the ginger taste is just ruining this for me. Overall this is my least favorite of all the Stone beers I have had.

Sweet aroma stings the nostrils. Pretty sexy beer but there’s a weird taste in the finish. My Honkeybra says it’s grapefruit, I say it’s dishsoap.

tepid, lightly transparent amber color, no head. Nose of melon, banana, caramel, oxidation, bit peppery and bitter. Flavor is also sweet, bubblegum and banana and dirty wheat most common. Overly fizzy.