Stone 09.09.09 Vertical Epic Ale (Red Wine Barrel Aged)

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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(Draught) Pours a dark brown (near black) body with moderate khaki head. Aroma of caramel, vinous, raisins, oak, and chocolate. Flavor of caramel, toffee, chocolate, herbs, and vinous.

Sehr getreidiger Antrunk, zunächst wenig, dann stärker hopfig. Dabei rund und würzig malzig, Schokoladennoten, gelungene Süße. Etwas erdig, voll, minimal herb. Süffig! 13/13/12/10//12

Draft on 12/12/12. This was my favorite VE of the evening. Lots of resin and tannin, very rich, raisins, dates, plums, prunes. Tasty.

On tap at Pizza Port Carlsbad’s Barrel Blast. Pours with a black body and a tan head. Aroma of burnt popcorn, butter and dark fruits. Flavors are diacetyl, butter, lightly vegital with some currant, toffee and raisins. Oily mouthfeel.

Draught Huge, greige head over jet-black beer. Vanilla², chocolate, vanillawood, if that exists. Vanillabeans, chocolate, double (chocolate)cream. Extremely well-bodied, viscous, oily-slick. Superb vinous stout-like beer. I do not really taste the winebarrels, but that doesn’t harm it one little bit.

A: The beer pours a dark brown color with a finger or so of tan/khaki colored head. S: Not exactly what I was anticipating, but good. Lots of oak with a definite smoke and char note (from the barrel?). The roasted malt note is strong and there’s a bit of vanilla and a decent amount of red wine. T: The flavor is also very heavy on the roast. There’s more of the dark chocolate and coffee notes that I remember from the original beer. A decent amount of wine but still lots of oak and a moderate charred character. M: The body is medium and so is the carbonation. D: Surprisingly good, given the awfulness of VE 07 in Red Wine barrels. I’d actually consider having this again.

Draught at Moeder Lambic, Brussels, for the Stone beer festival. Sampled on September 16, 2011
Black color, big cheeze hole bubble light brown head. Sweet, lactic, wood scent. Sweet, vinous, oak, red wine, chocolate taste. Oak and dry roasted malty aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel, medium high bitterness. Also some coca-cole notes in there.

Tap at CK for 12.12.12 VE night! Pours muddy, deep black. Higher carbonation. Webby lacing. Nose is older feeling Bourbon County of Bells Expedition with dark fruits/raisins/sweet chocolate, toast, fruit cake, sweeter apples. Taste is lighter, minerally, drained with some chalk, cocoa powder, lemon tea, black tea. Strange with a light chocolate bitterness, then silkiness, but finishing very light like diet soda. Lemon tea to near astringent palate. Palate is aerated, overcarbonated, too light.

Pouring at session one of Belgian Beer Fest in Boston. Pours a just clear brown with a thin tan head. Roast, toast, char on the nose. The wine barrel is hidden pretty well, slight wood notes, but nothing really vinuous. Chewy roast and char, loads of roast flavors. Toast, roast, and more wood on the finish.

Draft @ Stone vs. Moeder event, Moder Lambic, Brussels. Brune foncée, col crémeux/beige. Arôme, malt, vin rouge et fût de chêne, le vin donne un aspect de vin cuit allant dans le sens d’un excellent Porto. En bouche, saveur du vin est intense, fruitée et réchauffant au palais. Garde cet aspect fruité; raisin et vin rouge, un malt grillé avec une pointe de chocolat et en retrait une note de houblons américains. Je reviens sur ce côté de Porto car en effet, le vin rouge est réchauffant, fruité un peu sucré/caramélisé sans pour cela donner une note aigre que l’on retrouve parfois dans certains traitements de vin rouge. Le tout se mélange à merveille avec le malt.