Stone 09.09.09 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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Had some out of a 22oz bottle at a beer tasting. Beer has existed for a very long time so maybe there’s a reason for some (not all) of the established styles. Maybe there’s good reason that there are no (or precious few) Belgian spiced Porters. I found this beer to be just a bit “off”. There was just something about it that tasted and smelled incorrect. I was truly looking forward to it but it failed to deliver. I think the combination of the darker roasted malts with the Belgian yeast just didn’t mesh. I also question the logic behind pairing tangerine with vanilla, though either were barely noticeable. Stone makes some excellent beers. The 07/07/07 and the 08/08/08 are amoung my favorites. This one may become one of them with age but right now I don’t think it measures up.

This is what I live for! Pours like a dark brown syrup with a medium tan head. Vanilla beans and banana spice all carried by the chocolate malts. Yeasty and spicy with the sweetness balanced by the bread and banana with no hops spared. Slight citrus notes can be found deep below the chocolate and vanilla. This is truly a special brew. Can’t wait to open the next one in 2012!

Smells like alcohol, rotten fruit, chocolate, and light notes of coffee. I don’t get any of the tangerine or vanilla. Palate is thick, spicy, and slick due to the oak aging. High amounts of yeast character but finishes like a stout. Complex is a great word in describing this brew.

Cracked this open last night. 22oz bottle was laying around for about a month. Had quite the Belgian aroma. Tasted of roasted malt, chocolate, toffee and a bit of Belgian yeast. Poured very dark with a light brown head. Finish was pretty dry. Overall not one of my favorite beers, but I saw potential with aging it.

Smoky malt aroma with chocolate scents. Slight fermentation since bottle is three years old. Deep dark color. No light shines through. Thick four finger head with good lacing and decent retention. Coffee,smokey malt flavors followed by strong chocolate flavors. Flavors linger on palate for about 90 seconds. Excellent flavor and good thick body that is expected from this style of brew. Excellent brew. Try it if you can find it.

I bought a case of this on the recommendation of my distributor. It was his last one and I was glad I did. I don’t have a great nose, but the aroma came through rich and malty with citrus. The color and palate are superb with a nice head. The flavors complex and hearty. With the chocolate malts and the vanilla really coming through. No heavy alcohol taste. A very special and pleasant beer.

This is a great brew chocolate notes from a dark mahogany colored beverage. Slight hop nose and taste balance a maltiness that would be pronounced otherwise. Very complex and balanced. Very good over all. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Pours black with toffee milkshake head. Aroma on this is really great and interesting. Dark plum, banana, belgian aroma with roasted malt backbone. Tastes like a belgian style porter for whatever that’s worth. Good & good unique offering from stone.

Poured from 22 oz. bottle, in Stone Russian Imperial Stout snifter. This bottle has been aged at room temperature since it was purchased in early September 2009. **Appearance**: Deep brown and slightly viscous. A tall, light-brown head is creamy and sticks around for a while, slowly fading to a thick ring. Leaves massive laces on the glass. **Nose**: A hint of grapes or cherry at first, quickly, and then chocolate and a roastiness. As it warms, the chocolate becomes more pronounced and I get some vanilla and some oak. **Mouthfeel**: Medium-to-full bodied and silky smooth. There’s not a lot of bite, but again I can tell there were hops in this fresh. It’s very clean drinking. **Taste**: Chocolate and toasted malts, then that fades to mostly the chocolate aftertaste. A slight hint of cherry or grapes around the edges. A touch of vanilla and smoke as it warms. **Overall**: This beer is phenomenal. It tastes like a mellow, slighly-chocolate porter. It’s smooth and very well balanced. It’s roasted malt is not too sweet at all. I love this one. It’s my favorite of the series (and I still have three more to go.) **Room temp vs. cellar temp**: I aged this at room temperature, and it tastes phenomenal. I don’t have a cellar-temp aged bottle to which to compare this one, so I can’t say how it would have differed, but I see no reason to think it would be any better than this one. It is pure awesomeness.

Very simular to Mackeson triple stout I home Brewed. Where I bumped up the Malt Taken it from the 4.9% to 8.5%. Very Malty