Stone 11.11.11 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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Aroma of chilis, sugar, alcohol, spice. Pours well with beautiful head, red/brown reminiscent of Insanely Bad Elf. Unbalanced in flavor, with chilis, sharp vegetal hop flavor, Medium bodied, strong carbonation, and a bit of tropical note. Warming for sure, and needs a bit of time IMO. Tasted from the bottle @ 58F.

Pours beautiful amber with white head. Neutral smell. Tastes like peppers, cinnamon, caramel, malt, and hops. A bit sticky on the finish, with a very bitter aftertaste.

Poured deep copper in color with a thin, bubbly head. Aroma is very floral with a hint of citrus. Taste is complex, but not overpowering: grapefruit, grass, and a little bit of candied fruits. Nice dry finish. The chiles and cinnamon used in this beer were in the background and shouldn’t scare people away from what is a pretty good beer.

Pours deep ruby brown with a quickly fading cream colored head. Nose initially of clove and yeast, but chili peppers become more apparent as it warms. Less sweet than its brothers, with an obvious focus on the smokiness of the pepper, and cloves coming out in the finish. Full-bodied, foamy mouthfeel, with some lingering heat. I really wasn’t expecting the peppers to be so prominent. I thought it would be pretty subtle, but they went a different way with this beer, and I applaud them for it.

UPDATED: DEC 22, 2012 Nut brown in color. Off white head in color. Good lacing. Nutty aroma. Cherry in the taste. Smooth finish. There is a slight creamy texture. Stone is a very good brewery and I will try another one in a heartbeat.

Gorgeous beer, a deep, rich, cloudy copper. Strong cinnamon on the aroma, brown sugar, chiles are lurking, spice... well-made, great mouthfeel, assertive flavors, nicely balanced, alternately bitter & sweet, tinge of heat, really well crafted beer, delicious.

UPDATED: JUN 3, 2012 Smells very strong of spices, chilies, and cinnamon. Sweet and very spicy with a strong chili taste and cinnamon backbone. Not too bitter, but very spicy. Gets a bit tiring to the palate after the first 12 oz.

22 oz bomber, this thing is a mess. The nose is pretty good, actually smells pretty good. Taste is way too much of the chili. This is certainly my least favorite of the vertical epic series.

Very malty cinnamon flavor. Sweet rate with veer common sweety finish. Unbelievably good and complex beer.

UPDATED: APR 8, 2012 Dark reddish-brown with a medium tan head. Smells of the peppers and clove. Taste is nice. The heat of the cinnamon and pepper don?t overpower the rest of the brew.