 argo0 (6176), Washington DC, USA
Aug 5, 2002
Damn this is good stuff. Orange red hue with middling head. Sweet fruity malty aroma, tinged by the clear presence of alcohol. Up front flavor, very assertive (like all Stone beers). Wine-like, malty, caramel, hops providing good support. Alcohol’s there too, but, despite the high ABV, it doesn’t overwhelm the rest of it.
doubleo (762), San Diego, California, USA
Sep 7, 2008 9/6/08. Vertical tasting of 2002 and 2003 22oz bottles, newest to oldest. I got paranoid after people kept saying not to cellar beers in the fridge due to cap deterioration, so after 2 years, I popped ’em. No problems here.
Appearance: The two beers pour the same copper/amber color. The 03 has a bigger tan head than the 02, although the 02 still has signs of carbonation.
Aroma: 03 smells sweet and caramelly malty with a touch of cardboard oxidation. 02 Smells a bit more subdued sweet and caramelly malty with some alcohol and the faintest hint of oxidation.
Flavor: the 03 tastes very malty and sweet with a little cardboard and a little alcohol. No sign of the hops anymore. The 02 is a bit more spicy than the 03. Its more of an alcohol spiciness than it is hops. The 02 has the same decadent sweet and caramelly malty flavor. Again, this brew has held up beautifully, just a hint of oxidation. Although I heard that Stone changed their bottle caps in 03 to oxygen fixing ones, so don’t wait to long to drink your 02’s.
Palate: Both vintages have full, syrupy bodies. The 03 has a bit more carbonation than the 02 but the 02 is still carbonated.
Overall: I prefer the 02, it is a little less sweet and it still has carbonation. Both brews are still very, very drinkable even with less than optimal cellaring conditions.
yespr (6373), Copenhagen O, Denmark
Aug 7, 2008 22 fl oz bottle, 2002, at Stone Bistro, thanks to WeeHeavySD. Pours hazy orange with a fully gone head. Dense caramel malty aroma, slight oxidised. Smooth fruity flavour of malt and caramel. Smooth caramel into the finish. Holding up fantasticly despite the vague oxidised notes in the aroma.
WeeHeavySD (1711), San Diego (Hillcrest), California, USA
Aug 3, 2008 Bottle @ Stone @ RBSG, 02 vintage shared with many. Pours orange with a 1 finger tan ring. Nose is smooth and light. Taste is sweet and rolling and very nice, wow this is a great bottle.
carruthm (391), Seattle, Washington, USA
Jul 29, 2008 v2003
bright orange tint, tall white head clings thin. sweet aroma and a spicy, alcoholic taste.
Stine (1338), St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
May 25, 2008 Poured from a 22 oz. bottle, vintage 2003. Clear, slightly misty reddened orange. Clean, sweet aroma of candy corn, but clean in a synthetic sense, while bits of gritty grains and an indefinable salty pungency linger unwelcomingly. Some apple vinegar and a wink of tomato. Flavor is warm and quite sweet, showing caramel, golden pit fruits and maple syrup, and still resting on a cache of calm resinous bitterness; while the barren pine-like bitterness has lost a bit of its probably once-violent edge, that effect is to highlight the savory, if mild, malt flavor; absolutely a positive influence for this example which was probably somewhat abrasive with rampaging chinooks and cascades when fresh. Medium to full palate is somewhat dry and gently carbonated, finishing somewhat shortly on the last dregs of hops. Seems age has done it well though the weird pungency of the aroma suggests a shorter wait period might do better. Thanks Eric!
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