Vertical Epic Ale 02.02.02
(has 1 batch)
Stone Brewing in Escondido, California, United States 🇺🇸
Belgian Style - Strong Ale Series Out of Production|
Score
7.03
|
|
A new Vertical Epic will be released every year, with the goal being to collect them all and have a Vertical Epic tasting once the final Epic is released on 12/12/12. Each new Stone Vertical Epic Ale will be release one YEAR, one MONTH and one DAY apart.
Vertical Epic 02/02/02 was not brewed "to style". Instead, we tried to create something new. It’s triple-ish in nature, with wit character, coriander and orange peel, and has way more hops than either a Belgian triple or a Wit would. Belgian yeast was used. Belgian Strong Ale is the closest category that fits -- Greg Koch, Stone Brewing CEO.
What about Stone Vertical Epic Ale 01.01.01? Well, there are two reasons for its non-existence: (1) We didn't want to participate in the whole overhyped media nonsense of "Millennium this" and "Millennium that," and (2) we didn't think of the Stone Vertical Epic Ale idea until the fall of 2001 (which was already too late for a 01.01.01 version.) Sure, we could wait until the year 3001 to start this series, but we were afraid that with all that time between now and the next millennium, we might forget. Besides, that millennium will probably be overhyped as much as the last one.
Vertical Epic 02/02/02 was not brewed "to style". Instead, we tried to create something new. It’s triple-ish in nature, with wit character, coriander and orange peel, and has way more hops than either a Belgian triple or a Wit would. Belgian yeast was used. Belgian Strong Ale is the closest category that fits -- Greg Koch, Stone Brewing CEO.
What about Stone Vertical Epic Ale 01.01.01? Well, there are two reasons for its non-existence: (1) We didn't want to participate in the whole overhyped media nonsense of "Millennium this" and "Millennium that," and (2) we didn't think of the Stone Vertical Epic Ale idea until the fall of 2001 (which was already too late for a 01.01.01 version.) Sure, we could wait until the year 3001 to start this series, but we were afraid that with all that time between now and the next millennium, we might forget. Besides, that millennium will probably be overhyped as much as the last one.
Sign up to add a tick or review
6.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
22 fl oz bottle, huge thanks to sk8viking for sharing this! Pours hazy to cloudy orange with a lacing white head. Smooth wooden and deep caramel malt aroma. Flavour starts light acidic and soon goes into a dry wooden flavour. Solid caramel malt base. Light yeast fruity and with a spiced note. Mild citric and spiced finish with a nice yeasty touch.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Jul 2008
at 03:26
8.3/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Part of a vertical in Tokyo; thanks marc! Hazy, glowing golden hue with a medium head. Aroma is fruity, spices, coriander, light herbal notes. Maybe a bit thin but nicely carbonated. Some fruits, spices, wheat, coriander, some herbs, and refreshing citrus/orange. Alcohol comes though in the finish along with increasing spice tones. What an amazing beer.
Tried
on 25 May 2008
at 22:52
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
A bit shout out to Marc for sharing this one. Cloudy golden color. It showed notes of coriander, cookies, oranges and caracao. The mouth was incredibly creamy with an upfront bready character, saffron jumped in there as well. Soft, off sweet, coriander finish with a slightly warming affect. Its flavors really melded well with time and the beer was very rounded. Very very nice, but hardly worth the prices it fetches on Ebay.
Tried
on 24 Mar 2008
at 09:13
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
A big thanks to goldtwins for offering to share this one! I never thought that I would get a chance to try this one. pours with a thin head over a clear yellow body. Moderate lacing. Big complex aroma of spices, oranges and some alcohol. The flavor is a bit thinner than the aroma, but this certainly hasn’t become a drainpour by any stretch of the imagination. Lightly sweet, fruity.
Tried
on 01 Sep 2006
at 06:32
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bomber from Belgianhomebrew, thanks man! Shared with Eyedrinkale on 8/5/2005. Served chilled, to start, in a corsendonk tulip.
Smells quite yeasty, though rather a meaty/heavy yeastiness. Sherry, marzipan and the gang are all present as well. Some wet, rotting flower petals. Maybe a hint of lavendar. Pineapple and old spoiling peaches as well. Color is a hazy peach, slight rust tones and copper-gold hues throughout. Respectable white head is dense and creamy, but quite small. It does retain well at a small covering and there is some spotty lacing. Handful of bubbles rise, slowly, every couple of seconds. The sediment is suspended throughout the beer. Flavor begins with caramel and taffee (sort of a chewy, vanilla and cream flavor). Peppery notes arise quickly to balance the sweetness, but it dosent take much, as this is quite well-attenuated. On the finish, there is a whiskeyish element, though I know this wasnt barrel aged. Could just be the pepperiness mixed with slight fruity esters. Sweet peaches and light clementines. Great palate is immediately noticeable. Low carbonation, small, expansive bubbles. No thinning or wateriness in this sample. Every sip I’m getting vanilla and pepper. Finishes with caramel and almost a nutmeg flavor. VERY Drinkable, I’m enjoying it almost too much for how analytical/observational I’m trying to be. Pepperiness never leaves, and the body holds to the end, as well. A soft and gentle, almost session like ale. Medium body overall, with the yeast not meaty like the aroma would suggest. I can taste similarities to the 050505’s yeast profile, but it’s not fuelic or crude. There just isn’t as much yeast pumped in to it. Dulls towards the end of the glass with some candi-like sugariness and almost a mineralesque yeastiness. No alcohol noted anywhere. Good stuff!
Smells quite yeasty, though rather a meaty/heavy yeastiness. Sherry, marzipan and the gang are all present as well. Some wet, rotting flower petals. Maybe a hint of lavendar. Pineapple and old spoiling peaches as well. Color is a hazy peach, slight rust tones and copper-gold hues throughout. Respectable white head is dense and creamy, but quite small. It does retain well at a small covering and there is some spotty lacing. Handful of bubbles rise, slowly, every couple of seconds. The sediment is suspended throughout the beer. Flavor begins with caramel and taffee (sort of a chewy, vanilla and cream flavor). Peppery notes arise quickly to balance the sweetness, but it dosent take much, as this is quite well-attenuated. On the finish, there is a whiskeyish element, though I know this wasnt barrel aged. Could just be the pepperiness mixed with slight fruity esters. Sweet peaches and light clementines. Great palate is immediately noticeable. Low carbonation, small, expansive bubbles. No thinning or wateriness in this sample. Every sip I’m getting vanilla and pepper. Finishes with caramel and almost a nutmeg flavor. VERY Drinkable, I’m enjoying it almost too much for how analytical/observational I’m trying to be. Pepperiness never leaves, and the body holds to the end, as well. A soft and gentle, almost session like ale. Medium body overall, with the yeast not meaty like the aroma would suggest. I can taste similarities to the 050505’s yeast profile, but it’s not fuelic or crude. There just isn’t as much yeast pumped in to it. Dulls towards the end of the glass with some candi-like sugariness and almost a mineralesque yeastiness. No alcohol noted anywhere. Good stuff!
Tried
from Can
on 06 Aug 2005
at 13:06