Stone Brewing Vertical Epic Ale 09.09.09

Vertical Epic Ale 09.09.09

 

Stone Brewing in Escondido, California, United States 🇺🇸

  Belgian Style - Quadrupel / Dark Strong Series Out of Production
Score
7.36
ABV: 8.6% IBU: - Ticks: 83
This is quite a complex and layered beer. Bold and smooth chocolate malt flavors combine with a Belgian yeast lending tropical fruit and banana flavors and hints of spiciness, all complemented by citrus notes from an addition of tangerine peel. Rich vanilla beans add a nice counter to the chocolate malt, actually enhancing the chocolatiness. The finish is smooth, with additional traces of vanilla and toasted characters from French oak. The goal for this edition of the Stone Vertical Epic Ale series is to be reminiscent of artisanal chocolates accentuated with orange.
 

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6.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Draft @ Lord Hobo, on 12/15/12. We got to enjoy the left over Stone from the 12/12/12 event. Color is black with no head, flat carbonation. Aroma is chocolate with roast, yeast, and slight dark fruit. As far as the ingredients of tangerine and vanilla beans… well, I couldn’t get any fruity notes or vanilla anywhere in the flavor. The age seems to have just turned this into an average Dark Belgian Ale. It did have Smokey notes throughout the sip. UH, it’s ok.

Tried from Draft on 16 Dec 2012 at 11:37


7.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Black,small tan head.Complex nose and palate of vanilla,brown sugar,light chocolate,molasses and alcohol. Doesn’t really seem like a Belgian

Tried on 12 Nov 2012 at 23:09


7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 10 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6.5

Review #700!

Enjoyed in a snifter at fridge temp with some friends.

A - Poured a thick viscous black. Oily in the glass. No head at all. The cap didn’t whisp as I expected it to with carbonation. Slightly worrying.

S - Big coffee scent and roasted chocolate. Hint of raisins and the vanilla is not as dominant as expected.

T - Wow. First of all, it’s pretty oxidized. It has a stale cardboard taste which really is a bummer. Everything else sort of falls behind it. Vanilla is still there and dark semi-sweet chocolate. this is followed by some fruitiness but nothing too apparent.

M - No carbonation, almost a heavy body but not quite.

O - My friends are enjoying this quite a bit. It’s a unique beer actually to be so dominant with vanilla, coffee and chocolate but still be a Belgian Strong Ale and not a Stout.

Tried on 29 Sep 2012 at 12:09


6.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Bottle. Dark chocolate, cigar, smoke, molassis. Black, brown capucino lace. Medium to light body, dry roasty, choc and espresso. Rich with a quick coffee finish.

Tried from Bottle on 28 Sep 2012 at 23:35


8.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9.5

Bottle. Got ahold of this from the cellar at the Tap House Ghent. Pours dark opaque reddish black with a small brown head and little lacing. Aroma is a wonderful mix of rum, chocolate, caramel, toffee, and raisin. Flavor is chocolate, coffee, orange, molasses, caramel, and vanilla. Medium sweet with a light bitter finish. Medium body and low carbonation. Very complex beer; I wonder what it was like in 2009?

Tried from Bottle on 25 Sep 2012 at 20:04


7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

23rd October 2010
Opaque very dark brown beer, thick tan head. Softish palate with moderate carbonation. Dark chocolate malt, very mild spice including a whisper of ginger. Dash of lactose sweetness. A trace of something fruity. Finishes minerally, spicy and dry. Pretty well joined up.

Tried on 28 Jul 2012 at 04:02


8.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottle date is obvious. Pours pitch black color with a nice 2 finger dense tan head with awesome retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Some nice spotty lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big raisin, prune, molasses, apple, biscuit, caramel, chocolate, roasted malt, light char, earth, and herbal. Very nice aromas with good strength, complexity, and balance; very inviting. Taste of big chocolate, biscuit, caramel, molasses, prune, apple, roasted malt, raisin, light char, vanilla, earth, oak, and herbal. Lingering notes of dark fruit, chocolate, caramel, biscuit, light char, earth, and roasted malt on the finish for a good bit. Fantastic flavor complexity and balance; with a very nice roasted malt flavor profile. Medium carbonation and body; with a very nice creamy and slightly slick mouthfeel. Alcohol is completely hidden, with hardly any warming at all noticed after the finish. Overall this is a highly excellent Belgian dark ale. Great amount of complexity and robust roasted flavors; with great balance and very smooth drinking. Extremely enjoyable stuff!

Tried from Bottle on 15 Jun 2012 at 21:29


8.1
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Söta jästiga toner av övermogen banan, men dessutom choklad, vanilj och kaffetoner. Rejäl kropp med mycket choklad och vaniljkaraktär som leder till en torrare kaffe- och apelsinbesk eftersmak. Mycket balanserad och smakrik. Mer lik en snäll IS än någon belgisk ale.

Tried on 13 Jan 2012 at 08:34


6.2
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

22 oz. bottle, pours dark brown with a small beige head. Aroma of dark fruits and floral malt. Flavour of iodine, oxidation, some dark fruits, a fishy taste and some light floral notes. Subpar - seems the age has killed it.

Tried from Bottle on 30 Oct 2011 at 12:59


2

Tried on 17 Sep 2011 at 17:25