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
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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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6.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottled (PBF)
Dark, almost opaque black color, good creamy beige head. Some toffee, light licorice, cardboard and grassyness in the nose. Full-bodied. Lots of licorice, coffee, yeast, alcohol. A bit herbal note. Pleasant but way too simple.
Dark, almost opaque black color, good creamy beige head. Some toffee, light licorice, cardboard and grassyness in the nose. Full-bodied. Lots of licorice, coffee, yeast, alcohol. A bit herbal note. Pleasant but way too simple.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Jul 2010
at 02:43
7.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Deep dark brown coloured body with a tan head that fades very fast. Aroma of roasted malt, spices, raisins and a touch of alcohol. Medium to Full-bodied; Strong roastie flavours with a good bit of yeast and nuts tucked in. Some vanilla notes and light spices come in the aftertaste, but mostly roasted malt and some alcohol are noticeable. Overall, a good beer and perhaps the best of the four (06-09) Vertical Epics I had. I sampled this 65 cL bottle purchased from Whole Foods in Arlington (Clarendon), Virginia on 12-June-2010 in a quadruple vertical tasting (06-09) of Vertical Epics with Phil (haddon90) at home in Manassas, VA.
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Jun 2010
at 22:37
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle. Pours a very dark brown with a medium creamy tan head head that leaves spotty lacing along the glass. The aroma is roasted malt with chocolate coffee and smoke. Medium mouthfeel with a sweet malt with chocolate and a nice bitter finish. Hides the alcohol well making it easy to drink. A very good Belgian Strong Ale from Stone.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 May 2010
at 21:51
8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Draft sample at Finnegan’s, Plainfield. So this isn’t quite the same beer each year. This one’s much darker than the previous two, almost stouty black with a thin soft layer of tan foam. Pipe tobacco and licorice smell. Taste is much nicer and more complex. Little harshness for a mix of anise, sarsaparilla, prune, and some molasses, all in harmony. For once, the aftertaste is making the back palate of my mouth pucker. Bit of a smoky finish.
Tried
from Draft
on 14 Apr 2010
at 21:30
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
Black color; small, creamy head. Light roasted malt aroma, very light cream, ashes, milk, cardboard. Strong body, good balance between chocolate and roasted malt, with the required subtle sweetness; light spices; good hopping, obviously a bit hidden in this beer; the final unfortunately starts showing more ashes and roasted malts. Good but confused.
Tried
on 22 Feb 2010
at 06:52
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Draught at Craft Heads. Shiny black with lace. Roasty aroma of chocolate and peanuts. Flavors of Belgian yeast, chocolate, sweet fruit, roasted malt. Complex and fun. Well done, dark and toasty-much more than your average Belgian beer.
Tried
on 20 Feb 2010
at 00:07
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle: Poured a deep black color ale with a large light brown foamy head with good retention and some pretty good lacing. Aroma of chocolate malt with some notes of roasted malt though bitterness is pretty tame. Taste is quite enjoyable with lots of black chocolate notes with a nice touch of roasted malt - not sure I could taste the vanilla or orange notes. Body is about average with great carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Well done though a bit shy of character and I still have to wonder how this is going to improve with time.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Jan 2010
at 19:31
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Near black with a medium deep beige head. Sweet flavour with hard roasted malt, chocolate and caramel notes. Sweet flavour with roasted malt, chocolate and caramel notes. Finished dry and bitter.
Tried
on 03 Jan 2010
at 15:08
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle 65 cl. Pours an opaque, pitch black with a rich, beige head. Sweet vanilla aroma with a little yeast. Solid body, some hard roasted malts and a whiff of yeast - not very Belgian at all. Hard roasted malt and a little vanilla. Dry, malt biter finish. 030110
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Jan 2010
at 08:48
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Location: Bottle at Nerd Beer Epic Weekend, 1/26/13
Aroma: It has roasted malts mostly with some spice and other malty notes
Appearance: This one pours a dark brown color with a small light brown head and drippy lace
Flavor: The taste of this one is roasty and malty mostly with some sweetness present
Palate: The body is medium, it gets a little dry from the roastiness, and a has a decent feel
Overall Impression: I thought this one worked pretty well with a nice feel. I don’t think the age hurts much, but the hops are obviously completely gone.
3.8: 8/4/7/4/15
Location: 22 oz bottle from a Total Wine, 12/28/09
Aroma: Notes of roasted coffee, chocolate, a bit of earth, some caramel, and a hint of spice and fruit
Appearance: Pours an opaque, dark brown with a bubbly brown head, leaves some lace on the glass
Flavor: The taste has some definite Belgian yeast flavor to it, some bitter chocolate accompanies the full-flavor roasted taste that dominates this beer
Palate: This is a full-bodied beer that has a long duration and soft carbonation
Overall Impression: I really liked what they did here, it is another fine beer from Stone. I kind of want to describe this as a Belgian Porter, as it doesn’t quite feel like a stout. Regardless of what you call it, its pretty tasty. This is the second of the Vertical Epics I have had, and I have really enjoyed them both. I really like the way these beers drink, and I like what Stone is doing with them.
4.1: 8/4/8/4/17
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Dec 2009
at 14:46