Stone 04.04.04 Vertical Epic Ale
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.
This time around we used some unmalted wheat, just the right touch of Kaffir Lime Leaf, and a really cool Belgian yeast. The result is a bit like a strong Biere de Garde / Saison-esque influenced beer coupled with some aromatic Bavarian Hefeweizen style phenolic banana esters, and a backnote hint of lime from the lime leaf.
This time around we used some unmalted wheat, just the right touch of Kaffir Lime Leaf, and a really cool Belgian yeast. The result is a bit like a strong Biere de Garde / Saison-esque influenced beer coupled with some aromatic Bavarian Hefeweizen style phenolic banana esters, and a backnote hint of lime from the lime leaf.
3.6
528 reviews
Escondido, United States
Community reviews
Draft on 12/12/12. Cloudy golden color. Aroma is an odd combination of peppermint and fruit that grows less pleasant as it warms. Taste is similar.
Bomber courtesy of John Reagle from way back in 2004. Thanks John. Pours a light rusty orange copper color with a medium off white/light cream colored head. Aroma of banana esters, Belgian yeast, bubble gum and mixed tropical fruit. Taste of banana, Belgian yeast, papaya with a hint of lime skin.
22 oz bomber on 04.04.14 from Enniskillen. Nose is light bubblegum, banana, and spices. Clear amber with a small beige head. Flavor is lightly sweet, spicy, with only a slight bit of oxidation. Still drinking very nicely after 10 years.
A lovely copper colored beer with a scant thin head, more lacing than foam. Caramel, bread smeared with honey and a hint of citrus in the nose. Sweet candy sugar, yeasty, alcohol, tropical fruit. Finishes sweet, but not cloyingly so. I can’t believe this bottle has survived 3 moves, being stashed away in my household goods shipment from Misawa, to Okinawa and then to Yokosuka. Didn’t wan’t to chance another move to Hawaii. Sorry I didn’t call anyone to share this with! Hope I can have this again one day, on tap would be nice!
On tap at Tribes Alehouse. Pour is hazy copper with a very small white head. Aroma and flavor is of honey, caramel, citrus peel, and belgian funk.
Reviewed 12.12.12
Celebrating the Vertical Epic Series
P: Pours a bright effervescent golden body with sudsy white head.
S: Spicy, citrus soap aroma, clove, powdery yeast, bubblegum, pepper corns, lime, bananas and a touch of oxidation.
T/M: Dull fruit flavors, citrus, lime zest, honey wheat bread, booze and timid tartness. Body is medium and has gritty soap chalkiness. Carbonation level is nice a crisp.
O: Flavors are dialed down but after 9 years a truly impressive beer that was a treat to enjoy. Line was the key ingredient in this brew and the spices really complimented it. Easy drinking and smooth.
Serving type: on-tap
Bottle, hazy golden pour. Aromas of citrus and herbs with notes of clove and banana. Flavor has a nice citrus zing at first with the clove and banana notes coming through in the finish. Very drinkable and has held up well. Props to StFun for the bottle!
22 ounce bottle poured into a mini-snifter. Pours a clear light gold with no head. Bready, caramel, cardboard, honey in the aroma. Tastes sweet and herbal. Light body and light carbonation.
Had at the BGoA Winter tasting. Hazy light brown pour. Spicy. Yeasty. Slightly tart. Nice beer.
12/28/2013. 22 oz. bottle. Cloudy light amber color with a short white head. It’s amazing how well this beer held up. buttery and sticks aromas with honey, lime, malt and spice. Maybe past it’s prime, but still very drinkable. Caramel, spice and light hoppy flavors.
On draft. Continuing on with these beers that have been aged longer than they should have been. When this beer was released I was 18 and a freshman in college. I was in my third trimester of college. I remember I spent that trimester going to sleep early, walking up early, attending my PoliSci 101 class at 8 am. I didn’t drink beer then. I didn’t like it. I hated the odd sweetness of the cheap lagers that flowed like water in college.
This is golden, small white head. Aroma of oxidation, weird candy lime notes, some mild generic sweetness. Mild clove. Flavor is sweet, lots of cardboard, weird old belgian spices, some candy lime notes. Medium bodied, average carbonation. Finishes oddly sweet. Meh.
Poured an orangish color with aromas of light wheat, citrus, malt and banana. Flavors are the same with some light esters.
Hazy amber pour at the sat tasting. Sweet but muddled. Flavors are cardboard and toast and caramel. Definite ly past its prime.
FROM NOTES: July 3, ’12
Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a Stone pint glass in Denver, CO.
A: Very strong banana and coriander notes, with a sharp note of ripe plantain. Slight alcohol burn.
A: Poured a deep coppery-golden color and very clear with a fine white head that quickly dissapated into a ring.
T: Followed the nose closely. Strong flavors of creamy banana and coriander fade into a citrus, orange-lime transition with an under-stated, moderately bittered finish. Wasn’t very complex.
P: The body and carbonation were quite good for the flavors. I really enjoyed the subdued sweetness level, making for a nicely drinkable strong ale.
O: I’m optimistic about this beer. While it’s wasn’t all that drinkable at release (the flavors are a bit harsh, and too bluntly separated, lacking continuity), the flavors are interesting, and I’m pretty confident that with age they will blend together into a truly lovely brew.
Clear gold with a Lager like aroma. Wheat body with spice and a bright citrus flavor. Very straight forward profile. Certainly not epic. Must let warm before the flavors come through. Better than first sip.
Bottle sampled at RBSG. From notes. Banana with citrus and belgian yeast. Still pretty good.
Bottle at RBSG. Pours orange, mostly flat (not surprising). Aroma is some weak belgian yeast. Some malts and banana flavor, again fairly weak.
Bottle at RBSG. Poured golden with a thin white head that faded to a thin ring. Aroma was old faded fig and malt yeast. Taste was also hidden fig and fruit with oxidized malt yeast. Palate thin slick.
Bomber at RBSG. Golden pour, white head. A bit old, some vegetable soup elements. Sweet - grape and fig. Okay.
Bottle thanks to skinnyguy! Clear orange pour, minimal carbonation and an aroma of slightly oxidized Belgiany yeast. Flavor is lightly oxidized malt, sweet and slightly bitter dry banana. Holding up very well.
Bright gold pour with not much head. A lot of honey in the aroma and it is prevalent in the taste. Most of the cinnamon is missing due to age.
On tap from the cellar @ Brouwers. Pours bright golden with thin white head. Aroma is cinnamon sugar, banana, and rich bitter. Weird, I know. Taste is smooth golden pale malt with a mellow bitter finish. Oaky, aged flavors throughout. Likely due to the 9 years this has sat around. Not spectacular, but how could you pass something like this up?
Darker than night, but with a very strong warm scent like fresh banana bread. Sweet, bitter, fizzy.
Started our vertical with the 04. Lot’s of yeast. Kind of like a Fat Tire mated with a port. Backgrounds of citrus, but it reminds me much more of an aged wine than a beer.
Lots of musty basement and honey wheaty notes. Pears apple and yeasty spice. Pours bright orange golden pour, nice fizzy head. Flavors of honey, wheat, banana, musty basement notes some lime and citrus as well. Big fizzy bubbly body with good effervescence. Lingering banana basement bread and honey. Interesting aged beer.
22 oz. bottle, sent from St Fun (thanks a lot, Josh), pours a cloudy orange with a small white head. Aroma of citrus, perfume, some floral notes, and a bit of oxidation. Flavour brings out notes of perfume, citrus fruits, some floral notes, and light spices. Somewhere between a saison and a light Belgian strong ale. Past its prime for sure, but not too oxidized. Good stuff.
Bottle shared by Tim, thanks! Pours a clear amber with a white head that starts at the edges and dissipates completely. Aroma has notes of light flora and musty grain with a bit of earthiness. Flavor has light grain with a decent of mustiness.
22 oz bottle, bought online and tasted alongside vintages from 2003-2006 at a tasting with Chris, Dan and Greg. Served in a branded glass. Pours hazy golden-orange with a minimal off white head that fades quickly to a thin remnant. The nos has notes of caramel malts, subtle orange and banana, along with slight herbs and earth. There is also perhaps a hint of lime. The flavour begins with a very nice citric, honey-caramel moderate sweet maltiness, and progresses to a subtle earthy-bitter finish. On the palate, it is medium-full in body with a smooth, creamy texture and soft carbonation. Overall, this is a very nice brew that sits somewhere between a saison and a dubbel. 2012-08-04
Consumed 2/13, poured dark with a nice sweet aroma. Flavor has become roasted sweet mellow, with a flat feel, but still nice.
22 oz. bottle served in a CCB snifter.
A: Pours a hazy apricot color with a ton of yeasty floaters in the pour. Some light splotches of lace are left down the glass.
S: Flowery and herbal with some light fruity undertones. Some plum with stale, oaty malts.
T: Paper and light oxidation with some light caramel malts. Flowery notes with some mild glue and light lime. A little prune-like oxidation.
M: Medium to light bodied with a medium carbonation level. Not much remaining on the flavor.
O: Did not enjoy this one at all. The lime notes seemed out of placed and it made the overall taste take on an Elmers glue-like flavor profile.
Serving type: bottle