Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale
As with any good epic, herein lies the promise of larger-than-life experiences, heroics, and twists and turns as the adventure unfolds. This bottle conditioned ale is chapter five, and is specifically designed to be aged until sometime after December 12th, 2012. Provided you can wait that long. At that time, enjoy it in a "vertical" tasting along with its ten Stone Vertical Epic Ale brethren. Each on unique to its year of release. Each with its own "twist & turn" in the plot line. Each one release one year, one month and one day from the previous year’s edition.
In this year’s edition, you’ll notice a deep, rich aroma of toasty malts, anise, Belgian yeast spiciness, and a hint of cedar. The toasty, dark and roasty malt flavors combine with a soft palate - courtesy of specialty dark wheat and barley malts. The body is fairly light for a beer with such a high gravity. There is a pleasant, lingering bitterness, so you know it’s part of the Stone family. This ale was brewed with a specialty Belgian yeast that we’re really liking here at Stone...it’s the same one we used for brewing the Stone 03.03.03 Vertical Epic Ale. And as with the Stone 05.05.05 Vertical Epic Ale, all the spicy, deep, and wonderfully funky aromas and flavor characteristics in this beer come as a result of nothing more than malt, hops, water and yeast!
In this year’s edition, you’ll notice a deep, rich aroma of toasty malts, anise, Belgian yeast spiciness, and a hint of cedar. The toasty, dark and roasty malt flavors combine with a soft palate - courtesy of specialty dark wheat and barley malts. The body is fairly light for a beer with such a high gravity. There is a pleasant, lingering bitterness, so you know it’s part of the Stone family. This ale was brewed with a specialty Belgian yeast that we’re really liking here at Stone...it’s the same one we used for brewing the Stone 03.03.03 Vertical Epic Ale. And as with the Stone 05.05.05 Vertical Epic Ale, all the spicy, deep, and wonderfully funky aromas and flavor characteristics in this beer come as a result of nothing more than malt, hops, water and yeast!
3.7
619 reviews
Escondido, United States
Community reviews
So, I was cleaning out my cellar and found this - I didn’t realize I hadn’t rated it. It might be a little off peak, but still pretty good. Pours a muddy brown, thin head. Smells like chocolate covered raisins, plus some oak. Taste is winey, fruity, and some chocolate. Maybe some balsamic vinegar, as well.
Aroma: Smooth, dark chocolate all day long, "pear," bread, yeast
Palate: Medium bodied
Flavor: Like the nose with some lift from the carbonation. Finishes bready, yeasty and nutty.
Comment: Well-carbonated, which lightens the perceived body.
Draft on 12/12/12. Brown color. Aroma of cloves, chocolate, coffee. Lots of cloves in the taste as well. Not bad
Bottle thanks to Rick. Pours a cloudy brown with no head. The aroma is strong figs, cedar, dark fruits. Thin mouthfeel with strong booze, caramel, dark fruits, cedar, good.
22 oz. bottle. Pours a dark opaque brown with an uneven thin espresso head. Aroma is smooth - roasty chocolate, spiciness from yeast. This beer seems to not be in a specific style, but reminds me of a "light quadrupel". Flavor is raisins, honey and thick chocolate. Notes from Stone event Brickskeller 6/1/09.
Bottle at Damico’s. Pours dark brown with slight soapy looking head, aroma is anise, unmalted barley, roasted chicory, coco, aldehydes and spicy finish. first sip is very similar with a dry finish of unsweeted chocolate.
On tap at Tribes Alehouse. Pour is dark brown with a small beige head. Aroma and flavor are both heavily oxidized - dull metal, belgian spice, caramel, and sourdough. It’s strange that this was the only year with oxidation after so long.
Bottle at home. Pours dark ruby brown with a small to medium creamy beige head. The aroma is slightly oxidized but has great ripe fruity notes. Some nuts and fig. Rye biscuits. Deep malty flavor with ripe berry notes. Light cherry. Nuts and toasted caramel. Great condition after almost 8 years.
Reviewed 12.12.12
Celebrating the Vertical Epic Series
P: Dark mahogany body with tan foamy head and great clarity.
S: Boozy aroma, cedar, licorice, bubble mint gum, smoke, peppery spice, roasted chocolate and dark malts. Light cocoa and phenolic yeast aroma.
T/M: chocokate, cocoa, booze, herbal, dark fruits, phenols, molasses, traditional Christmas spices, and smoke. Body is creamy medium body with good carbonation and a slightly chaulky finish.
O: Count Chocula would be proud of this explosion if cocoa flavors. A nice complex Belgian amber that delivers nicely after aging.
Serving type: bottle
Dark brown pour. Very herbal aroma to this one with lots of anise and notes of cedar. Flavor is sweet malt with notes of chocolate. Slightly bitter finish. Very well balanced. Thanks StFun for the bottle!
22 ounce bottle poured into a mini-snifter. Pours a dark brown with a beige head of foam. The aroma has roast, vanilla, and some spice. Tastes of a dark sweetness and has a bit of roast coming through as well. Medium bodied and medium carbonation.
Had at the BGoA Winter tasting. Pours dark brown. Caramel and spice. Brown sugar.
Had during a tasting of 06-10 VE’s.
Poured to NB globe.
A: Pours a dark brown, nearly perfectly opaque ale. Single finger light tan head dissipates quickly. Little lacing here.
S: Molasses, molasses, molasses, anise, mineralic qualities. Very complex, dark malts with belgian yeast greets the nose with dark fruits which are quite subdued by the original approach of molasses feel. Cocoas dance here as well.
T: The molasses and dark fruits continue here. Malts, anise, cocoas. Wow, delicioso!
M: Heavy, viscous with low carbonation. Great feel for this beer. Sticky, resonant, smooth.
D: This beer was second only to 09.09.09 on the lineup. It was fantastic! I wish I had more of this beer around to drink for sure.
Serving type: bottle
02-22-2011
Bottle poured a deep brown w/ small beige head. Initial flavor is light sweet w/ a moderate bitter finish from both hop and roast. Tastes are malt, barley, molasses, dark roast, licorice, anise, dark breads, and a light citrus. Full bodied, average carbonation, and a balanced mouthfeel.
bigtime feet first spelunk into rotbox for this gem. looks fine:
http://i.imgur.com/ch8yYbY.jpg
aroma of raisins, dimetap. purple grape drank. sweet doughed purple grapes. soft rumcake. light sherry. not too bad, but didn’t care for strong grapey dimetap note.
doughy, boozed dimetap. some rotton grape sherry. soft warming booze in backdrop. rumcake breads. and soft spice. some licorice.
held up better than expected. harsh grape dimetap rumcake bready sherry concoction. harsh everpresent grape rot in backdrop take away from drinkability. some good components. sherry was nice. decent body. fine.
Sampled on draft. When this beer released I was 20. I remember, I was heading home from college at this time. It’s pretty incredible that Stone sat on all these beers for so long so they could do this whole vertical epic thing. This beer is brown. It has a small beige head. It smells like oxidation, malt, mild belgian spice. Kind of meh. Flavor is dull, oxidized, with some vague sweetness and belgian notes. Medium bodied, average carbonation. Certainly a weird experience. After having these beers, my feeling that aged beers are disgusting is validated.
Time for a holiday countdown! I’m very near to finishing clearing out my cellar and this is the first of my greedily hoarded Stone vertical. Bought this bomber for $6.66 (and paid a little extra to the taxman). Nose is sweet crystalline rock candy with darker Dubbel and brown sugar notes. Pours a sultry chestnut brown that darkens a bit with volume, soapy tan head. Moderately dry in the mouth, very nice brown malt dominance right up the middle with gentle roast and faint coffee, furloughed red fruits and a subtle vein of bitterness -- very unlike Stone on that last point, and it’s super classy. Faint mocha/cocoa, fainter anise, rich but straight-ahead malt, smooth woody character in the deep background that survives to enrich the aftertaste, and style-appropriate carbonation. Utterly minimal oxidation for this age. Very well-hidden alcohol, only a slight caress of warmth in the chest, none in the mouth or throat. Medium-full body, clean and balanced, smooth with latent nuttiness and slight velvety tang; it wants to pick up funky sour notes but can’t (or at least hasn’t). One nitpick: the phenolic character, while light, is a little bit crass. I love this yeast, which takes a star turn here. This is a wildly successful attempt in unfamiliar territory by a brewery I very much respect, and it has really held up well! Superlative Dubbel. [2013.12.12: 4.7]
Poured a dark amber color from the bottle with aromas if dark fruits and some bread. Flavors are the same impressed with how well this one held up.
Dark Brown body with light brown head - sweet malt aroma with caramel - Sweet malt body with some caramel in it , hardly any bitterness - Sweet malt finish that lasts for some time - This was quite good considering the age
Bottle sampled at RBSG. From notes. Dark fermented fruits and loads of caramel. Like most of the VEs, this brew has probably lost some potentcy over the years, but its still great.
Clear and brown with red highlights. Caramel and yeast on the nose. Lita of spice and herbs in this one. Great flavor with a toasty finish. Sweet and complex makes this one of the Vertical best.
09/21/13. 22 oz. bottle. pours dark brown with a short lived tan head. Aromas of sweet roasted malt, caramel, dried fruit. Thick and oily, fruit flavors and a subtle sweet finish.
Thanks to G&GKevin for the bottle.
Dark beer with a creamy beige head. Alcohol and fruit nose. This is a big, rich beer with strong plum and dark fruit notes. Vanilla, anise and alcohol flavor. Big, alcoholic beer.
Bottle from John’s Market.
A: Dark mahogany bordering on black. Thick creme head. Nice lacing.
N: Anise, licorice, clove, some oxidation. Touch of esters and a hint of cocoa.
T: Oxidized, but it’s not over the top. Plenty of bitterness left and there’s a moderate touch of sweetness. Going slightly sour.
M: Medium body; slightly sticky. Alcohol is well hidden.
O: Has held up pretty well, all things considered. Drinkable with a nice Belgian influence.
Bottle at RBSG. Pours dark brown with some head, more than expected. Malt, dark fruit and caramel. Has held up well, not a style I love even when its in its prime.
Bomber at RBSG . Clear reddish brown pour with a white head. Sweet, but not OJ sweet. Plum. Very good.
Bottle. Dark brown pour, almost no carbonation and an aroma of a little dark cherry & malt. Flavor is slightly oxidized anise and heavy wheat.
Sample at Hopfest 2013. Comes dark brown with a decent biege head. Aroma of malt, fruit, and toffee. Taste is roasted malt, dark fruit, yeast, and caramel. Very good.
Sampled at TWCP Beer Fest 2013. It poured a black color with a beige head. The aroma was a bit of roast, very sweet and nutty. The taste was some porter-like elements, spices, caramel, dry yeast, quite sweet but not cloying. A nice brew.
Dark brown pour with a tan head. Aroma is toffee with not much else. Some malt sweetness, brown sugar and soy flavor. It's ok.