Stone 09.09.09 Vertical Epic Ale
This is quite a complex and layered beer. Bold and smooth chocolate malt flavors combine with a Belgian yeast lending tropical fruit/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.
3.8
729 reviews
Escondido, United States
Community reviews
Halvstor doft av choklad, kaffe och mörkt rågbröd. Lite metallisk och hård arom med inslag av melass.
Svart brygd med lätt oljig textur. Kort mockafärgat skum med en kvardröjande hinna.
Smaken domineras av choklad och kaffe, har en lätt syrlig efterklang där en söt, välrostad malt med tydlig salmiaken växer fram.
Eftersmaken är milt besk och förvånansvärt kort.
[Ölprovning hos Fredrik i Ängelholm 7 Maj 2015] Bra balans, hel del kaffe..
This is difficult- the beer is very good, but key claims appear to have mostly vanished - with time? For instance the tangerine/orange is just barely noticeable and if it wasn’t suggested, maybe I wouldn’t have noticed it at all. That said lovely beer to look at. Rich beer to drink. Probably not one to lay by.
sep2011:very malty coffe aroma,black, brown foam, light sweetness, lightly bitter, lightly sour, medium body, red wine finish.
Pour at the Vendome Pasadena bottle share - thanks! Brown pour, clear with a little bit of tan head. A little rubber on the front end of the taste then chocolate with a hint of orange. Pretty good.
650ml bottle from Premier Gourmet in Buffalo, New York. Very near black in colour with a thin but lasting tan head, some light lacing. The aroma is of dark chocolate, some coffee, roasted malts, sweet. The flavour is of chocolate, some caramel, lots of roasted and toasted malts, light smoke, moderate sweetness, moderate bitterness. Bitter and roasty mouthfeel, medium body, moderate carbonation. Finishes very long, bitter and quite roasty. More a Stout/Porter and in that sense it is quite nice. Not sure what they were trying here but I like it.
From notes. Tasted on 12/12/12 from a capped 22oz bottle with Curtis, and the Nashville crew. Pours dark brown with an average tan head that leaves a bubbly ring of lace. The nose is dark chocolate, very roasted, plenty of vanilla oak, with some oxidation starting to peek through. The flavor is more milk chocolate up front and bitterness on the back, with the dark chocolate and vanilla oak still prevalent. The body is full with just under average carbonation and a long bitter and oaky finish.
(Bottle) Very dark brown colour, almost black, with frothy beige head. Roasted, malty nose with dark bitter chocolate, tar, liquorice, black rye bread, treacle, toasted oak wood, anise and a touch of orange peel. Roasted, malty taste with notes of dark chocolate, liquorice, tar/smoke, treacle, black rye bread, orange peel, oak wood, vanilla fudge, a touch of raspberries and a generous cocoa bitterness in the finish. Almost full body, with balanced sweetness. Quite powerful taste, still in good balance. Excellent beer!
Cola brown pour with a soapy tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, vanilla, chocolate, and tropical fruit. Vanilla and chocolate flavor with tropical fruit with some roasted malt. Very nice.
Bottle @ RG 21. Dark brown with decent lacing. Smells like chocolate and play-doh. A tad wonky with some rubber.
Bottle pour @ the 21st Richmond Gathering. Deep brown with a tiny tan head. Very oxidized nose. Apples, plums. Cardboard. Taste is peppery. Steak sauce. Soy. Nasty cardboard. Sludgy burnt chocolate. So bad.
660ml bottle (shared by FatPhil, thanks). Pitch black color. Medium size, brown head, stays. Roast, malty, sweet, faint milk, raisins in aroma. Malty, roast, caramel, dark chocolate, raw cocoa in taste. Malty body. Roasted malts in aftertaste. So mellow and absolutely perfect balance.
660ml bottle (dunno which webshop, maybe biercompass.de)
Lovely rich roasty aroma, some chocolate hints. Basically black, sticky large tan head. Very full palate, smooth, and in some ways a bit slick, but it’s working for me at the moment (I have a bit of a cold). Great roast, some more of the chocolatey aspects, earthy hops, touch of a metallic tooth-coating noble hop bitterness too. Finish starts with a slight burntness, then some cocoa-powdery chocalitiness. But some lovely dark treacle too. The earlier sips were so gentle - no sign of 8.6% at all. It does get just a little headier as it warms, but it never becomes hot or boozy. Gentleness is this guy’s winning feature. Aged perfectly, I’d like to say, at 5 years, but probably still has many more years in its peak. Good stuff, Stone!
bomber, this tasted like a cardboard box melted into the bottle, nothing form the original beer here is noticeable. Meh, LAME
"aroma very dry roasted malt, lots of vanilla, mocha. flavor is a bit sweeter still dry. can’t tell the sweetness is tangerine (but i already knew). the roasted flavors dominate the belgian yeast as well (maybe not so much as it ages a little...this is still quite young). dry, semi-sweet finish with a nice body (smooth and full). complex. i will enjoy seeing what this one does in a few months or a year or two..."
Realized we just passed another 09/09 so I thought it was time to crack this. Full and proper aging. Cellard in a dark, crawl space under the house for 3 years, then back of the fridge since then. Beautiful aroma. Appearance isn’t wildly special. Hard to explain, but the aging seems to have really benefited this one. Flavors have come together near magically. There is an obvious bias since I have owned this 5 years, but am trying to adjust for that. Just an amazing beverage.
22 oz bottle purchased online, served in a stem glass alongside the 10-10-10 at a tasting at Dan’s. Pours deep chestnut with a medium tan head that fades to a thin remnant and leaves a small amount of fine lace. The nose has big notes of earth, vanilla and chocolate, along with fruity esters, roasted malts and a touch of dust. The flavour is medium sweet with roasted malts, chocolate and vanilla. Banana and tropical fruit are present but quite subtle, along with a Belgian spiciness. The finish is long and roasty with banana notes and chocolate notes. On the palate it is full in body with a creamy, slightly dry texture and soft carbonation. Overall, this is a great dark ale with fruity and chocolate notes. Complex and elegant, a great Belgian-style ale. 2014-06-07
Wonderful! Rich cocoa with vanilla, raisins, and hints of orange up front. Dark chocolate and dark fruits, like prune and dark cherry, follow. Finish is charred oak, citrus rind, and earthy hop spices over more dark chocolate, a little booze, and hints of licorice. Beautifully balanced and complex. I’ve given Stone some rave reviews in my day. This will be no different. Incredible complexity; incredible balance; incredible flavors. I’m super stoked to have had this masterpiece, but just as sad to know I’ll never have it again.
Aroma: Chocolate Malts, Cocoa, Mild Banana
Appearance: Dark Opaque Hue, Passes Almost No Light, Off White Head Ring, Some Lacing
Taste: Dark Mildly Roasted Chocolate Malts, Mild Burnt Coffee, Mild Banana Bread
Mouthfeel: Average Carbonation, Medium Bodied, mildly Drying
On tap at Tribes Alehouse. Pour is deep brown with a small khaki head. Aroma and flavor of licorice, anise, vanilla, toffee, and cocoa. Finish has a bit more vanilla sweetness than the body. Dry.
Wow! In tap at gaslight. Nose is of rich chocolate malt mingle with Belgian yeast spicy and fruity aromatics. Poured a dark rich black with a thick head that could have lingered longer. Flavor is full and complex chocolate, burnt toast and coffee malts with mild citrus hop flavor and some fruity notes. Body is medium full bit on no way cloying. Overall it’s like a delicious imperial stout but with a nice Belgian character that adds and builds to the chocolaty character. Really fantastic! This example shows no negative signs of age or oxidation.
Reviewed 12.12.12
Celebrating the Vertical Epic Series
P: Dark orange-brown with tan head
S: Cocoa, chocolate orange, dairy cream, roasty malt, banana, clove, peppery spices, aged oak, timid coffee and a pinch of cayenne.
T/M: Chocolate sheet cake, cocoa powder, chocolate orange, orchard fruit, hints of vanilla bean. Creamy but grainy feel in a full body with prickly carbonation. Smooth finish of chocolate and oak.
O: Huge chocolate base with varying types and a good oak aged flavor that developed nicely. Bold flavors and one to really enjoy.
Serving type: bottle
Dark ruby/black pour with a beige head. Aromas of vanilla and oak. Flavor is big roasty malts with notes of coffee and vanilla. I don’t get any tangerine in this at all and the chocolate character is closer to cocoa bean rather than a chocolate. Oak comes through in the finish as well. Decent, but doesn’t remind me of orange accentuated chocolates at all. Props to StFun for the bottle!
Had at the BGoA Winter tasting. Pours a dark brown. Nice nose. Oak and bourbon. Dark fruits. Caramel. Very nice.
Bomber pour 1st of vertical 09-12..pours a dark brown slight black color..creamy tan head and nice amount of carbonation..comes across with coffee and porter like aromatic qualities..clearly getting the chocolate malt as stated via bottle..extremely smooth mouthfeel..very good stuff..best of the 09-12 series in my book..
22 oz bottle from Evergreen Discount into my Funkwerks glass. Black appearance with a small tan head. Aroma of vanilla, milk chocolate, licorice, banana, toasted malts, oak, Belgian yeast, fruity esters and a touch of spice. Similar flavor, malty and sweet with light bitterness. Medium to full body, pretty creamy mouth feel with soft carbonation. Pretty rich and complex, yet easy to drink. Each one of these I try is better than the last.
Poured to NB globe during 06-10 VE tasting.
A: Dark, opaque, mocha head (single finger) which sticks around. Good lacing. Sticky appearence. Good looker.
S: Cocoa, malts, anise, cocoas, coffee. I would go on, but why waste my time - this is excellent!
T: Again: cocoa, malt, anise, coffee, back end vanilla from oak. Just outstanding.
M: Heavy, lower carb. Tacky. Viscous. Resonant.
D: This was the best of the bunch. Absolutely outstanding! I will be seeking more of this out.
Serving type: bottle
02-22-2011
On the Ninth Day of Christmas 2013 the beer gods gave to me . . . a nice surprise. Pours a dark brown black with a beige foam head. A very complex aroma. Starts with roast and cherries. Banana, vanilla, caramel, chocolate and candi sugar underneath. Sweet roasty chocolate taste with a nice hop layer for balance. Cherry and vanilla on the backend. Nice medium to thick mouthfeel. I am drinking this a year past the suggested drink by date. I do think it is a pinch past its peak which is a shame. But I am still really enjoying. Very good. Love the complexity.
Another bomber from this series, was $7.99 from Sahara Mart back in the day. Nose is very sweet with jammy fruit, huge orange peel with heavy spice, brown sugared-caramel, earthy and very woody (it’s oak for sure), vanilla and sort of toasted chocolate, faded phenols. Pours a deep, dark brown-black with a large and rocky, dense light brown head. Taste is sultry, gorgeous chocolate, straightaway velvet that’s not too sweet, some cocoa nibs and light char, very faint ash and smouldering cinders that are just lovely. Light bitterness, light vanilla; the sweetness isn’t overbearing but is a little saccharine, and the wonderful fruit allures of the aroma are rudely backgrounded with chubby fingers. The citrus is backed off, as well, and the barrel seemed to have imparted more spicy character than the hops did resin or oil. Plump body is smooth all the way, dense in all aspects but carbonation, which is held to a minimum. Yeast activity also subdued, contributing here mostly feel and generic yeast flavor. A bit of a strange bird, this one, but reason for chocolate lovers to rejoice!
Bottle openers late 2013. Reddish brown, no head. The French oak is the star here. The aroma and flavor (almost like bacon??) comes through here. Love it. Also some light malt and sweet plum flavor. A cellar success.