Stone 12.12.12 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 eleven. Now is the time to enjoy it in a “vertical” tasting side by side with its ten Stone Vertical Epic Ale brethren! Each one unique to its year of release. Each with its own “twist & turn” in the plot line. Each one released one year, one month and one day from the previous year’s edition.
This year’s Stone Vertical Epic Ale is the very last one. Yep, this is it. The final chapter. Or as they say on the last slide in some old films: “Fin.” No worries though: this edition is particularly well-suited for prolonging the experience, as it’s as cellarable as any in the series, or more. In this, the final edition, you can expect a perfectly balance *womp* of spices: cinnamon, ginger, allspice, sweet orange peel, clove (only a little!) and rosehips, all in the context of a dark Belgian style abbey-ish beer…but not as sweet. Dry even. Stone style. Thanks for coming on this Epic Stone-style journey with us! You can rest assured there will be new adventures to come…
This year’s Stone Vertical Epic Ale is the very last one. Yep, this is it. The final chapter. Or as they say on the last slide in some old films: “Fin.” No worries though: this edition is particularly well-suited for prolonging the experience, as it’s as cellarable as any in the series, or more. In this, the final edition, you can expect a perfectly balance *womp* of spices: cinnamon, ginger, allspice, sweet orange peel, clove (only a little!) and rosehips, all in the context of a dark Belgian style abbey-ish beer…but not as sweet. Dry even. Stone style. Thanks for coming on this Epic Stone-style journey with us! You can rest assured there will be new adventures to come…
3.7
677 reviews
Escondido, United States
Community reviews
Tap, Pours a black color with coffee head and nice lacing. Aroma is heavy on Winter spices: Sage, Christmas tree, cinnamon, plum wine and caramel malt. Flavor is just as spiced with some douglas fir, rosemary, nutmeg, and sweet malts. Couldn’t finish a whole pour of this one.
Dark brown, almost black with some beige bubbles on top. Aroma has some christmas spices, gingerbread and cinnamon. Tastes also very Christmasy - or should I say that even feels a bit like a pumpkin beer, although its not. Insane amount of spices in a strong dark ale.
Medium dark brown color. Someone dumped the spice rack into this with tons of nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla.
Aroma is mainly spice with a little Licorice and molasses hint of malt. Flavor is similar to nose but with toasted malts coming out to balance the heavy spices but it’s not very effective. It’s okay but it’s one of my least favorites Stone beers.
Bottle from Systembolaget. Very spicy with cinnamon and some other spices I relate to christmas. Some dark malts. Similar taste, very strong. Christmasy. Too much spices.
Black color. Chocolate aromas, cinnamon and ginger. Chocoalte tasting, oranges, yeast, ginger... almost like gingerbread. Well balanced finish, sweet and spicy.
Dark brown body and a creamy tan head. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and licorice that finishes like Christmas spices.
Pours pitch black with a one finger foam. N: fun stuff. Nutmeg, orange peel, cloves all very christmas. T: clove forward, still all the other stuff emerges. Very good indeed. Aftertaste is very christmas spice. Very good way to finish the epic vertical. Loving the cloves even though they are a bit over the top.
Black of color with a brown foamy head. An aroma of spice hell! Lots of cinnamon, cloves, nut meg and a lot of other spices. A flavor of oranger, ginger, nut meg, cloves, cinnamon and danish christmas cookies.
-- rated with beerbasher/winphone
Pours a nice dark reddish amber color. Aromas of fruit, and some other hints, maybe some spices, maybe caramel. Flavor is a bittersweet, malty, and a hint of hops with a nice bittersweet finish.
Bottle poured used oil black with a thick tan head and oily lacing. Aromas of cocoa, spice, vanilla, liquorice, roasted malt, lactose, and hints of coffee. Flavor is sweet forward with smooth cocoa bitter finish. Worth the wait.
Finally getting to this, ’cause, well, it’s a Belgian, isn’t it? Bottle, black beer, head the color of espresso crema. Aroma toasted malt, cloves, banana, dark fruit. Taste is banana and cloves, coffee, raisins, molasses. Palate smooth and rich, carbonation moderate. This is a bit like a Belgian stout.
Pours black with a tan head. Cinnamon, ginger, clove, cardamon, chocolate, caramel, toffee, toast, biscuit and funk aroma. Cinnamon, ginger, clove, cardamon, licorice, molasses, burnt chocolate, coffee, toast, burnt orange peel, grain, pepper, allspice, vanilla, funk and earthy hop flavors. Full body and moderate carbonation. Cinnamon, clove, ginger, pepper, coffee and burnt chocolate finish. A lot going on here.
Bottle. It poured a black color with an off-white head. The aroma was of gingerbread, some maple, vanilla and wood. The taste was similar to the aroma with more gingerbread, chocolate malts, maple and wood. Tasty.
Had this sometime at the end of 2012, as part of a 03.03.03 - 12.12.12 tasting. I had meant to enter these a while ago while they were fresh and add a few extra details, but that didn’t happen. Review from notes. Anyway, here we go.
3.5 A: Black color. Small frothy light brown head.
4.5 S: Wonderfully spicy. Loads of cinnamon, allspice, clove, and nutmeg. Smooth chocolatety base with caramel, peel, and light malty backbone. Light roast.
4.0 T: Same as nose.
4.0 M: Lighter medium body. Good spritzy carbonation. Lightly creamy.
4.0 D: Very tasty. Best of the night.
★ 591 characters
DavoleBomb, Jan 17, 2015
Bottle, SX Bottle Share, 05/01/2016.
Beige lacing. Opaque chocolate. Huge chocolate, Christmas cake, leather, vanilla. Taste is Galaxy chocolate, smoke, leather. Velvet. Cinnamon. Tar. Motor oil. Creme.
650ml bottle cellared 3 years and shared by all during the family Christmas vertical with the 08/09/10/11/12. Thanks for the help, bro, in acquiring these. Brownish/black pour. Big Christmas spice nose. Allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves. Quite sweet smelling, and cloyingly so in the taste. Too much, and perhaps should have been laid down longer to mellow? 12.9
Hmmm. What the heck is this beer. Smells different every time I try it. It’s good but only for one.... Maybe a half
found in back of refrigerator Poured a dark color with a dark tan head. Aroma was some Christmas spices - touch of cinnamon, allspice, touch of orange peel. Flavor had roasted malts, sweet dark coffee character, Christmas spices.
Black pour with a small tan head.
Aroma of molasses, prune, alcohol, and spice.
Sweet and spicy flavor. not nearly as complex as the aroma hinted at.
Full bodied.
Drank out of a large bottle poured into a pint glass. Pours a dark, dark beer with nice beige head. Smells slighly of bourbon, coffee, and chocolate. Has a nice smooth flavor, slightly bitter, a decent beer.
I let this one age. Very strong taste. Sweet aroma that was surpassed by the taste. Cloyingly sweet. It was like drinking a very spicy Holiday cake. Taken in moderation pleasant. Taken too large an amount it becomes difficult to enjoy. A sipping beer to be shared with friends. Enough of them to limit the amount to 5-6 ounces. Much more and you will go into sugar shock.
Opened 1-Aug-15, bottle poured a black hue with large frothy tan head slowly diminishing to a thin cap. Moderate to bold spiced aromas predominantly orange and cloves. Initial flavor is moderate sweet w/ a mild bitter finish. Tastes are dark toast, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, orange peel, clove and lemon. Full bodied and a warm finish.
Bortled from Systembolaget
Black with a large, beige head.
Spicy aroma; cinnamon, ginger.
Very spicy flavour; Manila cinnamon and ginger hete aswell. Too spicy for me!
From the bomber, jet black with a very small tan collar, all I smelled was sweet & black liquorice. The taste is way less sweet than I was expecting (great). I missed out on the whole vertical epic experience, but I’m glad I was able to jump in at the end and get a taste of what’s been going on.
What a fantastic belgian strong ale! On tap from stone liberty station. Pleasantly surprised. Pours black with tan head. Full head but quickly thinning. Spicy aroma of allspice ginger cinnamon. Maybe even gingerbread. Makes me think of Christmas. Taste of all spices above with a hint of chocolate.
Poured from bottle thanks Airforcehops. Pours dark black with a nice tan head. Aromas of licorice malt chocolate gingerbread and spice. Taste is awesome full rich mouth feel with a nice lingering hop finish.
Bottle 22fl.oz.
[ As Stone 12.12.12 Vertical Epic Ale ].
Clear dark black brown color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, chocolate, spicy, clove, cinnamon, light roasted, light to moderate yeasty. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a long duration, spicy, spicy bitter, chocoæate, cinamom, clove. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20140811]
22 oz cellared - Nice and big and chewy. Layered wonderfulness of hop, malt, and spice.
March 21, 2015. Bottle.
Black with a small brown head. Aroma is very spicy, lots of gingerbread notes to it, caramel, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger with some light roasted notes and citrus as well. Taste is sweet caramel with dry spicy notes, light bitter. Medium to full bodied, soft to average carbonation. Very spicy but quite good.