Stone 20th Anniversary Encore Series: 02.02.02 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.
Vertical Epic 02/02/02 was not brewed "to style". Instead, we tried to create something new. It’s triple-ish in nature, with wit character, coriander and orange peel, and has way more hops than either a Belgian triple or a Wit would. Belgian yeast was used. Belgian Strong Ale is the closest category that fits -- Greg Koch, Stone Brewing CEO.
In addition, we are pleased to provide the homebrewing recipe:
http://stonebrew.com/timeline/020202
In 2002 we began our groundbreaking, millennium-inspired series with Stone 02.02.02 Vertical Epic Ale. This bumped up Belgian-style wit—made all the more alluring thanks to an infusion of orange peel, coriander, a sprinkling of black pepper and a healthy dose of Centennial hops—was a bright way to begin this epic eleven-part vertical tasting.
Vertical Epic 02/02/02 was not brewed "to style". Instead, we tried to create something new. It’s triple-ish in nature, with wit character, coriander and orange peel, and has way more hops than either a Belgian triple or a Wit would. Belgian yeast was used. Belgian Strong Ale is the closest category that fits -- Greg Koch, Stone Brewing CEO.
In addition, we are pleased to provide the homebrewing recipe:
http://stonebrew.com/timeline/020202
In 2002 we began our groundbreaking, millennium-inspired series with Stone 02.02.02 Vertical Epic Ale. This bumped up Belgian-style wit—made all the more alluring thanks to an infusion of orange peel, coriander, a sprinkling of black pepper and a healthy dose of Centennial hops—was a bright way to begin this epic eleven-part vertical tasting.
3.7
315 reviews
Escondido, United States
Community reviews
holla ondra destroyas con des dia olla hui kunzi den bruni, contras della perri
Team vleesch tasting, Putten. Golden colored, medium head. Belgian yeast, lots of spices, wheat. quite dry. Best to leave the Belgian styles to the Belgians.
Clear golden colour, medium sized head; aroma and taste of honey, coriander, herbal and some earthy-yeasty notes; great one!
0.65l bottle. Clear golden body with a thin but lasting white head. Aroma and taste of honey, coriander, chamomille, earl grey tea and floral hops. Not so classic, but nice nevertheless.
On tap. Clear golden color with off-white head. Aroma has lemon notes, yeast esters and wheat sweetness. Taste is sweet and yeasty with hay and floral notes. Medium body with soft carbonation.
Bottle. Fairly steeply discounted. Deep gold with a large white head. Honeyed dough, oranges, spices (would you believe cloves, coriander, white pepper). A bit wit, a bit Duvel. Moderately sweet and not that heavily bodied. Oranges and dough with a drying bitter finish that's less spicy than suggested by the aroma. Mildly boozy finish tidies things away that I might not be too keen on had they hung around.
Bottle, 0.65l. Cloudy copper pour, thin soapy layer on top. Minimal lacing on the glass. Standard nose for the style, lots of Belgian yeast, floral notes, hints of coriander.
Medium body, soft but prickly carbonation. Smooth mouthfeel, slightly thick texture. Balanced bittersweet taste with a hint of fruity tart. Aroma of malt, yeast, coriander, wheat. Herbal spiciness. Some hop bitterness. Subtle alcohol presence, warming with slight burn on the tongue. Medium lasting finish.
Overall, classic Belgian ale. Well balanced and nicely executed. While there's nothing wrong with it there's also nothing to make it stand out from the crowd. It is pretty much what you'd expect. Good brew.
Draft at Greg Koch meet & greet at Fakin. Pours hazy orange with medium white head. Spicy, yeasty, bit herbal, some citrus notes, sweetish and some bitterness in finish. Average carbonation. Soft texture. Medium bodied.
From a 650ml bottle on 20/8/2018. Pours a slightly hazy golden with a big white foamy head. The nose features Belgian yeast, peel, spice and some wit notes. Tastes like a Belgian blonde, with some lemon, spice, and coriander, with a pretty firm, rye-like IPA bitterness at the back. Fullish bodied with lively carbonation. Actually quite intense, but very well balanced and enjoyable.
Voici une dégustation qu'il convient de tenir le plus scrupuleusement ..
En effet cette bière, nous dit le brasseur, fut en son temps (2002) la plus
recherchée de la brasserie .. avec des offres à 1200 dollars !!
Quel honneur pour une belgian strong … qui est en fait une wheat strong.
Niveau abv de 7,5 % et 40 ebu, avec blé, écorce d'orange, coriandre
et poivre noir (original ..).
Houblonnage en centennial.
Mon exemplaire avait juste 2 ans de bouteille.
Couleur doré brillant, avec un léger voile.
Bulles fines, en fontaine centrale bien vive.
Mousse blanche, soyeuse, stable à 3 mm.
Arômes de malt fin, écorce d'orange, pointe de citronnelle.
1ère bouche souple, à la belle entame, assez classique de blanche forte.
Arrière-bouche avec quelques épices en avant, agréable.
2ème qui diminue un peu d'intensité et ne peut donner plus.
Arrière-bouche avec une prédominance de l'orange.
3ème agréable, mais sans aucune complexité.
Arrière-bouche qui a un caractère intéressant par ses épices.
Longueur qui ne trouvera rien d'autre (il n'y a d'ailleurs rien à trouver ..).
Jambes fines, courtes, très collantes.
Levure belge, correcte.
Alcool bien pour cette strong wheat, il travaille mais ne peut rien tirer
de plus sur la longueur.
Finale agréable, sans plus ...
CONCLUSION : la série " encore " a eu au moins le mérite de nous
ressusciter cette bière, pour que nous puissions la tester …
avec un blabla d'une vingtaine de lignes pour nous la vanter,
et avec toujours l'aspect monétaire et spéculatif qui prime aux usa !!
De là à mettre plus de 5 dollars pour ce format 66 cl, je ne le ferais
absolument jamais …
N.B. Petite remarque sur le style, je vois dans le comment une allusion
à une " triple-ish " .. il n'y a aucune référence à une triple ici !!
(6/3/5/2/12)
Taste: tangy, semi sweet, coriander spice bread, malty, some hop, warming finish. Perfume herb spice bread nose. Honey color hue, smaller head and delicate lace. Medium body. Tasted decent for being aged some 16 years.
From tap at Unorthodox Bar, Bratislava, Pours clear golden liquid, small frothy white head, Aroma: medium belgian phenolic, candied fruits, zesty, Taste: medium sweet, medium bitter, light to medium sour, belgian phenolic, candied fruits, citrusy, zesty, hopy,
Vycap unorthodox. Vona jemne citit psenicu. Farba zlto zlatista. Chut jemne psenicna.
On tap at Unorthodox. Bring me some fuel! Now this is what I like on Belgians, spicy, yeasty, high voltage drink that won't let you leave home easily. Enjoyed really.
On tap at BeUnorthodox. Clear amber colour with small white head, soft aroma, yeast, malt, fruits. Taste is very strong, yeast, fruits, Belgian ale as is, very good.
Sampled from tap at 'Be Unorthodox'. Clear, golden amber with a white head. Sweetish, quite yeasty-spicy, even slightly soapy and a bit fruity aroma of lots of coriander, vanilla, honey, Belgian candy, some banana and hints of dried apricot. Medium sweet, slightly bitter, rather yeasty-spicy and a little fruity taste of Belgian candy, coriander, vanilla, some honey, dried apricot and traces of banana, followed by a medium long, moderately bitter, rather yeasty-spicy, slightly boozy and unexpectedly dry finish. Medium body, smooth, slightly creamy and gently effervescent mouthfeel, average carbonation. Pretty heavy beer, too heavy on the spices for me. Not a big fan of this.
On tap at Unorthodox bar. Pours golden color, white head. Aroma of belgian yeast, tangerines, malty. Taste pretty the same, they can do better.
Vycap. Zlata farba, slaba biela pena. Vona sladova, mierne karamel, sladkost. Chut sladka, ovocna, mierne mandarinky. Silna alkoholova dochut.
On tap at Fakin Zagreb. Pale golden coloured, small to medium sized white head, coriander in the nose. Sweet malty, coriander, celery, notes of herbal hops and quite strong bitterness in the finish. Good one but something is missing.
650ml bottle. Pours orange with a big fluffy head. Banana, strong clove, quite phenolic, touch of onion, plenty of floral orange peel, nutmeg, bread, lemon, perfume, pepper. Good body, full even with the strong carbonation. Tasty, though lacking the subtlety I prefer with these kinds of yeast.
Tap at Fakin. Hazy golden, white head. Coriander, brown sugar, spicy. Taste...dry, citric, celery/cilantro. Sweetish, fresh, lovely actually, dry, well balanced, hoppy bitterish herbal touches. Excellent... Yet again! :D
Yeasty with strong coriander notes, spicy. Hazy yellow color with small to medium sized white head. Sweet and yeasty with sharp bitterness in the end. Some banana, spices. Medium body, soft carbonation. //tap in Fakin
Golden with a white head - Malt and spicy yeast in the aroma - Malt body with a spicy and yeasty flavour - The spicy flavour goes into the finish - This was nice
A 22 fl. oz. bomber, bottled on 22nd July 2016. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass. It was a clear golden colour with a big three finger white head that had decent retention and left lots of nice sticky lacing. Aromas of orange peel, clove, banana, coriander, orange creamsicle, Belgian yeast, with some light funk. Tastes of orange creamsicle, orange peel, clove, banana, coriander, Belgian yeast and a light but spicy pepper finish. Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Overall, I enjoyed the first glass and could see how it was ground breaking in 2002, but despite this, a whole bomber by myself might just have been a bit too much.
650ml bottle. Slightly cloudy, orangey golden colour with average, frothy to creamy, moderately lasting, minimally lacing, white head. Fruity and spicy, yeasty aroma, notes of orange, orange peel, coriander, a touch of honey, minimally waxy, hoppy overtones. Taste is mellow malty, fruity, slightly peppery spicy yeasty, notes of orange peel, hints of honey, some coriander, lasting, minimally warming, alcoholic finish, smooth and soft palate. Well balanced, easy drinkable, nice subtle flavours.
Bottle - pours pale gold with a white head. Aroma is lemon, spice and bubblegum. Taste is peppery xitrus up front with a building bubblegum dty spice finish.
10/9/2016 -- from notes: 22oz bottle, shared with Steph S. Part of the Encore re-release series. Bottled 7/22/16. This is basically a bigger-bodied, hoppier witbier. A little spicy, little slick, but solid and enjoyable overall. Steph really liked it.
Bottle. Clear golden with a bit of amber hue. A white head is three fingers. Aroma is Belgian yeast and resembles a trippel. Flavor begins with alcohol heat. Fruit cake with pepper and coriander. A hint of metal. Somehow this is a Trippel meets malt liquor.
A gift from my lab - many thanks. Pale golden orange. The aroma is a bit fruity and orange with a nice peppery yeasty spice and a touch of clove and allspice. Slightly peppery and a bit alcoholic with a touch of lemon and light stone fruit. Dry and fairly peppery with a nice lean bitterness. Good balance with a nice spicy hoppiness. Really well-balanced and tasty. Absolutely rock-solid Belgian strong ale.
Big, golden, sweet, spicy, good yeasty character. Definitely felt like a tripel wit. Draft at The Mill in Hershey, Pennsylvania.