08.08.08 Vertical Epic Ale
Stone Brewing

08.08.08 Vertical Epic Ale08.08.08 Vertical Epic Ale
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From:
Stone Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
Belgian IPA
ABV:
8.6%
Score:
89
Avg:
3.97 | pDev: 10.33%
Reviews:
505
Ratings:
916
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 05, 2022
Added:
Aug 04, 2008
Wants:
  43
Gots:
  255
The Stone 08.08.08 Vertical Epic Ale is a Strong Golden Belgian style ale highly hopped with American hops (Ahtanum, Amarillo and Simcoe). The beer pours pale golden with a thick and creamy white head of foam. The aroma is full of depth: nuances of pepper, clove, and banana from the Belgian yeast strain, and the resiny citrus notes from the American hops blend together nicely to provide a complex aromatic character. The taste is spicy, hoppy and fruity, with a very dry and a pleasant bitter end. The bitterness lingers nicely, and provides a refreshing finish that leads you to want to drink more and more of this beer!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Gueuzedude:
Photo of Gueuzedude
Reviewed by Gueuzedude from Arizona

3.52/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Sampled August 2008
Pours into my 25cl tulip glass with a frothy, initially three-finger thick, pale, off-white colored head. The beer is a brilliantly clear, copper hue as it sits in my glass but shows a brilliant, bright gold color when held up to the light. The aroma has an expressively fruity, sort of children's aspirin like aroma to it that is magnified by a substantial sweetness. Weird is all I can really say, and not necessarily bad. Other aromas of juicy fruit gum, grassy grain, clean tropical fruit, ripe peach, just a hint of an herbal note, some phenolic clove. I think it is that there is a slight medicinal note in the aroma along with the clove phenolics and these, combined with how incredibly clean the hop character is (is it filtering that made the fruity hop aromas so clean?) is what gives this a children' aspirin aroma.

Tastes like bubble gum with the juicy, fruity hop notes and a clean, almost cotton candy like sweetness. This is actually surprisingly sweet tasting given the terminal gravity; I think that the fruity hop flavors tend to accentuate what sweetness is here and the fact that the fermentation profile is so clean means that the noticed alcohol note also seems to contribute to the perceived sweetness. Some phenolics and a spiciness contribute a touch of spiciness towards the finish that seems a bit turpene like and definitely has an expressive clove flavor to it. The hops contribute flavors of tropical fruit, lychee, ripe peach, and when combined with the perceived sweetness, some notes of honey-suckle are evident. While the hop character is quite dominant, there is, especially as this beer warms, a significant phenolic character to this beer, especially in the finish.

Despite being perceived as sweet this does have a nice, light body for a beer of this strength; I wouldn't call it a quaffing brew, but it does have a nice drinkability to it. It could use a bit more carbonation as I typically like my strong Golden Belgian'ish beers to be lively, though the lightish carbonation here really doesn't detract too much.

This is somehow incredibly clean, despite the noticeable fermentation character and hop notes; the malt seems almost naked somehow as it is lacking that chewy, grain note that I like to find in a good, pale, Belgian ale. This is still a good beer, it just seems to be a bit too filtered (even if it wasn't caused by the actual filtering process). I do like how this beer works as a whole, the entire experience is a bit more than a sum of its parts.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ
Aug 14, 2008
More User Ratings:
Photo of GlenFarclas
Reviewed by GlenFarclas from Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Looks great, and smell of delicious, old, cellared beer. Being more thoughtful - malt sugar, brown sugar, some sweet simple syrup followed by a hint of oxidized hops (well-intention-ed) lemon peel and orange pith, briney melon, booze. Smells of old barleywine

Wow this is good. I'm, completely ignoring the style denomination because I think it's irrelevant. This is a strong ale, maybe lending itself to barleywine. Upfront is sharp barley malt and sugar, there's some mildly roasted character, followed by the faintest esters. Folks, I could go on and on about the this and that, this is a delicious barleywine style ale, it's not even 10% abv, it tastes wonderful. Cheers and enjoy.
Sep 05, 2022
Photo of Whyteboar
Reviewed by Whyteboar from Michigan

3.97/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
2015 version, consumed February 2022.
Poured golden amber, the color of honey, with barely any head.
The aroma was lively, with what I can only think are Belgian spices or scents from the yeast. Cloves and mild pepper and anise lead.
The taste followed, with an additional tart flavor, for a brief moment vinegar like, but maybe that’s my imagination.
The feel was “sparkly” - odd for a Belgian Triple, but as it is 7 years old I wouldn’t complain. Enjoyed drinking this.
Feb 14, 2022
Photo of bleague
Reviewed by bleague from California

4.05/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
I was cleaning out my basement and found a couple of cases of Vertical Ale. Started with the latter years and not much a fan of dark beers. The 2010 blond was flat and sweet. The 2008 had great carbonation, mouth and taste. Pour was very hazy with lots a yeast floating around. I really enjoyed this beer, hard to believe after sitting 12 plus years in a bottle it is still good.
Jan 28, 2021
 
Rated: 4.16 by ummswimmin from New Jersey

Apr 12, 2020
 
Rated: 4.13 by jmbeerdude91 from Arizona

Jan 16, 2020
 
Rated: 3.5 by trickynicky from Maryland

Jul 27, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by Happyyb from New Hampshire

Jul 16, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Jan 26, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by heysuz from Indiana

Jan 26, 2019
 
Rated: 4.21 by Dillinger from Mississippi

Jan 05, 2019
 
Rated: 3.96 by KMcGrath from Massachusetts

Dec 03, 2018
Photo of HopsAreDaMan
Rated by HopsAreDaMan from Missouri

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
It's been awhile since I had it, but I remember really liking it.
Sep 16, 2018
Photo of TheRougeBastard
Reviewed by TheRougeBastard from North Carolina

4.04/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This review is based on the "Encore" edition bottled in 2015. Aged extremely well for an ABV % below 10%. The Beligan notes, i.e., sweetness really come through very nicely. Very well made ale!
Sep 16, 2018
Photo of bdevilbullet
Reviewed by bdevilbullet from Alabama

3.99/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Purchased back in '08. Opened today.

Pours clear and copper in color. Still effervescent 10 years later. Tastes of mellow bitterness interlaced with sweetness. Muted Belgian spices present throughout.
Jul 06, 2018
 
Rated: 4.02 by StanleysCup from Maryland

Feb 24, 2018
 
Rated: 4.09 by qcghost from North Carolina

Feb 11, 2018
 
Rated: 4.1 by Rootscipio from Texas

Jan 01, 2018
Photo of Steve1315
Reviewed by Steve1315 from California

3.84/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Had the reissue or “Encore”. Unusually sweet but good flavor. Bitterness was as to be expected. I bought a couple bottles and will buy more if I see them again.
Dec 18, 2017
 
Rated: 4.04 by raycoll from New York

Nov 05, 2017
08.08.08 Vertical Epic Ale from Stone Brewing
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 916 ratings