11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale
Stone Brewing

11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale
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From:
Stone Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
Chile Beer
ABV:
9.4%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.76 | pDev: 16.49%
Reviews:
486
Ratings:
1,536
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 13, 2020
Added:
Nov 10, 2011
Wants:
  42
Gots:
  433
As with any good epic, herein lies the promise of larger-than-life experiences, heroics and twists & turns as the adventure unfolds. These bottle-conditioned ales are specifically designed to be aged until sometime after December 12th, 2012. Provided you can wait that long. At that time, enjoy them in a "vertical" tasting. Each one unique to it's year of release. Each with its own "twist & turn" in the plotline. Each one released one year, one month and one day from the previous year's edition. To remind you, the remaining dates are: 12.12.12
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by wrycon:
Photo of wrycon
Reviewed by wrycon from Minnesota

3.97/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Looks mahogany, with some redder tints. Smells pretty good. You can smell the cinnamon and a spicier undercurrent. There's a lighter yeast scent, as well. Full sharpness to start. The cinnamon and what tastes like nutmeg present themselves shortly after. The endgame is held by the hops, which throw bitterness in all directions, and the Anaheim pepper element, which twists the bitterness in an interesting direction. The final lingering element is spicy cinnamon, so the ale succeeds in that. Wouldn't want to drink this regularly, but it is a good limited release.

Like It? Yeah
Nov 20, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Bomber from Buckeyeboy. Mahogany pour, cloudy, small bubbly head. Cinnamon stiil there, chilies only present as a light tingle at the finish. Belgian notes? Not finding them. Comes off more as a Barleywine or old ale. Elements of leather, tobacco, malts, woody. Not much heat. But still a pretty good quaff. Has aged well.
May 13, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by RiceOwls27 from Texas

Apr 06, 2020
Photo of maddogruss
Reviewed by maddogruss from New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Had bottle in the cellar and decided to pop it open.
A: pours dark brown body with silky, light tan head with excellent retention and lacing.
S: smells of chilis and slight nutty malt notes
T: sweet, nutty taste with earthy, spicy notes. Sweet bourbon alcohol notes in the aftertaste. Solidly balanced beer.
F: medium and silky smooth
O: excellent beer, great feel. I think it’s impressive that there’s high alcohol and not oppressive won the palette.
Oct 19, 2019
Photo of SABERG
Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

3.96/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from a 22 0z bottle into the test glass.
A - Murky copper colored backdrop. Solid carbonation feeds a tawny cap
S - Sweet candied sugar, a bit of banana, fruit esters , and Belgian ale yeast, very Quad like
T - Toffee and caramel, earthy hops, candied dark fruit
M - Slick with a slow glide toward dry, linger is dried pine apple.
O - Glad to have had this, a real experiment .
Mar 21, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Jan 26, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by heysuz from Indiana

Jan 26, 2019
 
Rated: 4.04 by BeerDawgs from Georgia

Dec 04, 2018
 
Rated: 4.14 by onewayboogie from California

Oct 26, 2018
 
Rated: 3.98 by rorjets from Connecticut

Apr 30, 2018
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
22 oz bottle, aged over 5 years in a dedicated beer cooler.

Appearance: Pours a deep ruby-copper color with a modest size, bone colored head that is semi-durable and leaves only a few spots of lacing.

Aroma: Moderately strong with Fruity with hints of white wine and green apples.

Flavor: Dark dried fruits and bready malts with toffee, caramel, a hint of cinnamon and faint pepper. Very light heat, probably as much from the alcohol as the chilies. Moderately sweet: the level of sweetness works well with the other flavors. High complexity with excellent harmony and good balance.

Mouthfeel: Smooth with light carbonation. Medium-full body.

Overall- A very good Belgian style ale. Lightly spicy and fruity, with a solid malt base that blends nicely with sweet notes of caramel and brown sugar. The high ABV [9.4%] is well hidden excepting some internal warming.
Apr 30, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by unclekeith from Alaska

Mar 27, 2017
 
Rated: 4.2 by Jeremiah_Nelson from California

Feb 19, 2017
 
Rated: 3.35 by duceswild from Heard & McDonald Islands

Dec 02, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by TGlaz from Utah

Oct 27, 2016
Photo of sulldaddy
Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut

4.04/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Sampling a cellar temp 22 bottle poured into my chalice and enjoyed many years after purchase. The bottle has been cellared at appropriate temperature the entire time it was aging.
The beer pours a deep ruby color with some streams of carbonation rising to the surface of my glass. A minimal .5 cm of creamy eggshell white head foams up on the surface of my glass. This fades to a thin wispy island and the sticky edge layer. The aroma is actually fairly boozy and all malt caramel and brown sugar with just a little bit of pepper notes some spice, but mostly the vegetal pepper note that would be from a bell not a chilli pepper. I do get some cinnamon but mostly this beer is a malt forward boozy nose.
The first sip reveals an average body with very fine and rolling carbonation, texture is slightly sticky and coats my palate after each swallow.
The flavor is malty and sweet with brown sugar and a bit of molassess and just a bit of mild pepper notes with some peppery booze too. There is also some heat, but Im not sure it is from the chilli pepper or the alcohol.
The beer drinks as a bit of a malty sipper which is good for a cool fall evening. Since I dont often like hot spicy pepper I enjoy that the heat has faded a bit. A nice malty brew with a bit of a sneaky kick. Glad I held onto this one.
Oct 15, 2016
 
Rated: 4.07 by GTJayG from Georgia

Sep 12, 2016
 
Rated: 4.41 by RPM3334 from South Carolina

Aug 01, 2016
Photo of clayrock81
Reviewed by clayrock81 from Florida

3.38/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Not a fan of reviewing beers that may not be suited for long aging, especially when you don't know if improperly stored or just a bad bottle but here goes.
Poured a cloudy copper body with two-finger head and a bit of lace around the glass. Cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel/toffee and some chili in the aroma. Not bad so far but this is where the beer turns for (on might be more applicable) me. It is a thick, almost cloying, sticky, heavy bodied beer that has this cinnamon/nutmeg sweetness that is not balanced with nor compatible with this mild chili pepper heat. Beer has this almost sour/funky offputting finish which leads me to believe that either five years of aging ruined this beer or I just had a bad bottle.
Jul 07, 2016
 
Rated: 4.8 by Jodio from Texas

Jul 06, 2016
11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale from Stone Brewing
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 1536 ratings