Stone 08.08.08 Vertical Epic Ale | Stone Brewing
Brewed by:
Stone Brewing
California, United States
stonebrewing.com
Style: Belgian IPA
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 8.60%
Availability: Limited (brewed once)
Notes / Commercial Description:
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!
Added by froghop on 08-04-2008
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.
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Ratings: 897 | Reviews: 497
3.55/5 rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.97/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Sampling a cellar temp bottle poured into a snifter. The beer has been aging since i purchased it many years ago.
The beer opens with a pop and I worry a little about gusher potential, but all is well.
The beer is a clear copper hue with an eggshell white creamy head of 1 cm that fades to a sturdy edge layer soon after the beer is poured into my glass. Several lazy streams of carbonation rise up to the surface.
the aroma is lots of light fruit with melon and white grapes mixing with just a bit of biscuity malt. Any hops have long since faded and I also dont pick up any alcohol scents either.
The first sip reveals an average body and mild rolling carbonation. Smooth texture makes this beer easy to drink.
Flavor is also sweet and fruity with melon and some pear and white grape.
Some bready yeast and a bit of pepper does show some booze on the finish. It is a tasty brew and although it is pitched as an IPA, the hops are faded and I find all fruit and malt throughout.
this one aged well and another bottle would be good to open now in my opinion.
1,061 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Sampling a cellar temp bottle poured into a snifter. The beer has been aging since i purchased it many years ago.
The beer opens with a pop and I worry a little about gusher potential, but all is well.
The beer is a clear copper hue with an eggshell white creamy head of 1 cm that fades to a sturdy edge layer soon after the beer is poured into my glass. Several lazy streams of carbonation rise up to the surface.
the aroma is lots of light fruit with melon and white grapes mixing with just a bit of biscuity malt. Any hops have long since faded and I also dont pick up any alcohol scents either.
The first sip reveals an average body and mild rolling carbonation. Smooth texture makes this beer easy to drink.
Flavor is also sweet and fruity with melon and some pear and white grape.
Some bready yeast and a bit of pepper does show some booze on the finish. It is a tasty brew and although it is pitched as an IPA, the hops are faded and I find all fruit and malt throughout.
this one aged well and another bottle would be good to open now in my opinion.
1,061 characters
3.83/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.29/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
3.84/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.5/5 rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
4.19/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.64/5 rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -5.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.88/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.87/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4
4.05/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.09/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.46/5 rDev +12.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.44/5 rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.57/5 rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
4.61/5 rDev +15.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Stone 08.08.08 Vertical Epic Ale from Stone Brewing
3.98
out of 5
based on 897 ratings.
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5