10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale
Stone Brewing

A: somewhere between deep gold and pale amber, hazy, translucent; brief white head leaves little behind

S: pale orchard fruits and flowers, suggestions of white wine, cane sugar, and herbs

T: tastes like a juiced-up tripel - rich pale malts, candi sugar, and bright yeasts; rounded off with floral aspects, and a wheat-like tartness and flavor; flavors of pale fruit and spices abound

M: slightly tart, medium-to-full-bodied, modest carbonation, very nice aftertaste, reasonably clean aftertaste

O: don't be surprised that Stone can pull off a Belgian tripel/strong pale ale - nothing too sugary or heavy or fruity - very nicely balanced between fruits and flowers and grains and hops and yeast. Well-rounded, solid tripel.

12 year old bottle opened at cellar temp. Pours a clear orange with quickly fading head. The nose is full of grapes, wheat, and lemon. Chamomile is there too. The taste is a little funky. A bit of sourness, leather, funk, citrus peel, hops, lemon, grapes, and a smoky note. Pretty good despite the age. Mouthfeel is fairly light and dry.

Poured this from a bottle.
A: pours a golden, amber body with a small, white head with nice retention and lacing.
S: sweet, dry, banana ester smell typical of Brett yeast; slightly sweet dankness
T: a somewhat earthy, floral taste; dry, slight white grape sweetness with warm alcohol in the aftertaste.
M: crisp, clean, and slightly refreshing; fairly light bodied, but soothing and smooth.
O: nice feel and taste combo; alcohol and chamomile are very warming. Slight spice, alcohol warmth that is welcoming.

tried beer in 2022. Very smooth drinkable beer. Mostly clear without head present. Nose is very wine like. Not positive it will improve with more age. lost carbonation.

 

 

 

 

Cracked open May 2017 after 7 years storage in temps occasionally warmer than ideal cellaring conditions. The bottle opened with an unusual pop, and given the age the carbonation held up well, with a light and lacy head and consistent fizz. Powerful grape aroma on the first sip, reminiscent of a sparkling white wine, with the malt backbone emerging as the beer warmed. Slightly bitter and dry hops finish, but in a tasty way. Very enjoyable drinking experience and worth the wait - a refreshing, fruity take on a tripel.

 

 

 

Im sampling a cellar temp 22 oz bottle that Ive aged at cellar temp since purchase. I recently did the entire vertical...minus 020202 and had this bottle left over for another go round. The beer pours a sparkly clear copper color with fizzy eggshell white head that dissipates to nothing immediately after the pour.
Aroma on this beer is fruity with white grapes and pear and some general candy sweetness. I dont get any real hop notes on the nose and do find a bit of grainy malt buried underneath the fruit presence.
First sip reveals a light body with very fine tingly carbonation and a smooth texture that coats my palate on each swallow. The flavor is fruity and sweet up front as the nose advertised but does roll to a dose of black peppery alcohol. The finish is very dry and the booze flavor doesnt equal any warming in my belly. This one is holding up well roughly 5.5 years after the bottle was shipped from Stone. Try one now if youve got any laying around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scratching head] could be interesting...

Date is 5/24/2015. This beer is old. Poured into a snifter, no carbonation to speak of.
Very nice beer, smells like it aged well. Belgian and smooth. Definitely can taste the grapes.

 

Hazy golden orange with sparse bubbly cream on the surface that eventually disappears. Smells of golden raisins, sweet bread, white wine, and slight oxidation. A flowery chamomille note pops up here and there, but doesn't last. Apples, figs, and a clingy wine grape sweetness. Just a little pepper from the yeast. Medium-plus bodied with a creamy slickness. A bit drying, which helps with the sweetness - but still, a small pour is enough.

Medium orange in color with a small, tight, white head. No laceing and no head remains after it fades. Aroma is definitely fruity, Belgian with a few kicks. Very floral, sweet and purple sugary. Purple sugary like raisins, dates, extra ripe plums, figs etc. Taste is comprised of more evenly dispersed sweetness. Floral, sugar, purple fruits like crazy. White and red wine-like as well. This beer is interesting but probably too sweet for my taste.

 

 

 

Not sure exactly what this was like fresh, but with time it seems to have lost carbonation (based on reports) and turned into something fascinatingly vinous. The Belgian yeast notes fade into the background and the chamomile and grapes take center stage. Really nice ... and having consumed a few wine based wilds / lambics recently (Vig, The Lucy by De Garde, Blancs by Side Project, etc) this was an excellent example of how you can do interesting things with grapes in non-wild beers.

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: Mildly hazed light orange color. Short head falls quickly.

4.0 S: Nice nose on this. Herbal camomille backbone. Vinous white grapiness. Super peppery. Smells like a more than solid saison.

3.5 T: Like the nose, but less depth. Still quite nice though. Lots of pepper with plenty of overall spiciness. White vinous grape, oak, and vanilla. Maybe a touch of banana.

3.5 M: Lighter medium body. Good spritzy carbonation.

3.5 D: Not bad.