Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale - Stone Brewing Co.

mdaschaf

Washington

3.48/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap at Brouwers on 12/12/12, review from notes.

A: Pours brown with a small off-white head with minimal retention and no lacing.

S: Some red wine like tannins, a bit of cinnamon, chocolate and peppers.

T: A good bit of smoke mixed with caramel, cinnamon, cocoa, and a little bit of dark fruit.

M: Medium bodied with low carbonation.

O: Not bad, but nothing special either. It was middle of the road in terms of my 3-12 rankings.

Serving type: on-tap

04-09-2013 22:49:00 | More by mdaschaf

russwbeck

Virginia

3.88/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Churchkey

It has a black pour that lets some light in and a thin off white head. It smells of sweaty socks weirdly, malt and dark fruits, booze, and some liquor. The taste is much more Trappist, and less socks. Like a dubble, the taste is all dark fruits, caramel, booze, and roast. Finally this is one that has held its body and is nicely carbonated. First one that impressed me on this Vertical Epic tasting. Other than the smell, it's doing well after 6 years.

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2013 23:13:20 | More by russwbeck

DoubleJ

California

4.15/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

With the Vertical Epic series coming to a close, it felt appropriate to to do a small flight of them at Tustin Brewing. The 6-6-06 was the first of the series that I bought, not long after I turned 21, but I eventually sacrificed that bottle at a tasting. Here's my second change, and I made sure not to squander it. On to the beer:

Ink black colored with a short lived head which turns into a few whips of foam. Somehow, the lacing it gives off is quite good. The nose brings the aroma of molasses, dates, grapes, and a strong (yet pleasant) dose of oxidation. Despite a sweet nose, the taste is a yo-yo between sweet and sour, leaning more sour. Was it supposed to be like this at its release back in 2006? But since I'm taking notes of it now, at the end of 2012, I only care about the present state. And it's big fun! Moderately acidic, yet it packs a punch of sourness. Soured white grapes spring to mind, complimented with dates and vague fruitiness. It's medium bodied, with a low level of carbonation.

Better late than never. Gee, did I just type that in my previous review? Even after 6 years of hiding, 06.06.06 is a great ale.

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2012 22:56:22 | More by DoubleJ

ehammond1

California

2.35/5  rDev -41.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

On Tap

Stone Epic Festival 12-12-12
Stone Brewing Co.
Escondido, CA

(Aged for 6 years)

Dark brown with a small light brown cap. Moderate amount of visible carbonation. Irregular spots and and oily sheen left down the glass.

Very close to zero aroma. This one was passed around the table and hardly one person could smell a thing. If I tried my hardest, I could perhaps pull out a touch of dark fruit, but at that point, my imagination could be playing tricks on me. It's not an offensive aroma, obviously, but it isn't pleasant at all. Well below average, obviously.

Faint, simple, dulled flavors, which isn't surprising after the aroma. There's some mild biscuit and yeast, perhaps a touch of dark fruits, but this has faded into almost nothing.

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

At least it's a very drinkable 8.66% ABV! Lame. Such a stupid series of beers.

Serving type: on-tap

12-19-2012 21:01:27 | More by ehammond1

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Lord Hobo's Vertical Epic Event in Boston. Part of the Flight "B" (06, 07, 08). 5oz serving in a flight glass.

A- Dark cherry reddish brown slightly translucent around the edges with about a quarter of a finger of creamy beige light mocha head with decent retention (definitely the best head out of the series so far).

S- Cedar, some light peppery spices, chocolate, cocoa, some very light dark fruits, fairly aromatic.

T- Dark chocolate, cedar, some light spicey pepper (nowhere near as much spice as the 03), finishes with a dark chocolate cocoa aftertaste that lingers. Cedar definitely adds a hint of roastiness and blends well with the cocoa.

M- Medium bodied, low carbonation, very smooth, easy drinking.

O- This was my favorite beer of the series up to this point. There was nice complexity and the beer held up very well with age. I loved the mix between the roastiness, chocolate, cocoa, and cedar aspects of the beer. All held up nicely and contributed a nice quality to the beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-13-2012 02:49:57 | More by jaasen64

d4114

California

4.38/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at winter storm:
Was dark brown with little head. It smelled very buttery and a little sweet. The taste was like drinking liquid buttery pecans and walnuts in a way. It was very very smooth and super easy to drink. I was not completely sure what to expect with this but it was surprising one of the better beers I had while there.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2011 22:25:00 | More by d4114

womencantsail

California

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Stone

A: The beer pours a dark brown sort of color, maybe "chestnut", with a creamy khaki colored head.

S: Starts off less than stellar with a bit of metal, but that goes away shortly. There's a strange woodiness to the beer, but it works alright with the caramel, toffee, mild chocolate, and bubblegum notes that make up the rest of the aroma.

T: Sweet caramel and toffee open this one up. There's a big bubblegum and cotton candy flavor that follows. Toward the back end I get a lot of chocolate and vanilla with some subtle dark fruit flavors.

M: The body is medium with a moderate level of carbonation that feels sort of creamy on the tongue.

D: One of the better of the VE series beers. Pretty complex and very easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

02-08-2011 01:27:01 | More by womencantsail

Bung

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Stone takeover at Duckworths. From notes.
Dark brown pour, whispy off white head. Little lacing.

Aroma is malty with belgian yeast and dark fruit heavily involved.

Tons of dark red fruits. A puckering midway through is a bit overpowering. Cocoa later and dry finishing with chocolate covered strawberry, cherry.

Mid bodied, no abv really to speak of. Maybe a little overcarbonated, but I tend to think that of the style in general. The puckering sour really hurts the drinkability for me. Doubt I'll see this again, glad I got to try it.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2010 00:33:46 | More by Bung

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.1/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

On-tap at Alewife. I ran through the entire flight of Verticals, so this one will be a shorter.

A: The ale has a dark stout appearance with a thin tan head.

S: An unpleasant, buttery nose starts things off, very sweet with just enough sour mixed in. The darker aromas never get going, victims to what I'd call age.

T: The BSDA starts off with roasted malts and plenty of spicy sweetness. The buttery flavors, mildly sour, add a dry berry-like flavor that helps the ale improve (as compared to the nose).

M: The mouthfeel is sweet and berry-like, sweeter than any Belgian style stout I've come across.

D: My least favorite of the bunch, it seems like age has been unkind to VE 06.

Serving type: on-tap

10-24-2010 13:52:01 | More by akorsak

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.55/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had at the Stone Tap Takeover in Charlotte. Served from tap into a tumbler. Poured dark dark brown with a minimal off-white head. Maintained decent lacing throughout. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, hops, and spices. The flavor was of a massive sweet malt, red wine spices, and a subtle hop note. It had a light feel on the palate with low carbonation. Overall this was a very nice brew. My only complaint was that the massive sweet flavor really overwhelmed a lot of the other flavors present and made them quite hard to pick out. Still quite enjoyable once you got over the initial shock of the sweet aspect.

Serving type: on-tap

10-12-2010 15:02:44 | More by thagr81us

cwguy5

North Carolina

2.5/5  rDev -37.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Enjoyed this draft at the Stone Total Tap Tower Takeover event @ Duckworth's in Charlotte, NC. ***thank you Stone for coming to NC!!!***

med - high retension and lacing; off-white thin head; dark "cool" brown color with amber highlights; clear, but could just barely see through glass

mostly sour aroma with a bit of dark fruit

surprisingly low fruit for the style aside from the vinous flavors; some floral in the middle; some mild herbal notes with very low malt and toffee; medium sweet and med/high sour; almost no bitter taste; light body

light carbonation with very fine fizzy texture almost like champagne yeast

this beer is not super drinkable for me after a few separate tastings. the light carbonation seems to enhance the sweet/sour flavors, but the thin body and uneven flavors just dont work. overall it is on the thinner bodied side of the strong dark ales ive tasted. wine drinkers may enjoy this as it has some vinous flavors and textures. btw this is the only beer from stone that i have not liked.

*edited 10.31.10 after another on-tap tasting. no radical changes really just a more accurate review now imo.

Serving type: on-tap

10-07-2010 18:59:27 | More by cwguy5

donniecuffs

New Jersey

4.45/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

The Blind Tiger, NYC, busted out an aged keg of this a few weeks back and I jumped at the opportunity...

Poured a deep dark murky brown into a tulip, with over a finger of khaki-colored head that laced very well. The aroma was a nice mixture of tart berry, lemon, molasses, brown sugar, and caramel. The taste was a sublime progression of maltiness, caramel, cranberry, and brown sugar, dissolving to molasses and caramel, and finishing on a tart note. The body was medium but creamy, and not overly carbonated. I loved this beer. I only wonder what it would taste like after further aging.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2009 23:48:58 | More by donniecuffs

nomomentwasted

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap today at Stone on Vertical Epic release day. Tomorrow may be 09.09.09, but today was drink old VEs at the brewery day. This was the oldest they had on tap today, along with the 07 and 08.

Appearance: Dark brown, almost pure black, save for the slightly lightened edges, with a little tan crown of head. Only an 8oz pour due to the ABV, but still laced well and had decent head retention as well.

Smell: Spicy notes of clove, slight banana and anise, with over-ripe fruits like fig and plum as well. Spiced cider almost has a similar nose, but with more of a caramel / toffee malt to it as well.

Taste: The smell comes through with the taste as the malts are almost nutty with spiced fruit and clove, and the alcoholic slightness that is there is mellowing to a more anise-laced cider-like sweetness to it, but totally balanced out by the darker, yet sweet malts. The yeast really comes alive here too, adding that Belgian fruitiness that really adds something extra to the whole component. Ends with somewhat of a tobacco and smooth spiced finish. Interesting, layered, and tasty.

Mouthfeel: Not overly carbonated, and smooth. Left a little aftertaste of banana-toffee, and almost a coffee flavor in that as well, although there is certainly no coffee here.

Drinkability: Pretty good for the ABV, and a lot of flavor to keep you going as it opens up and warms up. If it were more readily available, I'd say pick some up, but it's a little more rare being three years old now. If found, buy some and save some for what will truly be an epic vertical in 2012.

Serving type: on-tap

09-09-2009 02:04:13 | More by nomomentwasted

t0rin0

California

3.25/5  rDev -19%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

This is my least favorite of the vertical epics by far. That being said its still a decent beer, and hopefully it will get better.

Its also the darkest of the VEs. It is almost black in color with little or no light shinning through. There was some head when poured from the tap but it disapeared and left nothing behind. There were plenty of bubbles coming up though.

The smell was of dark malts and roasted malts as well as dark fruits. There was an odd flavor in there that I can't put my finger on. It might be some spice that they put in the beer.

The flavors didn't mix very well in my opinion but some of them were good individually. There were some dark malts in there and a little roasted malt. There was some fruitiness and I'm wondering if they dumped some dark candi sugar in there, I guess I could just go check the recipe online.

The beer had a medium/heavy body and was a little dry. That part was nice, I just wish I could have enjoyed actually drinking it more than I did.

Serving type: on-tap

01-29-2008 23:59:42 | More by t0rin0

Sixpoint

New York

3.63/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pour chestnut brown with with swiss-cheese head.

Aroma of sweet plums, currants, raisins, chocolate. Slight spicy phenol echo.

Wicked chocolate nutty full-bodied taste. A shout from the Carafa and full-bodied dextrins. Slams fist on table with noticeable crystal malt emphasis.

Not as drinkable or great as some of the other epic vintages, IMHO.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2006 12:18:44 | More by Sixpoint

Immortale25

Florida

3.98/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured into a Due South Brewing Co. snifter.

A- Pours a mostly opaque black color with a 1/4 inch tan head that retains decently before becoming a thick ring around the edge of the glass and wispy specs of surface foam. Semi-resilient lacing.

S- Very unique aroma of sweet Belgian candi sugar, spice and mildly roasted malt. Also a bit of anise.

T- More sweetness with the candi sugar playing a main role up against the malty backdrop. Has a nice balance with some ginger-like spice in the finish. Notes of clove, cinnamon and black licorice.

M- Slightly viscous with medium carbonation and a fullish body.

O- This is a classy Belgian that's held up well in the bottle with no noticeable oxidation or skunking in the aroma or taste. After having four different entries of the series, I'm beginning to see the underlying trend and realizing I like it. There's only been one that I've disliked so far and it was the 12.12.12 but, hey, maybe it just needs some age since I had it fresh.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 01:53:54 | More by Immortale25

cjgator3

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

22oz bottle

A- Pours a dark brown color with a light tan head with good retention and lacing.

S- The aroma is sweet malt with cocoa, dark fruits, and Belgian yeast.

T- The taste like the aroma is malty up front with a spiciness coming through and some hops and yeast in the spicy and bitter finish.

M- The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a slightly above average amount of carbonation.

O- Overall, this one is still holding strong after almost 7 years. I bought it in 2007 and have held on to it since.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 02:58:46 | More by cjgator3

sweemzander

Illinois

3.16/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22oz. bottle poured into a taster glass. Thanks again to Chris for sharing these!

(A)- Pours a near pitch black color. Some tan froth and lacing formed.

(S)- Kind of a dry, chalky roast to it, almost like coffee. . almost, but more in an herbal cocoa and raisin (if that makes any sense).

(T)- Lots of raisin, prune, and cocoa. Definitely the cocoa turns slightly more towards sweet chocolate as it warmed.

(M)- A good carbonation level. This has some nice richer elements to this. Still kind of chalky overall, but not as bothersome as some of the earlier vertical epics that I think were well past their prime.

(O)- This might be my favorite so far in the lineup. It still has a subtle richness to with that has not fallen off yet.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 15:58:35 | More by sweemzander

MasterSki

Illinois

2.86/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.5

Think I got this at Discount Liquor. Served in a tulip.

A - Dark tan foam settles to a solid cap, leaving behind splotches of lace. Dark brown body, with ruby-brown highlights. Looks pretty good actually!

S - Roasted malts, cedar, fruity oxidation, perhaps the first trace of Belgian yeast remaining in any of these beers. Not as sweet as previous vintages.

T - The taste is quite strange - an understated mix of smoke, roasted malts, and vinous notes, as well as the expected oxidation. The advertised anise is long gone.

M - Medium-full body, pleasant carbonation, chewy texture, and a dry and lightly smokey finish.

D - My least favorite so far. Even worse than 03.03.03. At least in the preceding ones the the oxidation flavors had overwhelmed the original ones - here it's an unholy blend of oxidation and vestigial, largely unpleasant, flavors.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 04:20:14 | More by MasterSki

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.64/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Reviewed from notes a few weeks back (02/02/13) for all the VE series I could obtain.

A- Poured from the bottle to a pint glass. Very dark brown body with some red around the edges. Nice head for 6.5 years old. The cap is one finger in height with a light tan-toast color and decent retention. A few creamy lace patches.

S- Definite oxidation rustiness but not terribly so. Some spice and caramel, tiny dry roast but hard to pick up overall.

T- Really thinned out and dried out flavor. Slight roast but no real depth to it. Just like a light roast grain husk. Brown toasted malts, raisin spice and some oxidation but not as much as the nose. Some dark fruits.

MF- Thinned out like crazy. Lower end carbonation with somewhat watery feel, not unexpected. Slight warming from alcohol and spicy bitterness.

Solid brown-amber Belgian hybrid, some of this probably due to the age. Not overly affected by age but it shows. Gets better with warmth.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 04:06:51 | More by cbutova

Treebs

Illinois

2.86/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75

22 oz. bottle served in a CCB snifter.

A: Pours a dark brown color with a light brown head forming on the pour. Some splotches of lace are left behind.

S: Boozy, some sweet malts and fruity notes as well. An odd minty note on the finish, reminiscent of toothpaste.

T: Brandy soaked plum, some anise and a ton of booze. Light roast with herbal mint qualities on the finish. Not as noticeable as the nose.

M: Medium bodied with a medium low carbonation level. Herbal and roasty finish.

O: The odd minty and toothpaste like flavors on the finish detracted from an overall decent beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 02:28:58 | More by Treebs

Chico1985

Massachusetts

3.49/5  rDev -13%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

The first in a Vertical Epic tasting - 06 to the 12 back to back, very awesome. Thanks to Cam for this one.

Dark brown body with some clarity there. Beige head is small but retains well.

Scent shows it age a bit, some oxidation and rustiness there, along with spice, yeast, dark fruits.

Taste is an improvement, there is some oxidation here as well but it doesn't really deter. Dark fruits, caramelly malts, musty Belgian yeast, spice, some licorice.

A thinnish mouthfeel with medium carbonation. Solid for the age.

A solid dark Belgian that had held up decently being close to 7 years old. Nothing groundbreaking here but good.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2013 16:45:53 | More by Chico1985

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

4.1/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I was fortunate to try this last night at an epic tasting held by my good friend Mike, thanks for the opportunity MrBarleywine!
Pours a slightly hazy deep garnet color with a smallish off white head that dissipates fairly quickly. The aroma is sweet caramel, chocolate, roast and cinnamon with a light woody aroma.The flavor follows the aroma quite well. Sweet and sugary with caramel, chocolate, and cocoa with hints of spice and fruit. The finish is fairly dry, but leaves a long lingering chocolate and roast bite on the palette. Medium to light body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet mouthfeel. I liked this one quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 02:56:25 | More by johnnnniee

charlzm

California

2.73/5  rDev -31.9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.75

Consumed on January 20th, 2013 at a private Vertical Epic tasting.

This beer pours a clear, dark brown with no head and virtually no bubbles rising in the glass.

The aroma is sweet, almost syrupy. No other character noted.

Flavor is dark roasted malts with a hint of thin, bitter coffee, a touch of treacle character and a cedar note.

Mouthfeel is thin and still.

All together with me now: this was much better fresh.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 19:23:56 | More by charlzm

Doppelbockulus

Florida

4.35/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Stone Vertical Epic Glass, avoided the yeast sediment for the first pour

Pours a very dark but not opaque brown. The edges of the beer show deep red and bronze.

Smell is strong. Smells lightly alcoholic with vanilla and pungent vegetables. Also smells like strong dark rye bread.

Tastes like earthy malt, tea, and toasty bran muffins.

Very smooth, clean feel that is nearly flat on carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 19:06:55 | More by Doppelbockulus