Stone 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale - Stone Brewing Co.

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle poured at Canal St Brewphoria 9. Served into a 5 ounce sampler.

A: Hazy and cloudy golden orange with a nice sized fluffy, rocky white head. Touches of lacing are left on the glass, and the dissipation although rapid, leaves a moderate cap behind.

S: Peppermint, clove, ginger, cinnamon and very floral aromas. There's really no hop bitterness, the floral component is more pollen-like and peppery in a way. There's a lot going on here, a bit chaotic at times but it certainly will be an interesting beer to try.

T: Whoa, lots of sweet and sugary ginger and peppermint flavors up front. The palate is dominated by these, helped only by some yeast esters and Belgian spice mid-palate. The finish is sweet, cloying and sticky. Eh, this is okay, doesn't show any signs of oxidation but I couldn't drink more than a sample of this. Just a bit over the top with some really weird flavors.

M: Creamy, medium-bodied with light touches of bubbles on the tongue. Again, somewhat sticky in the finish but not a bad feel by any means.

It wasn't necessarily a gross beer but it's nothing I'd want again nor more than a few ounces of. The flavor profile went on a tangent and never came back. Sweet, gingery and minty, kind of odd but I'm glad I was able to sample this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 17:00:12 | More by ShanePB

Mebuzzard

Colorado

2.98/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Golden and slight hazed body topped by a puffed up head. Nice billowing and some chunks formed in the center. Calmed down to a mild head...a bit slick looking.
Smell is a bit weak. Belgian yeast, corriander, some biscuit. Not very strong, but not bad.
Taste has hints of the Belgian yeast characteristics, slight spice and little buttery. Feels like a carbonated wit beer, I don't like it. Too tingly for me. Drinks fairly well. I'll get some more a plunk 'em down in storage.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2007 18:44:49 | More by Mebuzzard

CortexBomb

Michigan

2.98/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Pour: dirty orange with a modest white head on top. The smell is heavy on the spice; ginger, coriander...definitely reminds me of a saison in certain ways as well.

Flavour, very sweet and spicy up front...the ginger and coriander from the nose is prominent, but it is complimented by a sweet maltiness, almost bordering on sugary. Light citrus is also present, not in a hoppy way though, just a touch of zing. A bit of banana as well. This becomes increasingly abrasive as it warms though, and the spices become absolutely overwhelming near room temperature. The score I'm giving it here is an average of the good score that it had when it was still cold, and the bad score that it had once it was warmer.

Mouthfeel, full but not over the top, plenty of carbonation, some tongue bitter. Drinkability, about as good as you could expect for such an intense spice flavour, which is to say, not that good. I would expect this to improve as it ages.

The bottom line: if you like highly spiced, Saison/Belgian Pale style ales, then this is worth checking out. I think age will improve the spice depth here and allow the individual flavours to come out more, but for the present, this beer is strongly on the abrasive side, particularly once it warms, and I would recommend letting it age for a bit (a year or two?) before cracking the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2007 03:06:07 | More by CortexBomb

gregshead

California

2.95/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Enjoyed on 8/27/11. Thanks to SDsurfer217 for this beer from his cellar.

Lots of hiss comes out of this one despite it being released 3_ years ago. Impressive

A: Pours an orange color w/ 3 fingers of head. Very foamy, big bubbles dissipate slowly.

S: Apple spice smell. Ciderish smell. Pretty simple

T: Spices and apple. A liff bit of boozy/heat taste in there as well

M: Tons of carb. Little bit of heat/burn feel

O: A spiced apple beer. Very blah. Not horrible just really plain.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 07:14:36 | More by gregshead

Bighuge

Minnesota

2.93/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This beer is slightly hazed and throws out a deep golden hue. The head is thin and white. Lacing sporadic. Pretty nice aroma with belgian yeast apparent. Nice little sweet doughiness. The spices are not overbearing on the nose. I get a little cardamon. On the palate I get alcohol, sweetness and fruits. Tropical punch like. The alcohol is really evident and acts as the buzzkill in this context. Otherwise, I also get some lime notes, ginger and lemon. Too much stuff going on here and it doesn't mesh all that well....right now. Don't know about the future, but some age can't hurt this. I don't forsee cracking another for years....possibly till 2012. My least favorite of the Epics so far.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2007 03:34:23 | More by Bighuge

Beaver13

Colorado

2.93/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

22 oz bottle. Pours a hazy golden-orange with a small white head that quickly disappears.

The aroma is wheaty malts with some spices and a little fruit and alcohol and some grassy hops.

The flavor is sweet malts, spices (clove, ginger) with some fruitiness. It has a grassy bitter finish. As it warms, the sweetness and ginger become a little cloying. The mouthfeel is medium and watery with low but sharp carbonation.

Overall, a decent Belgian, but not too striking to me. The blend of overwhelming flavors don't balance out really well.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2007 06:27:38 | More by Beaver13

changeup45

Florida

2.93/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

I was happy to find this one on a road trip but it ended up being a bit of a disappointment. Pours a clear, bright orange color with a thin white head. Aroma is a bit stingy with oranges, perfume and an assortment of spices. The mouthfeel on this is very tart, tangy and slightly dry. The strongest flavors are oranges and coriander, with lots of spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg), some lemon, and light fragrant hopping thrown in there. Interesting but the flavors just don't work for me. Halfway through the bomber I was sick of it. Not an awful beer but it is the worst Stone product I have had so far. Maybe I should have waited until "sometime after December 12th, 2012."

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2008 02:06:03 | More by changeup45

DefenCorps

Oregon

2.93/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle that I bought at Norm's in Vienna right around the time this beer was released. Back in the day, there used to be a 2-bottle limit on this stuff. Wow.

The first pour is clear copper/amber with a dense, off-white head that falls off to a thin disk leaving some lacing. This does look nice. The nose, however, is worse for the wear (I think). Honey, some oxidized/stale sugary malt character, potent spice character, surprisingly so for the age of this beer, are present. Green cardamom, allspice and mace are most noticeable, as is some crystallized ginger. A little bubblegum as well. Decent.

The palate opens moderately sweet and with quite a bit of ginger. This is more of a Belgian braggot than a cross between a saison and a tripel IMO. Sweet, candied ginger, cardamom, sugar, syrup and honey are all present. Medicinal, I can't say I get much yeast character, at least from this clean pour. Alcohol appears on the finish, adding some burn. Medium-light in body, this beer is highly carbonated and this lends a scrubbing, carbonic acid character to the finish. Despite its heavy-handedness and lack of subtlety, this beer is moderately enjoyable, more so than my notes would lead you believe.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 05:41:46 | More by DefenCorps

yourefragile

District of Columbia

2.88/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

22 oz bottle.

Pours a hazed golden copper with a thin white head. Medicinal and soapy aroma with bubblegum malt and tobacco. Flavor is less offensive than the nose but still overly sweet. Caramel and bubblegum with citrus candy. Syrupy body with low carbonation. Difficult to drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 19:08:17 | More by yourefragile

GClarkage

California

2.85/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

07/29/07- Purchased at Ledger's Liquors in Berkeley, CA.

Presentation- 22oz bottle, vintage 2007. Poured into my St. Bernardus chalice.

Appearance- A semi-flat looking deep orange color. Smaller than 1/4 inch head forms...a bit creamy looking...leaves minor lace spotting behind.

Smell- Got a bit too close to the beer because I couldn't smell jack. Well, I ended up with a nostril full of 070707. It wasn't very nice either. Smelled like sugary corn syrup. Smelled some orange-tangerine notes as it warmed, but mostly sugar.

Taste- Tasted pretty much like it smelled. Overwhelming corn syrup like flavor. Some corriander and cardamom and maybe some white pepper. Can see a touch of tripel and a touch of saison, but not ones that I would want to drink on a regualr basis.

Mouthfeel- Very low carbonation, almost flat. Yucky sugary coating of the tongue and mouth.

Drinkability- Damn, I hope this one really improves with the years. My least favorite of the VE's so far.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2007 18:33:11 | More by GClarkage

deeplennon

Washington

2.73/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I bought this expecting hops, not remembering that all the other vertical epics were Belgian based. My grave mistake.

Anyone who knows me well knows I'm rarely a fan of American Belgians. And stating that, this one does nothing to change that perception.

Color is dark for a pale, closest I can think of in the color palate of Belgians would be Bush (Scaldis), which technically is a Belgian barley wine not a pale with much more malt than your typical Belgian. Aroma on this one has Belgian yeast characterists, but they're not strong. Mostly fruits coming through, with some alcohol. Flavor again is muted with similar effect as aroma, body is almost watery like a German hefeweizen. Alcohol comes in much stronger than the stated 8.4%. I frankly can't believe it's not pushing 10% based on flavor. While yes, many American brews between 8-9% have this much alcohol presence, I can't think of one Belgian that even comes close. The beer label claims it's bottle conditioned, yet no yeast was left in the bottle or apparent in the pour.

Overall I've gotta say bleeeh. Give me a Stone IPA over this any day.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2007 05:42:39 | More by deeplennon

giblet

Ohio

2.65/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

all credits due to Stone. The Rock! this is not my favorite style of beer and definately not my first choice at the retailer. this is the first beer from Stone that i will not buy again. with that said it looked good, smelled ok for beer - cloves come to mind. mouth feel and taste are cloves alcohol and more cloves.

ok, worth the notch in the belt.

suckem up and movem out.

giblet

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2007 22:39:16 | More by giblet

thickerfreakness

Texas

2.65/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured this one into a Unibroue tulip. It has a nice white head and the color is what I would imagine from a wit/trippel hybrid. The smell is expected from a wit with a little bit of punch. I realize this is 10 months old already but I just don't really like this taste. I think I'm tasting some ginger and it just really isn't pleasant to me. I also taste clove and spicy belgian yeast but the ginger taste is just ruining this for me. Overall this is my least favorite of all the Stone beers I have had.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2008 23:19:37 | More by thickerfreakness

russwbeck

Virginia

2.65/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

The beer was served to me hazy yellow in color. There really wasn't much head at all, and a similarly small level of bubble activity as well. 3.5

The first hint I get from this beer is sadly medicinal. There's a base of some booze, and spice, but I can't get passed that initial aroma of medicine. 2.5

The medicine hits the taste as well. It's just like that cough syrup you didn't want to take as a kid. That, mixed with some clove that rests on the palate is not what I would call pleasant. 2.5

The finish is dry and the overall body is light and crisp, with a great level of carbonation. The drinkability is impacted negatively by the taste, however. 3

I really just wasn't a fan of this one. I think that, perhaps, it's a bit too old at this point. 2.5

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2012 12:55:38 | More by russwbeck

rowew

Colorado

2.6/5  rDev -31.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Presentation: 22 oz bomber, nice silk screened bottle as usual from Stone.

Appearance: Pours a bright copper color with just a bit of sediment, average head and retention.

Smell: Lots of spice and some belgian yeast, maybe a bit of candi sugar? Too much going on here to pick out many details.

Taste: Strange - way too much going on. Mouthfeel is thick, almost syrupy. Very sweet, with lots of spice, and maybe a bit of hops? The spices are trampling all over each other, and all the yeast is contributing here is a bit of earthiness.

Overall impression: I think this one was designed to age - its a bit rough now, but maybe things would mellow and blend over the next few years.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2007 22:26:59 | More by rowew

BeerImmediately

Pennsylvania

2.6/5  rDev -31.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Please note that this review is relative to the STYLE - which is chock full of great beers.

A: Slightly opaque, dark orange. Good initial head, but dissapated quickly without retention.

S: Pretty harsh alcohol smell greeted me. Some deep, ripe fruits with a hint of yeast helped to salvage the smell and make it interesting.

T: Fig or Raisin, deep malt, alcohol.

M: Warm alcohol - almost reminded me of a cordial. Rich and deep on the palate, with a slight tang at the end.

D: Not that enjoyable - too heavy for the style.

I'm generally a HUGE supporter of Stone, but was not a fan of this one. Bummer. **I have one remaining - if anyone thinks I should cellar #2 for a year, let me know**

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2007 00:37:48 | More by BeerImmediately

bifrostguard

California

2.6/5  rDev -31.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - Clear with a copper color and tall off white head.

S - Spice, grain and more spice.

T - Spice and grain.

M - Thin and unremarkable.

D - Limited due to the fact the spice is too much for me.

This may be a fantastic beer for some of you out there, but for me there is too much spice. I would try to distinguish what spices are causing the unpleasant taste for me but I just want to get this one over with. Anything that says Stone and Belgian is off limits for me from now on.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2008 04:42:30 | More by bifrostguard

tonistruth

Nevada

2.53/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A- light copper in color, active brew with constant bubbling, some sediment floating, tiny head that doesn't hold well, but falls to a tiny foam ring that hangs out through the drinking period

S- malty with fruity esters, spicy yeast and phenolic

T- toasted grain and fruit from malts, some citric rind at finish, spicy throughout even more so at finish

M- medium body, spicy and hot(alcohol), dry finish

D- drinkable but not something i enjoyed, and probably wont drink this again until the series completes in 2012

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2008 21:45:21 | More by tonistruth

drewmprs

California

2.5/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Appearance:
Poured into a belgian tulip, a medium 1" head that rapidly fades. Steady carbonation of small bubbles that dissipate into a medium sized head bubble. Medium Gold in color, medium clarity with a slight haze. Lack of brussels lace.
Aroma:
Complex, lots of ginger and orange peel. Definitely spicy, somewhat perfumy. Overbearing peppery and alcohol flavor.
Flavor:
Way too much clashing here. Perhaps better with age, like in 2012. I found the spiciness and cardamon aftertaste too much to overcome. Mild malt, and low hopping, especially for a Stone. Very low bitterness, very low astringency, not proper level of effervescence for the style.
Mouthfeel:
Just interesting enough to make me want to drink another in 5 years. Candi sugar is obvious on the finish.

Far better on tap.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2008 02:49:38 | More by drewmprs

SPLITGRIN

Kentucky

2.5/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A strong pour equals about two fingers of light tan head. The even fuzz settles to a half an inch with nice retention. Body is a golden amber straw colored hue. Nose has notes of cimmamon, sweet bread, ginger and raw wheat. A slew of spice rolls over the tongue with the first sip with waves of cimmanon, clove, strong ginger, yeast, and even peppery zest. The huge array of spices are almost numbing to the tongue. There is a soft sweetness lingering within all this spice somewhere. The bitter spice hue is all over this mouthfeel but is really to much for me. Drinkability is short lived due to the over abundence of spice. Of all the Stone success this is not one of them for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2008 22:37:37 | More by SPLITGRIN

potownbill

New York

2.38/5  rDev -37.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1

Great looking beer. Golden color with a thick fluffy white head. Nice sour fruit smell, with some malt. Went downhill from there. The taste was way over the top. I could have blended the spice cabinet with some club soda and came up with this beer. The finish was very dry, and I could not finish the glass, let alone the bottle. One of only three beers I have ever dumped. Way over the top is still too far.
I am a Stone fan, but not this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2007 22:43:45 | More by potownbill

nortmand

Virginia

2.38/5  rDev -37.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Cloudy orange pour with a bit of white head.

Alot of spiciness in the aroma. Ginger dominates, with supporting clove and coriander notes.

Spicy and boozy are the best ways to describe the flavor. Stale off flavors linger on the tongue long after the swallow. Just nothing worth liking.

Thick, uneven body. I absolutely love Stone's lineup, but Belgians are definitely not their forte. Yet. I'm hoping for the future, but in the meantime I'll stick to one of their world class offerings.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2007 01:42:02 | More by nortmand

Overlord

California

2.28/5  rDev -40.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Well, I'll give this a pass, for now, as apparently it is a beer that's meant to be aged.

Not impressed at the moment. Flavors were sharp, but didn't blend well, and it was exceedingly raw. Almost seemed like it had been mixed from other beers....hard to describe.

I'll give it a year or two and try another bottle.

**I had another one recently. Somewhat impatient, I know, but given just how much I've enjoyed other Stone offerings, I had to try this again. It has not improved. I'm actually lowering my score a notch. The flavors do not sit well together, and I don't know what crazy spice after-taste they were going for, but I simply "Do not want."

***the next time I have this beer, it will be when it's aged five years. If anything, it is less drinkable now than it was when I initially had it, probably as my tastebuds and palate have grown a bit more discerning in the intervening year. Spicy, hot with alcohol, just an unpleasant mess. So atypical of Stone.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2007 08:00:33 | More by Overlord

TheBeerWolf

Nevada

2.2/5  rDev -42.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

This review is based on my current tasting. As others stated a few years might help this one out.

A - Poured a coppery yellow. Minimal carbonation and lacing in mine.

S - Kind of spicey smell. Not a bad aroma at all.

T - This is where I was very upset. Too much spicey bite. While some might like this it was much too overbearing for me. I imagine this is what it is like to chew on one of those cheap gross spicey potpourri things people have in glass dishes. No real malt charecter to help out here either. Really besides the overwhelming spice it is kind of a thin brew with alcohol bite. The aftertaste is almost like carboard. It was a real chore to get through the bomber.

M - Very little carbonation really but not a bad mouthfeel per se. When you get past the taste.

D - The way it tastes now I would not really WANT to drink much of it. Besides that it has kind of too much alcohol bite.

Honestly I don't mean to be a jerk I love almost every other stone beer and I loved last years vertical. But I think they may have stepped into something they could not make, I have had a few Saisons and Belgan Golden Ales (from Belgium) and they just kick the crap out of this one. Way too much spice. I will leave the other 2 bottles I got for a few months, once the spice dies down they will probably be a little more drinkable then. As another guy stated they said bottle conditioned but no yeast at the bottom. Strange. Honestly there is not much charecter besides the spice so in 5 years I imagine this just being a thin alcohol soup with subdued spiciness. I love stone, they are my go to beer company. Stick to what you know guys please. After I drank it I had to brush my tongue to get the cardboard aftertaste off my tongue. Maybe I got a bad bottle who knows but I am not even trying the other bottles until a few months have passed.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2007 17:21:57 | More by TheBeerWolf

JDV

Texas

2.2/5  rDev -42.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Creamy golden color with fluffy head. Smell is like Chimay and basically every belgian beer ever with the very obvious belgian yeast smell. To be specific, maybe some cardamom gingery clove type sweet spicy smells. Taste is oddly sweet and belgian-y. Alcohol at first at least is only slightly detectable, but it is slightly warming in the chest as it goes down. I don't care for this beer or the style. I'm sure its good if you like belgians, but the second I smell that typical belgian beer yeast smell, its all downhill from there.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2008 22:57:25 | More by JDV