Stone 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale - Stone Brewing Co.

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours brown-amber in color and does have a slight unfiltered look to it. Good head at pour but savored in a small glass. Good vertical lacing on the glass. I expected more from the nose of this beer given the flavor - still smells good but doesn't reveal much more than a string Belgian style ale with maybe some clove coming through. Taste is complex and wonderful - subtle chilies that builds over time. Other pleasant spices with a nice malt balance.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 01:34:05 | More by Oakenator

beernads

Florida

3/5  rDev -20.4%

05-18-2013 06:39:24 | More by beernads

olafphysics

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

05-17-2013 23:36:25 | More by olafphysics

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

05-17-2013 15:10:00 | More by twenty5

jpaulsen

California

4/5  rDev +6.1%

05-17-2013 01:45:27 | More by jpaulsen

lucasj82

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

05-15-2013 03:03:03 | More by lucasj82

Zbeetleman

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

05-15-2013 03:01:25 | More by Zbeetleman

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -13.8%

05-13-2013 22:28:37 | More by mikeincharleston

csfcmitchell

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

05-13-2013 15:55:23 | More by csfcmitchell

vrbulldog22

Ohio

3/5  rDev -20.4%

05-13-2013 01:50:59 | More by vrbulldog22

C20Percent

Virginia

4.04/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A: Hazy bronze with a tan head of foam. Body is not clean. There is much complexity in the color.

S: Fall spices -- cinnamon. Biscuit malts. Bready. Chiles (I guess so). Tabasco. Oxidation.

T: Cinnamon is strong. Chiles. Tart. Bit sour. Bready. Kinda boozy.

M: Smooth and creamy. Nice carbonation. Buttery.

O: Very unique beer. They get points for that. My best judgement is the way this beer taste is the way it was intended to taste after that one year. Not something I could drink every day, but for something as experimental as this it was pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 22:24:40 | More by C20Percent

koopa

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

05-12-2013 02:36:15 | More by koopa

tommyguz

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -20.4%

05-10-2013 12:55:20 | More by tommyguz

cadaugherty

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

05-07-2013 23:16:37 | More by cadaugherty

mfnmbvp

Illinois

4.23/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz. bottle, with a more than obvious vintage date. This is my first beer in the series of Vertical Epic beers that Stone did, although I will review the Stone 12.12.12 Vertical Epic Ale soon enough, to see how they compare.

Due to the lack of a snifter, I'm pouring this into a Firestone Walker pint glass.

A - Aggressive pour manages to conjure a finger of tan off-white foamy head on top of a dark cherry / chestnut colored body. Some bubbles lazily floating to the top. Virtually no lacing on the glass. Second pour yields an entirely different, darker, hazier, dark orange / brown hybrid color, with massive amounts of dark and light sediment floating around.

S - At first, what is more apparent is the Belgian yeast and funk. As the head dissipates, herbal spice rack notes begin to emerge, not cinnamon, almost more like oregano or thyme. Very strange, it must be the chile smell. Also a sweetness buried in there, which could also be from the Anaheim chiles. Faint muted hops come through, as well. As the beer warms, dark fruit smells begin to emere; plum, fig, & raisin with some nutty wine-like characteristics.

T - Taste is very pleasing at first, thankfully not overly hot with chiles and spice. What little heat there is can be attributed to the alcohol. Taste is of caramelized malts and tea leaf like sweetness, with a fair amount of lively carbonation, and a warm finish, which I assume is from the chiles. Aftertaste is of brettanomyces. I am actually really enjoying this. Again, not really getting any distinct cinnamon out of this, though. As the beer warms, the bretty aftertaste fades, giving way to a sweet tea leaf finish & sticky hop presence, with a faint subtle warmth from the chiles.

M - Feel is sweet, lightly bitter, light hotness. Ends somewhat sticky & dry, beckoning the palate for another sip.

Overall, having no prior knowledge of any of the other beers in this series, I would say that this is a good worthy beer, considering this beer was aged for year and a half, and also considering I'm not the biggest fan of Belgian style ales. I would definitely be interested in seeing how others in this series have held up, and I will be getting myself a bottle of Stone 12.12.12 Vertical Epic Ale soon, to see how that one fares as well. In the meantime, if you're holding down a bottle of this, I would recommend opening it now!

Stone 11.11.11. Vertical Epic Ale ---4/5.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 21:13:45 | More by mfnmbvp

DefinitelyNotBatman

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +19.4%

05-07-2013 17:30:04 | More by DefinitelyNotBatman

beertardis

Rhode Island

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

05-07-2013 09:44:51 | More by beertardis

Laurenessa

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

05-01-2013 21:50:28 | More by Laurenessa

blknikon

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

04-30-2013 19:10:22 | More by blknikon

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.76/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a murky dark reddish amber in color with light amounts of gentle visible carbonation and some garnet red + copper highlights. The beer has a finger tall sudsy beige head that quickly reduces to a medium patch of very thin film with a medium thick ring of larger bubbles around the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of sweet malts with some notes of fruits (apple) and candi sugar. There are light to moderate notes of spices - cinnamon, spicy black pepper, chili peppers, and clove. Light hints of booze.

T: Similar to the smell, upfront there are moderate flavors of sweet pale malts with caramel, brown sugar, candi sugar, and toffee notes. There are light to moderate flavors of spices - cinnamon, black pepper, chili pepper, and cloves. Also, a light amount of pine/resin hops are present in the finish. Light to moderate amounts of bitterness which fade rather quickly.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth with just a light hint of dryness in the finish.

O: This beer seems to have become a little more barleywine like than it was when it was fresh (gotten a little sweeter and a little more boozy) while retaining many of the interesting spice flavors. Enjoyable but not my favorite of the vertical epic series.

Note: Originally had this beer fresh on-tap at Mug's Alehouse in Brooklyn, NY (Belgium 2 Brooklyn Festival).

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 00:53:54 | More by dbrauneis

BurgeoningBrewhead

Pennsylvania

4.41/5  rDev +17%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a chalice. I guess "pale ale" is a relative term in this case; but I'd be disappointed if beers in this series stayed within style lines. It's a dark cloudy orange with a lively white head that dissipates leaving some lacing on the glass. Smell is quite perplexing; warm and spicy, presumably the intermingling of the chilies and the belgian yeast. Taste follows; no actual spice from the chilies, but a delicious warm flavor. The "belgian" character is very diminished in this beer (which is good for me, I don't like belgians). Alcohol isn't noticeable at all, surprising for 9andsomething%. Mouthfeel is rather full. Even though it's more of an experimental beer, it's the best belgian-style beer I've had so far.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 01:27:24 | More by BurgeoningBrewhead

2beerdogs

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

04-19-2013 05:40:21 | More by 2beerdogs

AlphaKingKegger

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

04-16-2013 03:52:33 | More by AlphaKingKegger

randylangford

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +6.1%

04-15-2013 00:58:37 | More by randylangford

oN3xM

Illinois

4.06/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A - Deep brown color that matches the bottle it came out of. A light head that dissipates quickly.
S - A very sweet aroma. Lots of fruity banana characteristics with a blend of clove. The cinnamon and spices hit the nose at the back of sniff.
T - Take the first sip and a sweet banana and clove mixture slams the palate. Following that is a spicy, dry flavor that settles during the aftertaste. Great taste.
M - Average amounts of carbonation. It was thicker than expected and really coats the throat after drinking. A little bit of an alcohol burn.
O - This was my first of the Stone Vertical Epic series, and I'm really impressed. I've read plenty of reviews that this edition didn't stand up to the others, and if that's true, then I can't wait to find/trade others in the series. It's sweetness and slight spicy characteristics make for a great pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 04:15:16 | More by oN3xM