Stone 12.12.12 Vertical Epic Ale - Stone Brewing Co.

IPA4LIFE

United Kingdom (England)

4.61/5  rDev +17%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25

A- Dark, much darker than I expected. The head is pretty thin, and dissipates quickly. Dark brown on the near verge of black.

S-SPICY! Not like hot spicy, but full of spices, spicy. Clove is upfront, along with cinnamon and anise/black licorice. There is also a hint of spicy belgian yeast, a little butter dark chocolate, and maybe even a slight hint of citrus. A very unique and distinctive aroma that is I will not forget for a long time!

T- The first few sips, I wasn't as impressed (the beer may have been a bit too cold at the time), but it really opened up into a wonderful profile of dark malt and spice flavors, with raisin and plum in the background. There is bittersweet chocolate with plenty of clove (surprisingly much more enjoyable than i would have thought!), a bit of allspice and some cinnamon. There is maybe just a hint of cold-pressed coffee, a good measure of brown sugar and a good hint of booze. There is also a solid note of belgian yeast spiciness that ties the whole beautiful mess together. The lingering spice of clove is really beautiful and is the first time I have seen something like that expressed in a beer.

M- Smooth and velvety. Awesome.

O- Complex beyond even what I expect from Stone's VE series, this is a fitting send-off. This beer is really, really, good. It is difficult beyond complicated to mix all of the ingredients in this beer together in a successful way. Stone pulled it off wonderfully. This stuff is beautiful. Seriously awesome.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 22:37:05 | More by IPA4LIFE

firecrack0r

California

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%

05-22-2013 22:50:49 | More by firecrack0r

IPeteA91

Texas

4/5  rDev +1.5%

05-22-2013 05:28:16 | More by IPeteA91

Phillyz

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.5%

05-21-2013 23:30:30 | More by Phillyz

Rogorama

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

05-21-2013 13:47:27 | More by Rogorama

Kmat10

Alberta (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

05-20-2013 04:42:52 | More by Kmat10

DrewskiWhit

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

05-20-2013 02:34:22 | More by DrewskiWhit

Justin_Brown

California

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

05-20-2013 02:31:14 | More by Justin_Brown

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

05-19-2013 23:10:58 | More by justintcoons

IP-EH

California

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

05-19-2013 22:08:24 | More by IP-EH

olafphysics

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

05-19-2013 01:15:07 | More by olafphysics

alanv

California

4/5  rDev +1.5%

05-18-2013 21:39:53 | More by alanv

jbarletto

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

05-18-2013 21:18:09 | More by jbarletto

InfernoBoss

California

4/5  rDev +1.5%

05-18-2013 08:12:46 | More by InfernoBoss

zillo043068

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

05-18-2013 03:17:46 | More by zillo043068

TonyTalon

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

05-18-2013 02:35:16 | More by TonyTalon

Kuaff

Alaska

4.54/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a snifter.

This ale is as dark as a stout. I can see a tiny bit of transparity around the edges of my glass, but it's pretty much opaque black. The head is small (maybe around a half an inch), but it is made of fine (what I like to call "high-quality"), light brown foam.

It smells like the spices which are described on the bottle. I definitely get a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. There is also a bit of dark fruit, molasses, and a gingerbread scent. A wonderful aroma.

The taste is much like the smell, but even more complex to me. The spices and gingerbread character are prominent (I LOVE the spiciness), reminding me of Christmas cookies and dark fruit cake, but there is also a noticeable combination of tartness and bitterness which I'm inclined to attribute to the orange peel this ale was brewed with. The after-taste has the unmistakable roastiness of a stout, and there may also be a little of the breadiness I expcet to find in a Belgian strong dark ale, but it kind of hides underneath all the other flavors. This beer also has that signature Stone-esque bitterness, which counter-balances the sweet Christmas cookie traits. Sublime.

The mouthfeel is thick and substantial, with lively carbonation. This consistency does an excellent job of supporting the myriad flavors and deep dimensions of this beer.

This is an excellent ale, no doubt about it. And so unique as well. It may be categorized on this site as a Belgian strong dark ale, but it's so much more than that... Certainly a must-try-beer if you can find it. Expertly-crafted, distinctive, throughly enjoyable, and unforgetable.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 00:49:34 | More by Kuaff

HinghamRick

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

05-17-2013 15:14:00 | More by HinghamRick

crowsoup

California

4/5  rDev +1.5%

05-17-2013 15:04:44 | More by crowsoup

ElizabethEleanor

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +20.6%

05-17-2013 03:05:40 | More by ElizabethEleanor

ajtorres311

Florida

2.5/5  rDev -36.5%

05-16-2013 17:45:30 | More by ajtorres311

Beer4Baltimore

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

05-15-2013 22:48:00 | More by Beer4Baltimore

Zbeetleman

California

2.75/5  rDev -30.2%

05-15-2013 03:02:04 | More by Zbeetleman

clayrock81

Virginia

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured almost blackish brown hue with tan head that was two finger high, slow dying and left a lace ring. The first aroma I get is one of sweetness, then some yeast and citric orange peel and then a strong malt aroma, mixing some roasted/heavy malts with caramel and/or candi sugar type malts (I did notice faint sniffs of cinnamon, but the label helped me come to that conclusion). Full-bodied, thick and almost sticky, there is a heavy maltiness to this beer that is both sweet from caramel and bitter chocolate to touches of syrupy or molasses and just sugariness (I can't really explain some of the sweet notes that hit) to dry, roasted, even toasted or coffee-esque malts that provide balance. As for fruit flavors I don't get much other orange and citric and maybe some sweet fruit. The malts lead to a dry backbone of taste (ABV is hidden) but this is aided from some very minor clove/peppery spices and a touch of bitter hops. I hate to say this but I find myself agreeing with the label (I hate reading labels before or during writing a review) but this is, in a cliff notes summary one could say, a classic Belgian with a Stone twist. I found it to not necessarily be a Belgian, per se, but a quality beer that hits the sweet notes as well keeps balance so you know you're drinking a beer and not a milkshake or java.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 18:26:23 | More by clayrock81

csfcmitchell

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

05-13-2013 15:52:46 | More by csfcmitchell