Stone Vertical Epic 08.08.08 - Tasting and Aging Notes
By jason on Sep 3, 2008 in Belgian Styles, Reviews
Name: Vertical Epic 08.08.08
Brewer: Stone Brewing
Style: Belgian Golden Ale/West Coast IPA
Vintage: 2008
Cellared On: August 7th, 2008
Original Tasting: August 12th, 2008
Wow. I can’t believe it’s almost taken me a month to write this review. What kind of cellaring site am I running here? Jeeezz….
Anywho, the 08 Vertical Epic pours just as you would expect, with a pale clear golden color. There’s very little carbonation, and it looks almost like a wine as it sits in my glass.
Unlike its appearance, I find the smells of this beer are a bit surprising. This brew is billed as a cross between a Belgian Golden Ale and a West Coast IPA. You certainly can’t miss the Belgian part of this, there are all sorts of fruity tropical and honey esters in the air. What’s missing is the powerful hops - yeah there are some there, but it seems a bit restrained to me. I’m so used to the big aroma profile of the West Coast IPA’s that I really miss the big hoppy smell I was expecting. I can only imagine that since hop aromas are among the first things to go when a beer is cellared, they didn’t go crazy with the dry hopping.
The taste of the ‘08 is all Belgian up front - more of those light esters coming through as pineapple, honey, lemon, and other citrus flavors. There may be a touch of spice in there as well - maybe ginger? In any case, this brew’s hop presence comes on strong rather quickly after that initial taste. A grapefruity kind of bitter flavor is the most prominent, but there’s a nice floral quality to the hops as well. The interplay between the bitter hops, fruity esters, and light malt touch is fantastic and really quite well balanced. The finish is mostly bitter, but fruit flavor does linger on.
Another winner from Stone, no surprise about that!
Cellar Outlook: I’m just not sure. I know this beer is supposedly built to last until 12/12/12, but I have my doubts. The hop flavors are such a huge part of this brew, and I just can’t see them lasting anywhere that long. Not to mention that there’s also already such a great balance between the different elements I can’t see anywhere to improve in that department.
I fear for the ‘08 over the long run.
Next Tasting: February 2009
Jason
I’m hoping to try the Stone 080808 soon as well. The grapefruit notes are from the Simcoe hops they use…both in the boil and dryhop.
amm002 | Sep 4, 2008 | Reply
The hoppiness seems a little restrained because there’s only 65 IBUs in it, a lot of West Coast IPAs go way beyond that.
As amm002 noted, the grapefruit notes are from the hops. Citrusy flavors are the hallmark of American hop varieties.
I’m glad you posted this, I bought two bottles of it and was debating how long to store them before popping them. Maybe I’ll pop one sooner rather than later and then let the other sit.
Aaron | Sep 4, 2008 | Reply
Glad to hear in the initial tasting was favorable. I ordered four bottles of this online but won’t get to try one until December (I’m living abroad). I was planning to age these, but I may reconsider if you’re February tasting doesn’t go well. Thanks!
James | Sep 4, 2008 | Reply
Hi guys, thanks for the info and comments.
I certainly hoping this one holds up - I have 25 of them cellaring right now!
I just tried the ‘07 Epic and it’s holding up beautifully. It had a creaminess to the body that wasn’t there before - very nice.
jason | Sep 4, 2008 | Reply
25!
Can I move into your basement?
Aaron | Sep 5, 2008 | Reply
Sure, as long as you don’t mind doing my laundry!
I’m planning on having a heck of a party on 12.12.12 when the last Epic is released!
jason | Sep 5, 2008 | Reply
You have 25? You can make a killing off those in say 2016! I don’t see this beer holding up to well. I really enjoyed it when I tried it a few weeks ago but I don’t see it lasting well into 12/12
Dave | Sep 12, 2008 | Reply
Yeah, I think we’ll both be shocked if it lasts that long.
I know I’ve said it before Dave, but I love the reviews on your site!
jason | Sep 12, 2008 | Reply
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