11-11-11 Vertical Epic (Stone)
I have the 09, 10, and the 11 waiting in my cellar. I could not wait to try this 11 though! Chili beers can be a wondrous thing. I did keep one to age until after the 12-12 release. I had the notes in waiting to compare with a later tasting.
General Thoughts
Look and Smell: This brew had a barely off-white and very frothy head. It was dark brown with a slight orange tint. I smelled sugar and the Belgian yeastiness. I, oddly enough, smelled tobacco too. I just read the tasting notes, and that's not in it. Maybe it's a combo of the spices (clove and cinnamon) and toffee malts. I can't wait to try it again and see.
Taste: The bitterness cuts the creaminess it had. I tasted the slight burn from both the chili and the spices. I was really surprised that the cinnamon and chili burn would complement each other. Never thought to put those to together. That coupled with the Belgian yeast and fruity esters was really fantastic. It left a dry finish. It was a very well-balanced brew. No harsh flavors of boziness that made me regret not aging it. The spices make it almost fitting for a November release. Can't wait to see what is in store for 12-12!
From the Stone site:
Not your typical chili beer! The famous mild green chilies from the Hatch Valley in New Mexico add layers of delicious flavor with a very mild heat component. The base beer itself is very reminiscent of a European amber beer, with Perle and Pacific Jade hops, Munich and other roasted German and Belgian malts, hopped and brewed to a very Stone like TBD IBU and 9.4% abv. Cinnamon is a wonderful spice if used judiciously, which we did here-it doesn't by any means dominate the beer's flavor, but definitely adds a subtly complex spice note that blends amazingly well with the bananaesters and green chili.
General Thoughts
Taste: The bitterness cuts the creaminess it had. I tasted the slight burn from both the chili and the spices. I was really surprised that the cinnamon and chili burn would complement each other. Never thought to put those to together. That coupled with the Belgian yeast and fruity esters was really fantastic. It left a dry finish. It was a very well-balanced brew. No harsh flavors of boziness that made me regret not aging it. The spices make it almost fitting for a November release. Can't wait to see what is in store for 12-12!
From the Stone site:
Not your typical chili beer! The famous mild green chilies from the Hatch Valley in New Mexico add layers of delicious flavor with a very mild heat component. The base beer itself is very reminiscent of a European amber beer, with Perle and Pacific Jade hops, Munich and other roasted German and Belgian malts, hopped and brewed to a very Stone like TBD IBU and 9.4% abv. Cinnamon is a wonderful spice if used judiciously, which we did here-it doesn't by any means dominate the beer's flavor, but definitely adds a subtly complex spice note that blends amazingly well with the bananaesters and green chili.
