06.06.06

~ Tenth Tasting ~
October 6th, 2008 (6 years, 8 months, 4 days)
Click on a photo for Tasting Notes


Arlan Arnsten
Vice President of Sales 
Mitch Steele
Production Manager/Head Brewer

Greg Koch
Chairman & CEO
Chris Cochran
Marketing & Promotions


John Egan
Lead Brewer

( '03 Vertical Epic Ale, '04 Vertical Epic Ale, & '05 Vertical Epic Ale,
also tasted during this session)




Arlan Arnsten
President & Brewmaster
APPEARANCE:
Bright golden with low flat head.
AROMA:
Malt – Grassiness – Low for no hop aroma
FLAVOR:
Flavor of light malts – very low hop flavor. Slightly spicy and slight flavor of coriander. Very low flavor of original pepper and yeast.
PALATE:
Soft mouthful only slightly carbonated
OVERALL:
Terrific tasting beer – held up really well. Still good, spicy and crisp.



Mitch Steele
Production Manager/Head Brewer
APPEARANCE:
Beautiful clear golden. Lower head/CO2
AROMA:
Coriander. Nice aged bouquet. Vanilla, citrusy. Very little graininess/toast. Absolutely marvelous.
FLAVOR:
Vanilla, spice, some light malt notes, coriander.
PALATE:
Medium body, silky smooth, a touch of bitterness.
OVERALL:
It’s amazing how fresh this is having only tasted this beer twice, it’s hard to gauge how it’s aging, but there is zero graininess. I think this is a delicious beer!



Greg Koch
Chairman & CEO
APPEARANCE:
Clear deep golden.
AROMA:
Honey, light citrus, a lot of honey.
FLAVOR:
Some tropical fruits. Bitterness is surprisingly aggressive for all these years.
PALATE:
Carbonation too low. I suspect a faulty bottle in the regard.
OVERALL:
Pretty nice! The too-low carbonation is a shame though. It’s mellowed a lot and changed quite a bit.



Chris Cochran
Marketing & Promotions
APPEARANCE:
Super bright, light golden color, lacking in foam (CO2).
AROMA:
Pepper and spice, some fruit notes, yeasty, bit of alcohol.
FLAVOR:
Evolving and changing, little bitterness left but barely any hop notes.
PALATE:
Still crisp, light/medium body seems to be waning on the palate.
OVERALL:
I have always loved this beer, but not feeling that “love” on this sample. However, it is aging nicely and is still a great tasting beer!



John Egan
Lead Brewer
APPEARANCE:
Very clear, straw-golden in color, CO2 looks a bit on the low side, otherwise great looking
AROMA:
Very light citrus-like aroma, like a lemon zest (duh, orange peel!)
FLAVOR:
Still excellent! Slight tartness, subtle peppery, very well melded together flavors. Touch of coriander and orange peel.
PALATE:
Tart, lingering bitterness, very refreshing.
OVERALL:
Great beer, especially for its age.