Stone's annual release of its Vertical Epic series, 10-10-10, arrived today.
Since 2002, Stone Brewing has made a different Belgian-style ale and released it on dates such as 02/02/02....and now 10/10/10.
Vertical Epic is Stone's tribute to Belgian yeast and to the benefits of aging beer! Yes, you can age beers.....not all beers, but many. The concept of the Vertical Epic is to create an EPIC vertical tasting on 12.12.12.
That said, Stone 10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale is mighty tasty right out of the gate. Fermented with the legendary Ardennes strain of Belgian yeast, 10.10.10 is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale brewed with pale malt and triticale (a cross of wheat and rye), hopped with German Perle hops, and steeped with chamomile during the whirlpool stage. In secondary fermentation, we added a juice blend of Muscat, Gewurztraminer, and Sauvignon Blanc grape varieties. The wine grapes came from Temecula's South Coast Winery, located about 30 miles north of our brewery.