Epic Vertical Ale 09-09-09 - Stone Brewing Co

Epic Vertical Ale 09-09-09
Dark Ale/Belgian
Stone Brewing Company
Escondido, CA

In my younger and more vulnerable years, I collected action figures. It started with Ninja Turtles... I had all the green guys, a few Foot Soldiers, but needed an April O'Neil. My (thankfully) enthusiastic mother and I discovered the mysterious underground world of collecting. I remember spending countless hours searching through racks at a ton of toy stores. We'd ask the stock clerks when they received their shipments and then show up at around 6 or 7 AM, stand by the loading bay to find out if they had an April O'Neil! And when we finally found one... WOW! What a rush!

Now I collect bottles. I still remember that thrill of finding something rare when you least expected it. And tonight I had that same thrill.

Starting on Feb. 2, 2002, Stone Brewing was going to release one beer a year on "same number days". Each beer would come out one year and one day apart from the previous edition. For instance, this particular beer was released on September 9, 2009 (09-09-09). The idea is that you could hang on to all of these to age until 2012, when you could have a "vertical" tasting. The different brews would act like puzzle pieces - different flavors that stretch over a decade. They are all a limited release, and while I gave up hope on having a "10 Beer Party" in December of 2012, I never thought I'd find ONE. Tonight, I did.

I've been very aware of what Stone Brewing Company has going on for itself. No company brewing beer carries the same determination, vigilance and abrasiveness as Stone. They are to beer what Fugazi was to everything else. As a matter of fact, there is a "Lost Post" I started writing about Double Arrogant Bastard Ale that I had to scrap a few weeks back - it was so intense a drink, I got too self-conscious (re: hammered) to actually write anything! The 09-09-09 Vertical Series in particular exemplifies what Stone does best.

This is one of the most complex beers I've tasted. It combines two worlds - a dark stout and a flavorful Belgian. I think I've done a good job of sharing my thoughts on both these styles of beer in previous posts, but instead of being a happy-medium for both styles, this brew acts as a duet.

The first taste is chocolate and vanilla, the kind of stuff I love in a beer. But after that the bold fruity taste of a Belgian stomps in, raisins, cherries and oranges. The aftertaste has enjoyably hoppy. Stone managaes to accentuate the characteristics of that you enjoy most from two styles of beer and fit it in one bottle.

Weird right?

This isn't my favorite beer I've had by Stone, but it's up there. It's definitely one of the more interesting beers I've ever had. An unique choice to brew as part of a series. After drinking it, I feel like I kind of missed the point of the beer, by not having it with the other 9 "Vertical" beers. But even if this is just a fraction of an idea, its a fantastic fraction.

--Joe