Stone 10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale - Stone Brewing Co.

BeerT3ch

Georgia

2.45/5  rDev -35%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

My favorite Micro Brewery is Stone overall. I'm satisfied with most their beers and really love some, but this is one that dislike. You need to have a really aquired taste for this one. It almost taste like a barley wine, stout and IPA rolled into one. Sounds interesting, but not this one. Sorry

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 03:35:15 | More by BeerT3ch

mindlucent2007

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -9%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The Vertical Epic 10.10.10's appearance is a rather clear, golden maize with a half-inch head that settles in to a nice film with superb lacing. Aroma is a grape explosion with some sweet Belgian sugary notes. It's like grapes replaced hops in this brew. There is a little malty and bready backbone with a grapes and flowery aftertaste. A light mouth feel with no detection of alcohol and low carbonation. It's an interesting concept for the year of 2010 and the October release and dominated by grapes. Stone threw an interesting twist onto 2010's epic brew. I am used to all of my Stone brews hoppy, but this is different. Still a classy brew however.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 03:12:37 | More by mindlucent2007

srandycarter

California

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Apricot, cloudy, small head leaves to disk. Not much lace.

S - Tropical fruits - Juicy Fruit immediately comes to mind. Some bitter peal and Belgian yeast.

T - Juicy fruit is right there, followed by fruit juice and bittering agents.

M - Medium body, good carb and balance.

D - A nice offer!

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 23:34:18 | More by srandycarter

Schmittymack

Colorado

2.9/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into trusy shaker glass. Pourd an orangeish color with very little head and no lacing. Aromas of malt and citrus; taste was banana and clove with no hop bitterness whatsover. I'm glad I'm not doing the whole veritical as this one is quite depressing.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 07:05:40 | More by Schmittymack

SawDog505

New Hampshire

2.98/5  rDev -21%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into 13 oz tulip. Pours a yellow orange, with a half inch of tiny white head, doesn't hang around long. Smel is musty, banana, and clove. Taste is all that with some powerful grape in the finish. The body is OK, enough carbonation, and very easy to drink for the abv. Really wish it was better, picked up three bottles for my daughter's due date last year, today is her birthday. Still not my bag after a year.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 00:05:28 | More by SawDog505

sodiepop

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle opened about 6 months after release. Semi hazy light golden body with a creamy looking white head, a bit of lacing. Banana, cloves, alcohol, tangerine and ginger root on the nose. Lots of yeast in the taste with light citrus flavors, some orange and banana. Not too much going on in terms of flavor, it's okay and a very unoriginal tasting beer, especially for the "Epic" series.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2011 22:53:08 | More by sodiepop

katan

Colorado

3.8/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

22oz into a pint

A - Pours a bright golden color. Appears thick but not hazy. Head formation is very light, barley off white.

S - I certainly get the tripel here - lots of pilsner malts, spicy and floral yeast. Alcohol warmth is certainly present. The floral notes from the adjuncts seems to sneak through.

T - Starts off bright and sweet, lots of pilsner malts, some of that slight graininess. Gets more orange like, sweet, even a bit of sour sneaking through. I think the grapes and a more earthy character to it. Finishes with a more fruity note, grape, and a citrus acidity.

M - A somewhat flat mouthfeel - lots of beer body but not the accompanying carbonation. Lots of alcohol warmth.

O/D - An interesting beer full of complexity. Somewhat filling from its heavy body. Very much a sipper, high alcohol. The flavors seem to go all over the place, difficult to determine when this beer would be on my go to list.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 02:53:06 | More by katan

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a tulip.

Appearance: Out of the bottle this pours a full golden color, transparent except for a few yeast particles, with light straw color edges. An off-white head bubbles, foams,and fades without leaving too much lace on the glass.

Smell: Bready malt is overshadowed by a strong white grape presence. Alcohol phenols are noticeable, and an understated spicy yeast is noticeable as well.

Taste: The flavor is strong and mostly sweet. The malt takes on a dry biscuity or crackery quality, with sweet white grapes coming on really strong. A light lemon zest adds a soft tartness, and there is a light peppery quality. There is not much hop presence, just a herbal bite to go along with the alcohol toward the end. Maybe this is from the chamomile.

Mouthfeel: Maybe I am just too accustomed to Duvel for this style, but the mouthfeel is a little bit off from what I expect. The body lacks the cutting dryness that thins the body out. This is still dry, but the body has more of a medium feel, with softly crisp carbonation.

Overall: Given the amount of chatter about this beer series, it can be tough to examine this beer on its own merits. I enjoyed it, although it was a bit sweeter than I would prefer, and it would be nearly impossible to top Duvel in this style.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2011 05:56:16 | More by KickInTheChalice

xraided81

California

3.08/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Picked up a bottle at my neighboorhood liquor store in early september, thanks for them cellaring this properly for almost a year, i bout the last two bottles.

A. Poured into a tulip glass, pours a bright medium gold, with a slight haze, likely do to it swishing around my cooler. Minimal head retention , dissipated quicly , leaving no lacing at all, i thought it could have been the glass poured into a new clean glass, and same result. after 60 seconds was completely still.

S: First impression is an agressive belgian yeast producing the bready notes and esters reminiscent of tart green fruits; think green apples, pears, a hint of lime rind, grapes. The aroma also reminds me of a chardonay or white table wine. the esters dominate the nose, and the malt aroma is barely present, in the background.
T: the tastes is reminiscent of the aroma, im getting crisp green apples, pears, and grapes. experience a bitter taste in the back of the palate, could be phenolics that are produced by the belgian strain of yeast. a bit sweet initially and then has a dry aftertaste.
M: although the appearance is dead flat, surprisingly as im drinking the carbonation in this beer picks up. this beer has a very light body/
O: I had not sampled this beer since the week it was released. it hasnt changed much from my mental notes, however i do remember it having a more lively appearance. i am glad stone does not specialize in brewing belgian beers, these VE are a a nice change of pace, but they should stick to brewing the big aggresively hopped beers they are known for.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 06:22:09 | More by xraided81

stxSS07

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber into a Duvel tulip

A- Pours a clear golden-orange with a finger's worth of tight white head that recedes to a cap fairly quickly. Leaves some nice lacing.

S- Crazy mix of Belgian wheat/funky/breadyness paired with the tart and sweet smells of young white grapes. I think this is cool as sh#t.

T- Dry, tart bite up front that leads into a wave of dry grape sweetness. Follows up with a finish of sweetened chamomile tea and a touch of that funky Belgian yeast. Suprisingly tasty.

M- Again...dry, crisp and lively. Really nice on the palate.

O- I don't understand the bad press around this brew. It takes a traditional style and (in my opinion) improves upon it immensely. This is like I mixed 3 parts Duvel with 1 part tasty white wine.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 02:37:14 | More by stxSS07

claspada

New Jersey

2.45/5  rDev -35%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a hazy deep golden color with a small frothy head that quickly dissipates leaving minimal lacing, but both should be better but I blame the fruit additions and age.

Aromas begin quite vinous with white grapes and pears. Then I get the malt which is quite wheaty. "Other" aromas include some musty, earthy, herbal notes with some Belgian yeast phenols.

The tastes directly follow the nose beginning with white wine centric flavors includes white grapes, herbal/earthy dryness, slight oaky/woody flavors and some indiscernible light fruitiness. It's tart but far far from being a sour or being too acidic. As it warms the wheat malts and candy sweetness further emerges; the spicy phenolic yeast follows suit. I wish the flavors started and stayed with the vinous flavors because the Belgian yeast is not jiving with the fruit additions in my opinion; also I hate clove and spice flavors from strong Abbey yeasts.

The mouthfeel is medium-bodied with a median carbonation. Finish is dryish but still a little too full bodied and thick; borderline syrupy. This would be better if it was much less alcohol in my opinion.

This is by far the worst of any of the vertical series I have tasted. Flavors just conflict and contrast with each other as this beer just doesn't hit any flavor aspect particularly well. To be honest the entire vertical series has underwhelmed in my opinion except for a couple "good" offerings (5, 6 and 9). I def do not understand the hype behind saving/trading for all of these to have the "epic vertical", who cares, drink the beer while it is still fresh as most people don't store their beer well enough to last 5-9 years anyway, but I digress... did I mention this beer was bad...

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 23:25:54 | More by claspada

IKR

California

3.93/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Slightly cloudy straw yellow color with some amber overtones. Has a fairly small white head that faded fairly quickly to a thin ring.

Smell: Bready notes, with the grapes used making themselves known in the form of some white wine notes. A trace of alcohol makes it's way known in the nose.

Taste: The grape/white wine notes come through strong, with some bready tastes coming through and even some hops coming in at the end. It's flavorful and bold enough to make you either love it or hate it. I'm with it.

Mouth-feel: Medium-bodied with very modest carbonation. Not bad.

Overall: I've been buying this beer since it first came out. The fact that quite a few people seemed to really dislike it made it easy to find and cheap. I'm glad I came upon a few more and could review it.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2011 04:18:19 | More by IKR

cameraman

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A golden amber colored beer is poured in the glass, with a quarter inch white colored head forming on top. The head does dissolve away quickly to form a thin layer on top. A yeasty fragrance at the front of each scent, followed by fruity esters, mostly of grape and fig, that lingers on the nose for some time. The taste starts with malt and bread flavors, then a sweet sugary flavor comes out and blending to the fruity flavor of grape. A Belgian yeast flavor pops in at the end leaving the funky, spicy, ester like flavors on the palate long after each taste is gone. The feel is very thin at the front, but then gains some consistency and weight as it crosses the palate to the throat. There is the mild cleansing and tingling sensation of carbonation at the end. It all finishes with medium dryness, nothing to strong, just middle of the road dry feeling. Definitely a unique beer, with a lot of strong Belgian characteristics, but the grape flavor and scents are bit too much out of the box for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2011 05:08:32 | More by cameraman

gskitt

New York

3.7/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a mellow orange color, cloudy, huge two-finger head on a violent pour that lasts only briefly and gives way to the visible tiny bubbles. Scent is yeasty, clove-like yet under stated. A very yeasty first sip. Initial response was huh, not sure if I like this beer or not. It grew slowly on me as i consumed whole bottle. Like i said, yeasty, less carbonation than I'd have thought, a bit of clove and orange zest with a bit of hops bitterness. Mouthfeel was smooth making this beer very drinkable. Overall, very nice Belgian Strong Pale Ale.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 14:41:37 | More by gskitt

spdyfire83

Ireland

3.45/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

5th review on BA
Bomber into Stone IRS snifter

A: Bright golden clear. Half finger nail head from brisk pour.

S: Oak with hint of sweet. Almost like a dry wine. Interesting, but not necessarily pleasing.

T: Dry; very very dry - likely from the sav. blanc grapes, but weird at first. Almost a bit tart as it warms? Smooth and decently balanced; however, not what I was expecting. I just feel like it is missing something.

M: Smooth and balanced - almost earthy. Not bad, but not terribly pleasant either.

O: I can't lie, I'm a bit disappointed by this beer considering how good some of the others have been in the VE series; however, I'll give Stone credit for trying to change it up here. It's possible it could develop in the bottle a bit, but I'm not going to go out of my way to drink this before 12.12.12 (and I'll re-review then).

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 04:49:00 | More by spdyfire83

sdsurfer217

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a tulip glass

A: Slightly hazy, dark straw color. Little bit of carbonation. Almost no head even though I poured it into the middle of the glass.

S: Belgian, yeasty smell at first. I detect hints of tropical fruits from the white wines added. I don’t get much of the chamomile, but there is a floral characteristic. It smells on the sweeter side.

T: Starts out tasting very much like a tripel but takes the couple left turns it touts on the label. I don’t get near the amount of wine from the nose, but the floral characteristic comes through strong. Has a nutty/sweet finish.

M: Relatively dense beer, almost chewey. Not much carbonation wise, and it tastes a bit hot.

O: I don’t know whether to absolutely love this beer or hate it. Very different using wine as part of the process, but it’s hard to decipher if it’s good for beer or not. When I burp, I taste wine, it’s weird. I have a few cellaring so we shall see how this wine ages. Average is the best I can give this beer right now.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 19:00:31 | More by sdsurfer217

mralphabet

Virginia

3.73/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into pint glass

A: Poured a very amber color, little cloudy with a about 1 1/2 worth of head that settled to a nice ring with good lacing.

S: Wow the grapes do stand out here.... I'm also getting some yeast and bananas... Smells not so much like beer but more like wine.. Making me very curious.

T: Lots going on here.... kind of a mix of wheat beer type elements.... mixed with a fine wine... First few sips I'm getting a little tart grape, little banana and a little yeast finishing a little tart and bitter. These flavor only get stronger as the beer warms a little..along with an added alcohol warmth. If I had to call the fight wine is winning.. (this is not a bad thing to me).

M: Medium carbonation, medium bodied. Little tart and dry overall.

O: OK, I know you are supposed to wait and drink this beer after 12/12/12.. but I had 2 and wanted to test it now and see how it many change of the years... It feels more wine like than beer at this time.. to me. This is not a bad think to me, I kind of liked the twist in this one. Way worth getting and trying..

See you in a year or two...

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 02:21:15 | More by mralphabet

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured only a 1/2" white head. Slightly hazy raw sienna tan color. I do immediately smell the grapes but not the big variety of them listed on the label. Taste has grapes too but not as much as the last grape beer sample I tried. And it's easy to mistake this as a Belgian tripel since it used a Belgian yeast.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 01:16:31 | More by MoreThanWine

diybrun

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into wine glass. Might as well with this beer, right?

A: Pale gold, head almost non-existent. I gave it an aggressive pour and I still couldn't muster out more than a 1/2 finger that disappeared quickly.

S: Typical Belgian yeast funkiness, sweet grapes and fruity esters.

T: Aside from the grapes and slight yeast, I'm getting some subtle hints of banana bread. Little hops, more than slightly acidic. Very sweet, not unlike a Riesling. But I don't know shit about wine so who knows. The malt profile is there, but it isn't the star of the show. It doesn't get into the opening credits, and scrolls across the screen just above the 'assistant technical director of neo-modernist Italian poetry'. I might change my mind as the beer warms. Booze is present but not overpowering.

M - Unbalanced (not enough malt to counteract the grapes, seems too sweet), not quite enough carbonation to me. Not great.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2011 03:38:15 | More by diybrun

beerandcycling88

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a snifter.

A Pours a clear golden color with a hint of a head. The look of this one reminds me of apple cider.

S The nose is very sweet with notes of grape being dominant and some spicyness from the yeast with just a hint of bready malt and floral hops.

T The taste is quite unique and very sweet with grape being dominant but not in a wine like way. It is followed by some spicyness then you get the chamomile on the finish. Very strange tasting beer. But it works quite well and none of the flavors clash at all. The 9.3 abv is quite well hidden.

M Decent body but nothing above average.

Overall this is quite a strange beer and I'm not sure what to think of it. However I did enjoy it so I guess thats all that matters.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2011 03:34:38 | More by beerandcycling88

zimm421

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a tulip. Appears a clear, golden orange color with a below average white head that disappears pretty quickly and doesn't leave much lacing.

The nose is slightly underwhelming. Smells bready with some grape and fruity hints. The sweetness also comes forward makes for a slightly interesting aroma, but not that impressive. The taste is more complex and interesting. The flavor starts pretty sweet and bready but is quickly balanced with the tart grape flavors. The aftertaste is slightly bitter but that disappears quickly and the underlying sweetness remains. This is pretty well balanced and each sip is interesting and makes you think.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, and the carbonation leaves a sting on the tongue. Leaves a slight film in the mouth that allows for the aftertaste to stick around longer. Overall, very interesting but I'm not sure if the combination of grapes and the tripel does something that I like. A good, interesting, innovative brew, but there are much more appetizing things out there.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 01:23:30 | More by zimm421

Blanco

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Looks orange/pinkish like peach flesh with a white head. Fruity in the smell, with the belgian yeasts showing a strong presence. Spiciness is strongly apparent. Taste has some bite right off the bat. More fruits in taste, similar to the nose. Light mouthfeel. The grape flavor is more of wine than of fresh grapes. slight warming from the alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2011 01:28:26 | More by Blanco

SFrankBrew

South Carolina

3.78/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes: pours a hazy golden color with a minimal head that dissipates quickly. Aroma has a lot of fresh grassy and spicy hops, grapes, and plenty of sweetness. Flavor is sweet, with some spice, grassy hoppiness and caramel. Mouthfeel is medium body and moderate carbonation. The alcohol is pretty well hidden in this one.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2011 19:38:09 | More by SFrankBrew

seabass87

Kentucky

3.88/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 1 Pt. 6 Oz. bottle into glass.

A- This pours an effervescent, yet cloudy golden honey. No head. Looks very light considering the ABV. On the second glass, when I poured the bottom of the bottle, there's a fair amount of fine sediment floating around.

S- The most dominant scent is sweet white grapes. Orange peel. Earthy, spicy aroma.

T- Out front this has a predominant white grape taste which, combined with the carbonation, is definitely white wine-like. However, the introduction of the strong Belgian yeast and hops brings us back into Belgian triple territory. There's a brilliant spicy hop aftertaste that lingers for a while. There's definitely alcohol warmth that sets in a few second after swallowing, but it is handled very smoothly.

M- The body is light and the carbonation makes this a very drinkable variation on the Belgian Strong Pale style. I appreciate a beer that has a thin mouthfeel, but still leaves a strong, quality aftertaste.

O- As anybody familiar with this line of Stone beers knows, this beer was "intended" to be aged until at least 12/12/12. This means that perhaps my review (and all the reviews posted thus far) aren't a perfectly accurate depiction of what the beer was ultimately intended to be. It's already quite good today, and I plan on purchasing one to keep aged until NYE 2013. I found this beer to be a pleasant surprise. It definitely grew on me. The first few sips I was a bit hesistant, but once I had finished about half the bottle, I was delighted with the interplay of flavors present here. Complex without being puzzling.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2011 04:05:05 | More by seabass87

OStrungT

California

4.43/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a clear light golden color, with a thin white head. The head fades fast, leaving no lace.

This beer has a pleasent spicy aroma. I smell some cloves, grains of paradise, and coriander. It has a slight citrus aroma as well, maybe from orange peel? A mild earthy yeast is present. I can also detect an ever so slight winelike aroma.

This beer tastes like it smells. Spicy with some earthy flavors. Alcohol content is hidden entirely in the flavor of this one.

This beer is full bodied. It leaves a spicy aftertaste. Carbonation is low, but it has a little age on it.

This beer would make a decent session beer. It tastes good and would be easy to drink. the problem is the alcohol content. It is high in alcohol, and that could pose a problem.

Overall: this is another fine beer to add to the Vertical Epic collection. I will keep two bottles for 121212.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2011 02:49:10 | More by OStrungT