Stone Vertical Epic 09.09.09
Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, Calif.
www.stonebrew.com
8.9 percent ABV

My first Stone brew was back in spring when I was impressed with the brewery’s Imperial Stout.

Now comes the 2009 edition of Vertical Epic, a fascinating special series that is different every year in fascinating ways. The 2003 edition used coriander, alligator pepper (related to cardamom and grains of paradise) and dark roasted wheat; kaffir lime leaf (used in Thai food) and unmalted wheat in 2004; and ginger, cardamom, grapefruit peel and orange peel in 2007.

Compared to some of those, the 2009 ingredients do not seem that unusual, especially for a Belgian style — chocolate malt, vanilla bean and Belgian candi sugar (similar to rock candy). But the addition of tangerine peel and aging with French oak chips are atypical.

The Stone Web site describes Vertical Epic as a Belgian-style Imperial Porter and I caught hints of all of that description just from the aromas — tantalizing chocolate, vanilla and light clove-banana scents that indicated a special experience was at hand.

The chocolate notes from the first taste were more like a milk chocolate, likely influenced by the vanilla bean and French oak chips. What was a pleasant surprise was the combination of the Belgian yeast with the tangerine, a nice orangey-citrus note that mixed well with the banana-clove character.

Combined with the chocolate, it reminded me of a Terry’s Chocolate Orange Ball. If you’re not familiar with the candy, it’s a round ball of chocolate containing orange oil that separates into individual slices. The tangerine was not intense, but definitely present as a nice background note.

The milk chocolate flavor was tempered by some roastiness and a molasses-like flavor from the dark Belgian candi sugar. It finished smooth, with no hint of the nearly 9-percent alcohol. This is the kind of seasonal beer I look forward to every winter.

The Stone brewery staff encourages the cellaring of Vertical Epic beers and the 09.09.09 edition has all the signs of becoming more complex with age. Stone beers are available in about 32 states; a distributors’ list is at www.stonebrew.com/about_us/distributors/index.html.

Beer Man sez: Vertical Epic is a grand experience that lives up to its name.