Like a good little boy, I waited. I sat on my bomber of Stone Vertical Epic for an entire year, just like I was supposed to. And as soon as the beer "matured" on 12/12/12, I found myself drinking it that very night. If I'd been smart, I would have bought two bottles last year and tried one of them right away. Then I'd have some kind of point of comparison. Alas, I can only tell you that after a year in the cellar, Vertical Epic 11.11.11 was pretty darn fantastic.
What happens if you add Anaheim chillies from New Mexico plus whole cinnamon sticks to an amber ale fermented with Belgian Flanders Golden Ale yeast? You get a full-flavored but not overly hoppy variant on a "big" Belgian, replete with a substantial kick of alcohol (9 percent ABV!). Sometimes I find Belgian ales a little too sweet, so I was definitely intrigued by the inclusion of chili peppers. While Anaheim chillies are pretty mild in terms of heat, they do add a supremely flavorful dimension to VE 11. Their spice, along with the cinnamon, really "completes" this beer. As is typical of a Belgian ale, notes of banana and clove mix in with a bready malt taste. And while the hops are far from overdone, there's just enough of them to bring balance to this wonderfully smooth ale. I really enjoyed this beer. It's spicy, but not "hot". It's malty, but balanced. It's boozy, yet easy to drink. Was it worth waiting a year? Well, let me put it this way: when I pick up the Stone Vertical Epic 12.12.12, I'm drinking that shit right away! Life is too short to deny yourself fine beer, and it doesn't get any finer than Stone.
www.stonebrew.com
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