10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale
Stone Brewing

10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale
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From:
Stone Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
Belgian Pale Strong Ale
ABV:
9.5%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.76 | pDev: 13.56%
Reviews:
479
Ratings:
963
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 19, 2022
Added:
Oct 02, 2010
Wants:
  26
Gots:
  410
This ninth edition of our Stone Vertical Epic Ale series takes two interesting left turns. A Belgian-style golden triple is the starting point of this beer, but the first left turn is nearly immediate with the addition of dried chamomile flowers, triticale, and Belgian amber candi sugar. The second, and rather unusual left turn takes us half an hour up the road from Stone to Temecula courtesy of the addition of just-pressed Muscat, Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc grapes from our friends at South Coast Winery. As the Stone Vertical Epic Ale series has moved through the calendar, we found that the brewing schedule for a 10.10.10 release coincided nicely with the grape harvest, neatly providing an interesting twist in this epic ale.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by dogfishandi:
Photo of dogfishandi
Reviewed by dogfishandi from New York

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
22oz bomber pulled from the fridge and allowed to warm up for roughly a half hour before opening. poured into a bulb style glass.

pours out a hazy golden orange color with about a one finger of soapy white head that faded to pretty much nothing within 5 minutes or so. poor retention and pretty much no lace. very beautiful looking color to the body of the beer however.

in the aroma there is bubblegum, flouride, and a bit of spice from the yeast, solvent alcohol, lots of crisp fruit, grapes primarily with bits of apple, and hints of pale malt and candied sugars. as the beer warms, the aroma becomes a little more focused towards alcohol.

lots of belgian flavors mingling with fruity grape flavors. very vinious and that seems to come out more as it warms and the carbonation dwindles. bubblegum, flouride like belgian yeast. crisp apple, pear, and lots of white grapes. pale malts, just a bit of alcohol noticable with a warming, slightly sweet wine like finish. light spice.

heavy bodied with ample carbonation at first that settles out towards the end of the glass. as far as mouthfeel goes, it feels like an authentic belgian. a very dry finish, most likely from the grape juice.

one glass would prolly be enough, but i didnt have too much of a problem finishing the bottle.

overall, out of the 3 epics ive had including this one, id have to say this is my least favorite. but like the last 3, i do have a second bottle to age and im interested to see how that goes. if your not into trying every one of them and aging them, i wouldnt suggest this one.
Jan 11, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of Beersnake
Reviewed by Beersnake from California

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12 year old bottle opened at cellar temp. Pours a clear orange with quickly fading head. The nose is full of grapes, wheat, and lemon. Chamomile is there too. The taste is a little funky. A bit of sourness, leather, funk, citrus peel, hops, lemon, grapes, and a smoky note. Pretty good despite the age. Mouthfeel is fairly light and dry.
Aug 19, 2022
Photo of maddogruss
Reviewed by maddogruss from New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured this from a bottle.
A: pours a golden, amber body with a small, white head with nice retention and lacing.
S: sweet, dry, banana ester smell typical of Brett yeast; slightly sweet dankness
T: a somewhat earthy, floral taste; dry, slight white grape sweetness with warm alcohol in the aftertaste.
M: crisp, clean, and slightly refreshing; fairly light bodied, but soothing and smooth.
O: nice feel and taste combo; alcohol and chamomile are very warming. Slight spice, alcohol warmth that is welcoming.
May 11, 2022
Photo of MutuelsMark
Reviewed by MutuelsMark from Kentucky

4.06/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
tried beer in 2022. Very smooth drinkable beer. Mostly clear without head present. Nose is very wine like. Not positive it will improve with more age. lost carbonation.
May 01, 2022
 
Rated: 3.5 by Jamison85 from Indiana

Jul 02, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Jan 26, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by heysuz from Indiana

Jan 26, 2019
 
Rated: 4.04 by crbnfbr from Kentucky

Jan 14, 2018
Photo of bshefftz
Reviewed by bshefftz from California

4.15/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Cracked open May 2017 after 7 years storage in temps occasionally warmer than ideal cellaring conditions. The bottle opened with an unusual pop, and given the age the carbonation held up well, with a light and lacy head and consistent fizz. Powerful grape aroma on the first sip, reminiscent of a sparkling white wine, with the malt backbone emerging as the beer warmed. Slightly bitter and dry hops finish, but in a tasty way. Very enjoyable drinking experience and worth the wait - a refreshing, fruity take on a tripel.
May 21, 2017
 
Rated: 3.65 by unclekeith from Alaska

Mar 25, 2017
 
Rated: 3.81 by BarrelAgedG from California

Dec 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.48 by Jkolls from Ohio

Oct 11, 2016
Photo of sulldaddy
Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut

3.86/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Im sampling a cellar temp 22 oz bottle that Ive aged at cellar temp since purchase. I recently did the entire vertical...minus 020202 and had this bottle left over for another go round. The beer pours a sparkly clear copper color with fizzy eggshell white head that dissipates to nothing immediately after the pour.
Aroma on this beer is fruity with white grapes and pear and some general candy sweetness. I dont get any real hop notes on the nose and do find a bit of grainy malt buried underneath the fruit presence.
First sip reveals a light body with very fine tingly carbonation and a smooth texture that coats my palate on each swallow. The flavor is fruity and sweet up front as the nose advertised but does roll to a dose of black peppery alcohol. The finish is very dry and the booze flavor doesnt equal any warming in my belly. This one is holding up well roughly 5.5 years after the bottle was shipped from Stone. Try one now if youve got any laying around.
Oct 04, 2016
 
Rated: 3.85 by ClePaul from Ohio

Apr 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.9 by frekky from Massachusetts

Mar 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.17 by BcOneSeven from Michigan

Mar 04, 2016
 
Rated: 3.82 by smi69 from New York

Feb 14, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by bkwhoppa66 from New Jersey

Jan 27, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by Hohnbaum from Kansas

Dec 06, 2015
 
Rated: 3.77 by MickeyHops from California

Oct 04, 2015
10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale from Stone Brewing
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 963 ratings