At the store I work at, we have at least one customer who flat-out refuses to drink beer produced by the Stone Brewing company, simply because of the pretension. I mean really, they brew a beer named Arrogant Bastard, and don’t even put the name of the brewery on the label – at least not for the current 22oz bottles.

Even if they are pretty damn pretentious about it, Stone has good reason to be proud of their beers.

Case in point: Vertical Epic.

Its easy for breweries to push the limits of extreme beer; more malts, more hops, more more more. But finding where you can be extreme and keep the flavors not only drinkable but highly enjoyable – that’s the real challenge. Oh, and if you can do something really new and interesting with it… maybe you have a reason to be a little stuck-up about it.

Number seven in an eleven-beer series, Vertical Epic ’08 is possibly one of the most interesting beers I’ve had in a while. Apparently inspired by a Belgian brewer, Vertical Epic is a Belgian-type triple that’s hopped to IPA levels with American hops. Its sounds kind of odd, but intriguing, and I heard nothing but good things from some co-workers about it.

Tonight I sat out on the roof outside my bedroom window in my new house, and cracked open a bottle.

It poured with a nice head that dissipated as I snapped a photo or two of it.

The aroma is floral, but also contains malt, and a bit of that lovely Belgian yeast scent – kind of fruity.

The first flavor to hit me was, as you might guess, hops. This wallop quickly dissipated, and left a pleasant Belgian malt flavor. The mouth-feel is consistent with a triple, fairly lively with carbonation.

The hop bittering lingers in the aftertaste, mostly concealing the malt sweetness that hangs around if you give it a chance to come out.

Subsequent mouthfuls pack less of the punch against your palate, but still maintain this consistently interesting interplay of Belgian v IPA.

Go try this today. Maybe not something for every day, but for hop lovers and beer connoisseurs, its worth the trip, and worth the experience.

9/10