Stone 10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale

Stone Brewery knows how to make delicious beer. The are the masterminds behind Imperial Russian Stout and Ruination IPA, two of our favorite ales in their respective styles. None of their brews are below average and even the two lowest ABV beer's they've produced lately, Levitation and San Diego County Session Ale are incredibly flavorful. When we saw our sights on the 9th in the series of "Vertical Epic Ales," so we had to try it. 10.10.10 is a Belgian-style strong pale ale that is a combination of pale malt, German hops, wheat, rye and three types of grapes in the second fermentation. On this day we specifically decided to crack into this beer due to the 10" of snow we've had in the last day and a half, it seemed fitting.

10.10.10 pours a hazy, almost apple juice like color with a light white head. It smells of sweet grapes, much the same way Dogfish Head's Midas Touch does. When the beer hits the tongue, it comes out sweet AND sour. The sweetness of this Belgian-style ale hits the tongue initially but you are left with a sour flavor towards the back end. For being a 9.5% ABV brew, the body is incredibly light. The grapes seem to be a bit much as they take away from almost any other flavor.

This something that is a bit atypical from stone. Given their collaboration with DFH and Victory that produced a siason and they produce a Belgian-style IPA, Stone is not known for creating beers on this style. They are known for producing almost overly bitter, West-Coast style beers. Not that this is a terrible brew, it is a good attempt at creating something new. However, until Stone perfect's it, they should stick to the hoppy, West-Coast style beers we love.

Oz Scale: 6.6
Mike Scale: 7.0

Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Grand Cru

Sierra Nevada has been around for 30 years. That's pretty cool. They are like pretty old and stuff. Okay, okay. Trying to watch Beavis and Butt-head and write a beer review is really hard. Huh huh huh, I just said hard. We've got to sit down and do this. Alright... episode is over so time to get productive. Grand Cru is Sierra Nevada's fourth and final beer in their 30th Anniversary series. The three previous brew have been collaborative beers with legendary brewers. However, Grand Cru is a collaborative beer of its own- a combination of three of their most esteemed ales. It is an unfiltered 9.2% ABV mixture of Pale Ale, Celebration Ale and Oak-aged Bigfoot.

Grand Cru pours a dark amber color with a thick laced tan head. The ale smells of citrusy hops with a dark malt overtones. When the beer hits the tongue you immediately taste the piney west coast hops right away. It is definitely full bodied and all three beers are tasted and make their presence known at the right time. The hops from the Pale ale kick in at the beginning and the fullness of the Bigfoot comes in during the middle as you are left with the Celebration Ale-like finish with a wood (huh huh huh, I said wood) flavor lingering at the end. The warmer the beer gets, the more complex flavors come out.

This beer is what an anniversary ale should be- a look at the past but making a step forward. It takes three of their classic and best brews and combines them into beautiful harmony. The alcohol presence is known on the tongue on the back end so when splitting a bomber, it starts getting to your head (huh huh huh, I said head.) This is a beer that would satisfy the great Cornholio and it is the TP for our bungholes.

Oz Scale: 8.9

Mike Scale: 8.8

Weyerbacher Zotten

Weyerbacher has long caught our eye when it comes to beer despite the subpar labels on the bottles. From our very first sip of Double Simcoe IPA, we grew ever eager to try more from this brewery. Many have dominated our taste buds (Heresy, Blasphemy and Imperial Pumpkin Ale to name a few) so we were excited that these kind brewers would bless us with yet another beverage. Weyerbacher's newest creation, Zotten, is a Belgian Pale Ale. At 6%, this "session beer" still beats any of the ice domestics you can get at your local NE Ohio grocery in ABV.

Zotten, Belgian for "joker," pours a clear amber color with a Belgian Ale style smell and frothy white head. The brew has a creamier taste than what the label promises with hops hidden beneath its classic Belgian fruit flavor. The brew flows freely down the throat making it incredibly drinkable given the style.

Zotten is an every day style beer. Given the drinkability, its shocking that the brew comes in just four packs. There is nothing too innovative about it, just a slight different take on a classic. We would like more of a bite on the back end of the brew. The hops are promising but lead to a dead end street. This could be a great trasitionary brew to get someone into the style, i.e. Mike's girlfriend. Now if he could only get her to swollow something else frothy and creamy...

Oz Scale: 7.2
Mike Scale: 7.3