E-Malt.com News article: USA: Stone Brewing releases Stone Vertical Epic 06.06.06

Fans of Stone Brewing Co. know that when the day, month, and year are all the same on the calendar something special is about to happen. This year Stone will release the fifth in a series of eleven different beers on June 6th: the Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale, media communicated June 06.

Stone Brewing first released the Stone Vertical Epic Ale series on February 2nd, 2002 and has done so consecutively, for five years now, one year, one month, and one day after the last edition. This year's version happens to come out on June 6th, 2006, next year's edition will be released July 7th, 2007, followed by August 8th, 2008, all the way to December 12th, 2012.

Stone’s “Epic” saga isn’t even half way over, but is already taking the beer community by storm. A beer that started as an original, quirky concept has morphed into an enigmatic quest for beer enthusiasts everywhere. The early years of the Stone Vertical Epic Ale are actually so revered by beer geeks worldwide that single bottles are commanding prices of $400 or more per bottle, and according to the Wall Street Journal, the Stone 02.02.02 Vertical Epic Ale is one of the rarest craft beers in America.

The grand premise of the series is that each edition is to be brewed in a different style from the previous year, and since the beers are bottle conditioned (naturally carbonated in the bottle) they will mature when cellared, providing the beer enthusiast with a Stone Vertical Epic Ale tasting to look forward to sometime after 12.12.12 when the last edition is released. To aid these beer enthusiasts, Stone Brewing lists the areas of the country that are slated to get an allocation of the Stone 06.06.06 Vertical Epic Ale. For some of the 19 states, that are getting it, the company's website goes even further to provide a list of retailers.

As with previous editions of the Stone Vertical Epic Ale series, Stone is again posting a detailed homebrewing recipe complete with hints, anecdotes and words of wisdom courtesy of Head Brewer, Mitch Steele and Lead Brewer, John Egan. Additionally, Stone is challenging homebrewers to brew their favorite Stone Vertical Epic Ale and submit it to the brewery for a competitive judging. The recipes and competition guidelines can be found here.

Stone Brewing Co. is located in Escondido, California and is one of the fastest growing breweries in the country. Additionally, Stone Brewing is one of the highest rated breweries in the world according to internet surveys.


09 June, 2006