Stone Brewing Co. - Vertical Epic 2012

If you like well-crafted beers, I urge you to investigate Stone Brewing Company if you have not already. Stone makes a whole range of delicious ales, mostly West Coast-style craft brews. They brew everything from super-hoppy IPAs to their famous Arrogant Bastard Ale (and its variants.) Stone has become exceedingly popular on the East Coast the last ten years or so.

About twelve years ago, Stone Brewing Company's founder Greg Koch envisioned a Belgian-style ale suitable for cellaring to be released once a year. Each year would feature a base unfiltered Belgian ale, but each would have a different twist from year to year. The ale would be released on the day of the year that had repeated digits, i.e. 11/11/11, 12/12/12, etc. It started with 01/01/01. I wasn't familiar with enough with Stone to grab the 08/08/08 when it came out (and I don't think it even was available in Connecticut at that time) but I wished I had tried it. The first one I ended up trying was the 10/10/10, as Whole Foods had started carrying a select line of Stone brews by then. I found the 11/11/11 to be delicious, dark, and deep.

Having been pleased with my first contact with Stone ales, I made sure to be on the lookout for the 11/11/11. The 11/11/11 was just as good as its immediate predecessor, but unfortunately I was only able to find one or two bottles. I didn't end up cellaring any. Fast forward a year, one month, and one day. I came across the 12/12/12 at Whole Foods here in Virginia and grabbed a bottle.

When I cracked it open, I heard a sharp hiss of carbonation escaping. Well-carbonated beers are OK in my book, but some don't like them. I took a nice whiff of the escaping air from the bottle before pouring out a frothy glass. When poured, it generated a nice buff-colored head in the glass.

As expected, this beer was dark, thick, deep, and a little rough. It had strong notes of singed coffee beans, toasted hops, nutmeg, allspice, and notes of roasted caramel rounded off the flavor. There are a lot of spices in this beer. The aftertaste was one of dark coffee, strong but pleasant. A slight suggestion of alcohol. Think like you're having a deep, dark ale - maybe not Guinness dark, but similar - now add a few shots of espresso. What you're left with is a rich, toasty, deep lager with equal parts malt and hops. Toss in a couple of spices and let it brew.

While this beer is tasty and everything, it also hits you hard. I had the whole bottle myself and I could certainly feel the effects for an hour or so afterward. So while most beers weigh in at 4-6% ABV, this beer is 9% ABV, so take care when drinking it. 

I was back at my folks' place in Connecticut for the holidays, and saw the local Whole Foods had some 12/12/12 in stock. I eagerly snatched up 5 bottles, all of which are cellaring in my mother's basement.

So in conclusion, I would definitely suggest this ale to anyone looking for a deep, strong ale. Stone makes some fine brews, and I very much look forward to trying my stock of 12/12/12 over the next few years. Give this one a shot, pour a glass for you and a friend, and compare notes. But keep in mind that you may not be able to find it. Since they can't make a 13/13/13 for obvious reasons, you may be hard-pressed to find a 12/12/12. But they have them. If you're in northern Virginia, both Whole Foods on Wilson Blvd and Euro Market near the Court House metro have them. In northwest DC, where I live, Irving Wine + Spirits on Mt. Pleasant carries them, but you better hurry because if you don't buy them, I will.