Going Vertical? Getting Stoned?

I bought my first Stone Vertical Epic on 6/6/03, the version that was called 03.03.03 since it was brewed on 3/3/03.  Stone had started this endeavor by brewing a beer on 2/2/02 (I missed that one, and there was no 1/1/01) that was designed to be opened sometime after December 2012 (http://www.stonebrewing.com/verticalepic/#2). I don’t remember much about the beer, the versions I had the 04.04.04 and 05.05.05.  However, I did decide to play along with their plans with 06.06.06, cellaring the beer and each one every year after it until this past month. 

So assured in the knowledge that the Mayan’s were wrong and that the world was not going to end on 12/21/12 (NASA had said as much 3 weeks before, and the Bible says that we are not to know when the world will end.  Matthew 24:36 reads, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”), I planned to have a tasting with my family when my side family was all together for the Christmas at my parents.  You can call me generous, but realistically there was no way I was going to drink 154 oz (7 x 22 oz bottles) of beer by myself so it was really fun to share.  My problem was that I didn’t have any of the recently released 12.12.12, so I headed over to Pinocchio’s and found a bottle that would suit the family.  They had a Jeroboam (3L) of the beer, and I thought that would be best to split with those brave enough to share it with me.

We started with the 06.06.06, and secretly I worried that I had not cellared the beer appropriately and it had soured.  I was relieved after my first slip and enjoyed the flavor.  A great beer to start with, it was a very smooth Christmas ale, with dark malts and spices in the finish.  My family was at first reluctant, but got into it after they realized that the beers aged extremely well.  We opened each one in succession, everyone with a personal favorite.  Mine was 11.11.11, a beer brewed with mild chile peppers and cinnamon, and just enough heat to remember the taste after you swallowed.  But we had the most fun opening the 12.12.12, a beer that came with its own Master Lock and set of keys for the capture device.  The beer was similar to the 06.06.06 in that it was again perfect for Christmas, with an intense cinnamon and nutmeg flavors with the roasted, almost smoky, malt finish.  We were finally able to have more than a 3 0z pour, and the next morning the beer was gone.  My brother Dave was feeling ill, but I’m sure it had nothing to do with the beer being gone. 

We all have our Christmas wishes, and even though this one would seem obvious in that it had to do with beer, it was more important to me to share the experience with my family.  The fact that I had been preparing for the day for over 6 years and it came out as a success (and the fact that the Mayans were wrong), made the experience extra special for me. – 6230/13326

“The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind.” - Humphrey Bogart