Bottoms Up

Note: On the first Friday of each month, beer bloggers across the country write posts based on a particuilar style or idea. Today, July 4, 2008, the idea is “drinking anti-seasonally,” sort of screw light lager, drink something strong and dark. The blog host this month is Rob Nunzio, who writes the Pfiff beer blog. You can seel all the posts on this month’s subject on his blog.

Session 17, Going Against the Grain…

Strong and dark, huh? OK, I did that despite misgivings. My original plan was to crack a bottle of Alesmith Speedway Stout, but around 10 a.m., Dave Hopwood, Stone’s Northern California representative came by with a bottle of Stone’s 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout. It’s due in stores in California on Monday, July 7.

Naturally, I switched beers. I’m a reporter covering breaking news and my wife works on a mobile crisis team and we both usually work on holidays. The Fourth was no exception. So our holiday barbecue happened at noon.

It was 85 degrees, moving toward 90 when we dropped a tri-tip roast on the grill and I cracked my bottle of Stone 12th Anniversary. It was delicious, despite the heat of the day, but I have some reservations. First, let’s talk about the beer.

It’s a beautiful beer, inky black with a big rising head of foam and as the name implies, a fairly incredible nose: chocolate, roast malt, licorice.

The taste was mildly sweet with lots of roast grain and chocolate which lasted into a long finish with warming alcohol lingering on the tongue. It’s 9.2 percent ABV. Bitter chocolate from Chuao Chocolatier, a small San Diego County company, was added to the beer, post fermentation, I guess.

Here’s the problem with the beer, in my opinion: It’s very young. This is a big beer with lots of elements, roast grain, oatmeal, chocolate, high alcohol. It needs time for its many elements to blend and mellow into a harmonious whole.

It’s unfiltered and non-pastuerized, so it definitely will age. Should be a great beer about the time of Stone’s 13th anniversary. My advice, and what I’m going to do: Buy two bottles Monday. Drink one in six months; the other next summer.

Don’t let the fact that it’s summer and hot deter you from this beer. It can take the heat just fine and it was an excellent companion to our grilled roast beer, corn-on-the-cob, potato salad and watermelon. Next year, it will be much better.