Beer on a Sunday Afternoon

There are beers for sipping, beers for chugging, beers for lying down and avoiding.

The Stone Vertical Epic 06.06.06, purportedly designed to be opened and enjoyed on December 12, 2012, is delightfullly dark beer with strong hints of something Belgian in its lineage. It is bitter but not as thick as some stouts and bitters. With a hefty 8.66% alcohol level, it goes very well with a lazy Sunday afternoon, preferably after one has completed all tasks requiring driving or fine motor function. There is a certain bonhommie built into a beer like this, a certain tendency towards the mellow, lenient, permissive mindset; if they served a single one of these before sessions of Congress, there would be much more bipartisan cooperation... and a lot more smiling.

You can pick up the Stone Vertical Epic ('06) at better quality beverage establishments, including Buckingham Liquors on Lakeshore ($5.99), assuming that I don't buy out their stock; mind you, you have some time, as I've already purchased four bottles for my personal stash.

Whether any of them make it to 2012, well, hope springs eternal.