Yesterday, we got our own mini-tasting on with Donnie from Millennium Distributing. There’s a new Belgian importer in the US, 12 Percent Imports. This brand-spanking-new company is based out of Brooklyn, NY, and has only been on the market a few months. Mostly available in the Northeast (and Wisconsin?), it’s a manageable portfolio with some really interesting, tiny batches of brew. Many of these Belgian breweries are such small productions that the brewers have day jobs and only brew on weekends. Loves it! Anything that small in the craft beer world really gives me some beer-geeky excitement. A little bit about the company:

The goal of 12 Percent is to share with others the very best of what we travel far to get. We love our beers, and we bring them home as a hobby and a passion. As such, you’re not likely to find our products in a supermarket or on billboards. Our intention is to sell to those who respect and appreciate them; just as we do, just as our brewers do. Perhaps you’ll have to search a bit for our beers. But trust us, when it comes to searching, we’ve done the hard part – and it’s worth it.

Our focal point is Belgium, where we work with brewers who have an intimate knowledge of beer – they know its history and are taking it to new places. The brewers we work with meticulously craft their beers through slow, painstaking processes. They respect and adhere to traditional brewing methods, yet strive for originality in their creations. The results are hand-crafted ales of rare, superior quality.

I really enjoyed most of what we sampled yesterday. These three in particular:

Potterloereke (Huisbrouwerij Sint Canarus – Deinze-Gottem. East Flanders, Belgium) Big, fruity aroma with a big ol’ blast of raisins, figs and caramel on the palette. Better as it warms, leaving a efferevescent spread on the tongue. Think of it like a liquid Fig Newton, but better.

Valeir Extra (Brouwerij Contreras – Gavere. East Flanders, Belgium) Fans of Houblon Chouffe, Urthel Hop-It, Green Flash Le Freak and Terrapin Monk’s Revenge will love this beer. A extra-hopped Belgian ale—or Belgian IPA (still getting used to that)—has a great balance of that bready Belgian yeast, sweet candy sugar with a fruity and bitter finish. Loads of flavor and not too high in alcohol at 6.5%. We think it’s a winner.

‘t Gaverhopke Extra (Brouwerij ‘t Gaverhopke) This one is so good that Mike ordered it last week already. So, this little gem you get now, like today. This is the beast of the bunch at a big 12.0% abv. Can’t describe how delicious this is, if you enjoy Quadruples. It’s not quite a dark as I would have expected—somewhere between a dark amber and red mahogany. The flavor is like drinking a plum that’s been soaked in Red Zinfandel, both sweet and tart. Again, better warmed up to room temperature a bit.

Next Thursday’s tasting will be from the 12 Percent Porfolio. You’ll be some of the first in the South to try them, so don’t miss it!