(Eugene, OR) – According to Ninkasi Brewing Co-Founder and CEO, Nikos Ridge, Critical Hit Barley Wine will make its way to large-format bottles to kick off 2012.

Critical Hit has snuck out of the brewery on a limited basis at festivals and the like. One such event was Lucky Lab’s Barleywine Festival earlier this year. Bill Night was among the attendees and has some insight to offer on this beer…

[…] one of the winners in my book was Ninkasi’s 2010 Critical Hit. It was a classic take, located on the Old Foghorn/Bigfoot branch of the barleywine family tree, with decent but not overpowering alcohol heat and massive hops. I preferred the fresh article to the 2009 version, which was still good, but quite a bit cloudier and with less distinct flavors (maybe a little oxidation already creeping in also).

Speaking of Critical Hit, I won an EastBurn hoodie at the dinner Thursday night by answering — close enough — Jamie’s trivia question about how he came up with the name Critical Hit. Luckily, Jeff Alworth had mentioned that bit of information to me recently: it’s a Dungeons and Dragons double-damage dice roll.

This will be Critical Hit’s first roll-out of significance though quantities will be limited. The beer has been in storage since 2010 (though not in barrels). Unlike Ninkasi Imperiale, which first appeared in both standalone bombers and mixed 4-packs earlier this quarter, Crticial Hit will be available only in standalone bombers.