Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

Bottle. My sense is that this one needs to lay down for 2-3 years, and the flavors seem to need to round out a bit and the hops to fade, allowing the complexity to come out. I say this particularly having rated the beer fresh and now after some time to age, with the aged version the better. Notes of semi-sweet chocolate mesh with oatmeal and cocoa nibs. Tar and mild smoke contribute to the dominant note and acidity of an Ethiopian blend coffee. The mouthfeel and texture of the beer is impressive. Perhaps what is lacking right now will be made up for with more time in the cellar. This beer would have made more sense to me as a Vertical release than a part of the Anniversary series.

Bottle split with Andy and Pwn3d. Pours pitch black body. Aroma is mild chocolate. No oatmeal in flavor, all coffee.

pours black as night with scant light brown head. Aroma is not as strong as with other beers of similar alcohol but is some chocolate maltiness on the nose. Very nice smooth creamy taste. The chocolate is subtle in flavour (the balance of the bitterness of the chocolate is offset but some sweetness of the oatmeal. Great mouthfeel. Alcohol not noticeable at all. Overall an impressive brew that I would like to try again.

This was extremely good. Nice bitter, roasted malt flavor with some smoke, oatmeal, dark chocolate, and bitter espresso with a bitter but almost creamy-smooth mouthfeel. Wish this was a year-round beer. YUM.

Bottle from canals in mt.holly. Split with DeputyAndy and JRedmond. Pours black with tan head.. very inviting. Tastes similair to a russian imperial stout but with more cocoa. Good but would prefer a southern tier blackwater series.

It pours black with a thin brown head that laced the glass nicely. To the nose it wasn’t the overpowering aroma that I was expecting. It did have hints of chocolate to the nose. When it first hits the tongue it is smooth and chocolatey. It finishes with a really dark roast coffee that is very pleasant. The 9.2% ABV isn’t noticeable and seems that it would sneek up very quickly. Overall...WOW! I would and will try this again. I can’t believe I haven’t tried this sooner.

Great chocolate stout! Big on dark chocolate and roasted coffee flavor. I would say its on par with the Imperial Russian Stout but lots more chocolate. The high alcohol is an added bonus but you wont notice it!

pours a rich deep brown/black with a lot of dark chocolate on the nose. nice roasted malt charicter with a bitter sweet chocolate finish. really decent