Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

Formerly brewed at Stone Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial Stout
Escondido, California USA

Bomber. Thanks to kegbear for this one. Pours dark brown to black with nice and thick dark tan head. Nose is of roasted malt, oat, bittersweet chocolate, caramel and some dark fruit. Flavor is heavy with roasted malt and bittersweet chocolate. Also has notes of coffee, caramel, oat and some light booze. Nice and silky mouthfeel but not thin. Finishes bitter with some nice alcohol warmth. Nicely done.

bottle poured into a snifter has a real dark brown color with a thick espresso like dark tan head that clung to the glass nicely. aroma has loads of bitter dark baking chocolate, oats, light roast, and a touch of coffee. mouth feel is surprisingly silky and light without being overly thick. flavor is mildly sweet with bitterness, dark chocolate, coffee, and light alcohol considering the strength. oats make it nice and silky and add just enough heft. finish hangs on with bitter chocolate.

What a beer. First off, its hard to believe this thing is a 9.2% ABV. If I didnt know better, I would think Arrogant Bastard had more alcohol. Anyway, its got a strong chocolate flavor, but without being overly sweet or gimmicky. Its got the complexity and the roasted malt flavor of an imperial stout, but without the harshness that usually comes with the style. Very enjoyable.

22oz. bomber: This one pours an inky, very opaque dark brown. There was just a wisp of a brown head on it, and that was gone almost immediately. Complex aroma. Chocolate stands out, but not overpowering. Some roastiness and woodiness in there. Hint of some fruits, possibly cherries. Somewhat heavy, slick feel on your tongue. A complex taste also. Chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, bitterness. This is very nice.

Courtesy of After4ever, thanks Tom! It is pitch black with a nougat colored, creamy head. The aroma has notes of roasted malt, ash, chocolate, light smoke, wood and it is funny, but I can smell the bitterness. The flavour has a roasted and hoppy bitterness, notes of roasted malt, wood, bitter chocolate, light sweetness and coffee and a hint of ashes. It is at the same time both very bitter and yet smooth, complex and yet straight forward, and interesting mix.

Bottle. Clean chocolate and roasted malt aroma. Black body, small brown head. Flavor is powerfully rich dark chocolate and roasted malts. Also some ripe fruit and alcohol. Sweet finish. Delicious.

This beer pours perfect. I mean, the color, the head, the consistancey, it is all perfect. The smell here has good notes of chocolate and oatmeal. The taste is thick and interesting. Its just a tad lacking, leaving this beer to taste like eating Hersheys Special Dark Chocolate powder. This beer coats the tougne well, but the taste is over-powering. Im really impressed with the idea here and think this is a good beer. I did expect a lot more from it though.

Black pour with a tan head. Very heavy almost like a meal in a bottle. Nice bitter chocolate aroma. Very nice flavor. Extremely silky smooth.