Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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

Bomber. Pours a black color with a nice creamy, light-brown head, good lacing. Very good looking pour. Aroma is mainly roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, and a touch of fruit. Flavor is similar, maybe plum, chocolate, a bit boozy as it warms. Bitter chocolaty finish. Decent body, a bit watery. Pretty rich, and a little too alcoholic as it warms. Very good beer nonetheless.

Syrup. Liquid coal in color. Bold cherry taste that is much stronger than the chocolate notes (although it might have partially come from the chocolate). A fantastic beer from a company that knows how to make imperial stouts. I think this one needs to sit for a while as the alcohol flavor takes away from the greatness.

Growler from Stone courtesy of Homerwants beer. Pours pitch black with a 1 inch tan head. Aroma is of chocolate, malt and oatmeal. You get a taste of alcohol up front, followed by a smooth coffee and chocolate finish. Tastes pretty much the same as it does out of the bottle. Heard some opinions that it would be much better aged. Testing that theory, but definitely drinkable now.

Bottle. Moderate malt aromas of burnt, molasses and dark chocolate, light perfume and meat for the hops and yeast, with smoke, alcohol and almond in the background. Head is frothy brown (which gets lighter as it settles) with fair lacing and is mostly diminishing. Color is black. Flavor starts moderatelt sweet and lightly acidic, then finishes lightly acidic and moderate to heavily bitter. Palate is medium to full, dry and has a soft carbonation. It finishes moderatley alcoholic. I really liked the boldness of this Imperial Stout. It was rich and well rounded.

Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout is an opaque black-brown ale with a soft, muscovado-colored head. There is a purplish red overtone to it. The head exhibits excellent retention and lacing. The aroma is of dark chocolate with roastiness and some alcohol in the nose. The is a hint of licorice or salmiakki. It is full bodied, smooth and very soft. It has a dry, almost silty finish, like chocolate milk. Dark chocolate dominates the taste. It is quite bitter and boozy. There is an herbal or medicinal kick at the finish. It has a long aftertaste of dark chocolate. It’s bold, chocolaty and bitter.

Bottle. Pours black with tan head. Aroma is chocolate, coffee, bread. Flavor is cocoa, coffee, creamy, and malty. Rich finish with a little alcohol flavor.

Pours opaque black into the glass, with a deep chocolate head that builds with initial froth, then diminishes to a thin cap that leaves soapy lace. Perfect baker’s/dark/semi-sweet chocolate notes to the nose, with some hints at roasted malts and processed beef (with jerk spices?). The flavor is very nice... Roasted malt, bittersweet chocolate, cocoa, tiny esters, with a hint of peppering alcohol. Finishes medium-dry, with hints of dark esters and roasted cocoa. There is a slight lingering bitterness to close the pull. Very well integrated and deeply complex in its oily-creamy, yet simple mouthfeel. This is a darn good brew... rich, but not overt. Very nice offering from one of the best brewers in America.

Pours thick and black with a dark brown head that dissapates quickly. Roast coffee, chocolate, oatmeal scent. Incredibly dark. Body is not too thick, mild carbonation. Sweetness hits first. Bittersweet roasted chocolate then comes, a little nuttiness. Finish is bitter chocolate/roastedness. Subtle, yet complex flavors. A wonderfully flavorful, lighter-bodied stout.