Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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

Bottled. Amazing that Stone has ti distribution to get this beer to 500 ratings so quickly! Great pour, very black, smallish but lovely head. Very strong aroma, a lot of vodka, peanut, coffee roastiness. The vodka component is nearly unbearable. Taste is quite nice, with no alcohol burn like the aroma, instead just a lot of roast and pure dark chocolate. Smooth and thick and fairly drinkable, though the vodka from the aroma is felt a bit in the finish. A pretty solid beer. This sits pretty evenly between the classic, dry, lower ABV Imperial Stout and the new mega 13% and really sweet stouts.

Pitch black body with a fully lasting creamy dark brown head that leaves a dense lacing. The aroma is dark chocolate with oatmeal and light hops. Not very strong, however. The flavor reminds me of a Bell’s Expedition Stout in that it’s got that heavy stout with nice chocolate and strange weird bitter yeasty thing going on that I’ve only ever had from Bell’s until now. Not quite as complex, however. And the oatmeal overpowers but works with this. The palate is sweet and has a long mouthwatering thing. Medium-full creamy body.

A black appearance with a beige head. The aroma contains some chocolate, coffee, oatmeal cookies. A good deal of roastiness. The flavor is a good combo of bitter and sweet. On the sweet end I get milk chocolate and more oatmeal flavors. On the bitter end I get a lot of roasted stuff like chewing on chocolate covered coffee beans. Not as thick on the palate as I expected. Overall a very nice beer.

Bottle. Black pour, nice looking moderately thick very dark tan head. Chocolate gingerbread cookie aroma, a ton of roast and powdered cocoa. Palate thinner than expected, but still a ton of bitter roast and chocolate, not too heavy. Well done.

Crushed with Jakebra. Very bitter nose, coffee and dark bitter-as-hell chocolate. Pour is beautiful. Very, very, very dry, almost tongue-stuck-to-the-roof-of-the-mouth dry. Very roasty, medium to full bodied, with much bitterness. A pretty sexy beer.

Pours as black as motor oil with a dark brown frothy head. Aromas of sweet chocolate, cocoa, hops, and barely. The flavor is of bitter chocolate but with a slight sweetness. There is a noticeable alcohol taste and burnt malt. The hops come through in the flavor but under all the other flavors. Other flavors of liquorice and coffee. Bitter end and well balanced. Milky texture and smooth. A good stout!

DEEP black and full flavored with chocolate and i think blackberry brandy. somewhat fragrant yeasty,, smooth and satisfying the bitter chocolate was perfect to accentuate and appease the hop head in me. alcohol is evident and appreciated i did enjoy this beer and it’s well balanced approach to flavored brew. a success!

Draught at the Freakin’ Frog, Las Vegas
Black color. Poor aroma, light roasted malt and chocolate. The mouthfeel is quite soft, with mild coffee flavor, chocolate; difficult to detect oatmeal characteristics. Side-to-side with a Drake’s Imperial Stout and Deschutes Imperial Porter, this is by far the least interesting.