Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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

Pours so rich and thick. It looks like the oil from my last oil change. Almost black with some red and a dark tan head that disappears quickly. Aroma is not pronounced but offers coffee, chocolate, and must. Flavor is also somewhat muted and has plenty of alcohol. Also noted are dark chocolate, ok, even bitter dark chocolate. Some vanilla and oatmeal add nice texture. Some chocolate milkshake. The balance here is bitter and sweet with both showing nicely. Hops are buried so deeply they are barely noticed. This beer warms so nicely. It feels thicker and smoother with temperature. Almost like it should be eaten with a spoon. This might be the longest rating I have ever written but there is just so much to say about this beer.

Damn dark...super black. Thin, dark head. Not very sticky though considering the residual sugar that has to be in this. Heavy malty nose, molasses, vanilla, scorched brown sugar, metal, heavy dark chocolate and ETOH. Flavor is strong with bitter chocolate, espresso and very sugary but is softened by the oatmeal. Body is medium. Finishes almost vinous and has a hint of overly sweet molasses. Definitely not bad. Good as a once in awhile kind of thing. Not the best impy I’ve had and not as good as Russian Impy.

Cask (gravity) @ Great British Beer Festival, GBBF 2008, Earls Court, London, England SW5.
Dark black color with a small, virtualle none head. Aroma is heavy malty, caramel, chocolate, alcohol, vanila notes. Flavor is heavy sweet and some salty notes with a average to long duration. Body is medium to full, texture is oily - syrupy, carbonation is flat, finish feel is light alcoholic. (050808)
8-4-8-4-17
Bottle 65cl. @ Papsoes blindtasting. [ Bottle #7. ]
Clear dark black brown color with a small to average, frothy to creamy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, light brown head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, burnt, coffee - mocca, licorice notes ? Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and heavy bitter with a long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light alcoholic. [20090612]
7-4-8-3-15

Draft: Poured a black color with not much head. The aroma was roasted dark chocolate. The flavor was dark chocolate malt and roasted toffee. This is definatly a sipping beer. One that get finer as it warms and I’m sure even better with age. Great beer!

22. This is yet another damn fine impy. No, it doesn’t revolutionize the style, nor does it show you a lot you haven’t seen before. They’re really out front with the whole cookie thing, hoping to stand out, but, facts are facts: if you like big overbearing impies, you’ll like this one. If not, not. The undecideds are a pretty small percentage of the drinking populace at this stage of the campaign.
Pours jet baclk with a dense, moussy, but short-lived burnt-tan head. Nice chocolatey sweet roasty nose. Creamy, goopy body not far off the consistency of chocolate chips oozing out of the cookie fresh from the oven. Then again, most big impies boast that consistency, so no extra points there or anything. Roast, baking chocolate, some ashy charcoal and sharp hop bitterness at the end. A fairly simple mid-palate, actually, with a dry and softly lingering finish.
I’m definitely not tired of impies yet. This one’s right on the spot for autumn drinking.

The bottle poured thick and dark chocolate brown, no light coming through, with slight tan head. Nice roasted aroma riding on sweet chocolate and alcohol. It tastes like dessert. Chocolatey and lactic, it’s a bit oily, sticks to the tongue, with low carb. DELICIOUS! REALLY! Eat it!

bottle. thick like oil but not too sweet. no head. full body but dry. smooth licorice flavors. alcohol is present but not unpleasant. low level carbonation, prickles through the huge malt profile. slightly bitter. pleasant i.s.

10.06.08 22 shared with AdamSkillin. More great stuff from Stone. Dark with an almost brown head. Very powerful and sleek.