Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

Poured a dark thick black color with a dark brown thin head that slowly disappeared to a film. There was a deep chocolate aroma. The texture of the beer was thick and creamy with an obvious dark chocolate flavor and a little dark chocolate bitterness. There was a bit of an espresso taste too. The bitterness rolled on the palate for just a touch of a dry finish. This was an excellent beer. Dessert in a bottle!!!!

Bottle… Post RBSG ’08 O-Town/Vero Beach Throwdown Chapter 8… Pours pitch black with a mid-sized, creamy, beige head. Good retention. Simple, straight-forward aroma and flavor… dark, bitter chocolate nibs and cocoa powder. Full-bodied and lightly creamy with moderate carbonation. Chocolaty, bitter finish. Thanks to growler for sharing the bottle!

(22 oz bottle) pours dark oily black. Head is slow to come, but is moderate dark tan. Aroma of coffee and dark chocolate. Flavor is bitter roast malt, coffee, chocolate, a hint of dark fruit. Not as sweet as some oatmeal stouts.

Bomber thanks to footbalm, bought at Lee’s Liquors. Pours a pure black color with a medium tan, almost light brown-reddish head. The aroma is tons of oatmeal, roasted notes, and a strong bourbon aspect. The taste is excellent; lots of roasted malt flavors, some bitter and milk chocolates, a large oat presence, and a lesser dark fruit aspect. Very good and a bit different than I’m used to, in a good way. A lot of alcohol warmth, and a slight bitterness in the finish. Quite milky and full flavored. Just damn good.

Black body with a resilient tawny creamed head. Deep oily roast in the nose with tinges of alcohol and perhaps plum. Moderately creamy body with strong thrust of deep, dark roast and sharp alcohol. Rough-hewn chocolate, charcoal, whiskey, and oreos pervade the finish.

Decided this would be a fitting one for #750. Stone I’d have probably never discovered or sampled without Ratebeer yet now they are among my favorite brewers. The look of this is top notch. Very very dark, motor oil, very very dark brown head. Big bubbles, settle quickly, mild hazy head, some splattered lacing. Aroma of cocoa, whiskey, prunes. Toasted malt in palate, along with a very syrupy feel, somewhat sweet yet cloying. At the end is when I notice the bitter chocolate the most, it is the aftertaste. This is along the lines of their normal imperial stout, but I like that one better. Still, great beer.

22 oz. bottle. Pours a delightfully dark tan, almost brown head, which settles into a nice tiny bubbled foamy layer, good attractive lacing, color a lucious blackish brown, through which light does not penetrate....nose of coffee, chocolate malt, chocolate, bit of hop....tastes initially of hops, coffee, chocolate, then on to other layers of roasted, burnt malts, finishing with Stone’s routine lingering bitterness. The mouth feel was absolutely superb. I agree with other comments about the hidden ethanol. It looks a lot like a Gargantuan cup of espresso.

Bottle from Liquor Stop in Highland, IN: This poured a black body with mahogany around the edges, a short-lived brown head, and some slippery lacework. It had an aroma of chocolate, charcoal, and roasted malt. The flavor had a dark malt sweetness with touches of vanilla and some bittersweet chocolate. The finish was a prolonged ddry bitterness. Not bad. Happy Anniversary, Stone folk!