Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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

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!

Draught. Poured deepest brown with sandy head. Aroma of chocolate and alcohol. Strong sweet chocolate taste with alcohol. Tasted like cough syrup. faint finish, more chocolate. I honestly did not like this, and I have liked everything else I’ve ever had from stone.

Bomber from Canals in Lawrenceville, NJ. Deep dark brown pour with subtle red highlites under a tight light sandstone head. Heavy lacing. Aroma of cocoa, roasted malt and faint coffee. Powerful dark chocolate flavor with a complex mix of toffee, vanilla, more cocoa and dark fruit. Silky texture. The finish is long and sweet but with an unmistakable reminder that this is a Stone brew: bitter. The alcohol is so well hidden that you have to re-read the ABV on the bottle more than once. Great brew and a handsome on at that when poured into a 12th Anniversary glass.

Bottle. Very dark brownish black pour with small dark caramel colored head. Aroma is some sweet dark chocolate but mostly roasted malt. Flavor is pretty nice, mostly burnt and roasted malt, bitter chocolate, some residual oaty / malty sweetness, and a bitter chocolate / roasted malt finish.

22oz bottle from BOTW in Henrietta. Aroma is burnt coffee and alcohol. The flavor is a bit more complex with the chocolate favoring the tip of the tongue and the bitterness appearing as it rolls to the sides and the back. The alcohol is heavily present. In fact, after I swallow I feel as if the alcohol fumes continue to exit my throat across the roof of my mouth. Not a pleasant feeling. Overall I’m more than a little disappointed. The lushness of the oatmeal is lost here, and the alcohol is dominating.

Bomber. Aromas of coffee, burnt wood tobbacco and roasted oat grains. Black body with dark tan head. Flavor of roasted oats , coffee and some coco in the mix. Creamy body texture was present at some times and thin alacohol at other times. Dry bitter with dry cooffe grains aftertaste lingers abit. Good brew