Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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

In short: A highly roasted black chocolate stout with a good bitter hops bite. Nothing more, nothing less. Very good at what it is.
How: Tap at Blind Tiger Ale House NYC (3.9) and fresh bottle (3.7)
The look: Black body toppedy by a long-lasting medium tan head
In long: Roastiness level on the high side of things without being extreme. Crunchy bitter black chocolate abound. Not the smooth round chocolate, this is high-cacao % bitter black chocolate I’m talking about. Fruity notes, coffee notes or anything else are nowhere to be found. This is roastiness and black-chocolate. Despite all that the beer had a good bitter hops bite that went above the inherent black chocolate bitterness. Of all the classic respected black chocolate stouts (Brooklyn, Southern Tier Choklat, Youngs, Rogue) this one is probably the less creamy and round and in a way the less pure chocolaty of them all. Certainly not as rich and decadent as a Brooklyn or even less a Choklat the Stone 12th is nonetheless a pleasant addition to the genre. Anyway you know what you’re in for when you order a beer called “Bitter Chocolate Stout”. If only all beers would be named with such honest self-descriptive name. That would be cool. A Fantôme would need to have its name printed in separate a booklet attached to the bottle and would contain a bunch of 15 letter words.

Draft at Brouwers.

Pitch black, tan head -- pretty beer. Flavor is black cherry ice cream with dark chocolate chocolate chips. End of story. Nice thick mouthfeel; a lot better than I expected. Wish I had a bottle or two sitting around.

On tap Boise Flying Pie. Pours out a nice black topped with a tall tan head. Aroma of sweet molasses and alot of dark roast. Tast a of bitter dark chocolate and plenty of thick oats. YES I love the thick oat feeling. A nice brew. I have a couple of them in the cellar. I hope they will keep getting better.

22 oz. bomber bottle from Champanes, pours very black with a dark tan head, swirling places a molasses looking film on the sides of the glass along with some small tan bubbles, no sediment in this bottle, aroma of bitter chocolate, fragrance of milk and/or vanilla, dry chocolate with minimal sweetness, faint alcohol (alcohol somewhat resembles the bourbon from GI Bourbon County Stout which appears to dissipates as the ale warms which is a bad thing…), roasted and dark roasted malt, some sweetness on the nose, some dark and/or burnt roasted malt appear as the ale warms to room temperature, faint strong coffee and/or coffee beans in the background, flavors of bitter chocolate and dark roasted malt, some malt sweetness and smooth on the palate from the oatmeal, leaves some bitter chocolate flavor behind after the finish, some hop bitterness, bitter chocolate and dark roasted malt flavor is not abrupt or beats down the palate, this is smooth and easy to drink, alcohol is a little prevalent when at almost room temperature, alcohol pricks the nostrils (when at almost room temperature), mouth feel is a bit thin compared to some of the Impys that are full on the palate, has some silkiness on the tongue but may be lacking some carbonation, this is a predominately an unsweetened dark chocolate Impy and seems to over shadow the rest of the aromas and flavors that an Impy Stout could have, I prefer more complexity in aroma and flavor, wished the alcohol stayed in the background more so, a nice bitter chocolate stout.

Pours a motor oil-like black with a viscosity that really took me by surprise. Not what I was expecting. Very nice colour with a nice tan head. A little mineral in the aroma with some bittersweet chocolate and flaked oats. More of the same in the flavour with a surprising amount of mouth-coating viscosity. Very well done, but I would’ve preferred just a bit less bitterness and tannin. Well later on the backend of the throat and very lightly in the aroma a bit of fusel reminds you that this could really sneak up on you if you’re not paying attention.

Bottle courtesy by NachlamSie. Major thanks, man. Pours like motor oil, black and thick with dark burgundy glowing on the edges when up against the light. The head is a nice dark tan that seems to dissipate rather quickly but leaves a lasting ring around the glass. The aroma is surprisingly weak but there is some noticeable chocolate with a faint dark citrus and some coffee and nice, dry oats. The flavour, unlike the aroma, isn’t lacking at all. Lots of oats are present. A good amount of bitterness creates a nice complement to the dry oats and also seems to give, as NachlamSie had mentioned, a somewhat ashy note. Coffee makes a very nice complement to the oats and the bitterness. The chocolate becomes apparent closer towards the finish. Sweet dark chocolate slightly mellows the bitterness and creates a nice creamy texture, a small contrast to the other flavours. I am really, really enjoying this.

bomber split with BossHossBikes. Pours inky black with a modest dark tan head. The aroma is lacking in strength, but is very nice. I especially enjoy the use of oats on this. An ashy, toasted oat quality is found along with definite chocolate and coffee. The mouthfeel on this is slick and oily, just perfect for the flavor profile. My favorite thing about this is the sharpness. It’s clean and delightful and accents any smokier qualities this beer may have. The finish is chocolaty and offsets everything harmoniously. If I dig deep enough, I find a stray piny hop here and there. This is really a delicious brew.

Bottle from State Line, enjoyed on this beautiful Labor Day at the pool. The pour was quite motor-oil thick, super gloppy consistency, excellent choco-colored head, full black appearance, quite nice looking, and great lacing all the way down. The aroma was rich chocolate, roast, some faint pine hops? The flavor far exceeded my expectations, was expecting a bit of harshness after hearing about this when it was released not long ago. Alcohol was smooth, no aging needed on my bottle. The top flavors were chocolate for sure, firm and full bitter roasty/smokiness, licorice, hints of molasses, a very faint spice presence like anise or something, all coming together quite nicely and finishing with a detectable resinous type hop. Mouthfeel was as to be expected from the appearance, full viscous body, but seemingly light (low density?) in the mouth, not sticky. Nice one, Stone, along with your resurgence with your 08 RIS, you’re back with black!