Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

22oz. bomber. Black in color with a medium sized tan head. Aroma of dark roasted malts(a bit of a burnt smell), bittersweet chocolate and an odd solvent-like aroma that was a turn off. Flavor was mildly sweet and quite bitter chocolate, roasted malts, dark fruits with the alcohol becoming more and more present as it warms. Not really to my tastes.

22oz bottle from toncatcher. thank you sir.... black pour with reddish brown edges, pretty thin medium brown head....ashy, dusty milk chocolateand roasted malt aroma..... bitterroasted chocolate for the majority with a decent amount of bitterness and alcohol warmth on the backend. still just a bit young and needs to mellow out some.

22ozbomber. Pour is black with a lacy off white head. Aromas of hops, coco, and roasted malt. Flavor is chocolate, malt, and some alcohol with a bitter finish. This one is way too thin to be called a stout. Good but not too impressed. Sounds better than it is.

From a 22 oz bottle, this poured poured like old motor oil into my Duvel Glass and was a very dark brown (almost black) with very thick tan head and very sticky lacing. Nose is coffee, chocolate,and ripe figs. Mouthfeel is very full bodied. Flavor is very rich with chocolate and ripe fruit and some alcohol.In the finish you detect for the first time a tiny bit of hops in the slight bitterness. This is simply a great beer.

Bottle, 22oz. A next to black beer looking clear, with a small tan head on top. Hoppy dustyness, chocolate, cocoa and bitter chocolate in the aroma. The flavor followes the same pattern, with chocolate bitterness and some alcohol added. Full-bodied and warm on the palate. The finish is lasting, with chocolate the most evident flavor, but there’s also a little coffee touch. Yet another nice Stone. Would be interesting with more evident hops. Maybe. (080811)

THOUGHTS: A great beer. One of the darkest I’ve ever had. It didn’t hide the alcohol, but it isn’t harsh. Stone makes some of the best anniversary ales around. Not super complex, but who cares when simplicity is this good. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured an opaque black with an average, tan head that mostly diminished and left good lacing. The aroma was mostly alcohol, heavy mild coffee and lighter dark chocolate. The initial flavor was moderately sweet and lightly acidic and bitter; while the finish was heavily sweet and moderately bitter with and average to long duration. There was coffee, milk chocolate, dark fruit and alcohol. The full body was creamy with fizzy carbonation and a light to moderate alcoholic finish

Black as night pour, fluffy head, lacing...all that good stuff. The aroma reflected the flavor...huge in all regards! Loads of dark chocolate flavors, tons of roast and a noticeable sweet oatmeal flavor. Sweetness not overdone and a nice dry mouthfeel. Rich creamy somewhat chalky mouthfeel. I don’t know about the criticism of "harsh". This was less harsh than Ten Fidy. I love both beers!

Appearance: Pours an inky black body with a tall, though collapsing, dark tan head. Smell: Malty aroma smelling of freshly pulled espresso and dark chocolate sauce, with accompanying notes of prune skins, soot, and rubbing alcohol. Taste: Thick, luscious maltiness with a sharp taste of espresso and burnt cocoa nibs. Light trace of fruitiness midway. Coarse, roasty tar component, maybe a touch of creosote. Very minor yeastiness. A bit hot on the roasty, creme da cacao finish. Mouthfeel: Full-bodied. Medium carbonation. Rather chewy mouthfeel. Drinkability: Paired well enough with the movie "Ben-Hur". An epic brew for an epic film. A little harsh and rough around the edges at this present stage, but hopefully some time spent mellowing in the cellar will do wonders for it.