Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

Served in tulip glasses for the whole family at dessert, the beer pours night black with about 2 finger tan head. Head retention is good, lacing is excellent. The aroma is impressive, it smells like roasted malt, semi-sweet chocolate, coffee, oats, caramel and some dark fruit. The taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like semi-sweet chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, oats, caramel and molasses. Mouthfeel/body is full, it’s creamy, a bit oily and very, very smooth. Drinkability is very good too, it goes down very easy and the alcohol isn’t very noticable at all. Overall I think this is a very good beer. I’ll definitely have to keep some of this around.

22 oz bottle. Almost black with a brief tan head. Nose is coffee, chocolate and molasses but not really sweet. Medium body with a smooth mouthfeel ending with a tang. Taste is bitter chocolate, ash and club soda with a just a touch of brown sugar. Usual Stone quality but I found this pretty one-dimensional.

Very dark opaque chocolate/black with a one finger, rather dark brown head and good lacing. Aromas were not as strong as I expected, but still had plenty of dark chocolate and espresso with some oatmeal evident. Strongest flavors were the oats and espresso. Dark chocolate, toasted grains, dark fruit, and molasses were also clear. Smooth, even a bit oily, lightly carbonated, thick and full bodied, and warmly alcoholic.

Pours opaque black...rich brown head, like cocoa....very dark sweet malt aroma + the chocolate smells rich and dark...silky in the mouth, the bitter chocolate is quite apparent...front, middle, and especially the finish....alcohol shows up in the finish with a shot of espresso (extra bitter)....lots of heavy malt & sweet throughout the entirety of this solid beer, the lacing decided to hang around as well....bitterness seems to increase as my glass empties--as it warms up that bitterness seems to disappear, or I’ve just gotten used to it...this baby needs to mellow out a bit

Pours close to black with a dense dark tan head. The aroma has tones of dark bittersweet chocolate, roasted malt and some char. It doesn’t seem overly complex, but it is very nice and inviting. Medium / full body with soft carbonation at first and then it seems to turn a bit sharper. The flavor starts creamy with lots of dark chocolate and noticeable abv. The finish has a ton of char making it a quite bitter experience. A very nice beer I’ve enjoyed revisiting a few times now.

Bitter is a fitting label. This one has a bite in the finish that is nothing but bitter. Aroma is of roasted malt, maybe some subtle dark chocolate lingering there, and alcohol. Mouthfeel is harsh out of the fridge, but mellows as it warms. High very tight bubbles in the carbonation. Flavor is bitterness, charred meat, licorice, ash. Jet black in color with a thin tan head that dissipates quickly. I love how complex this beer is, just not sure it has what I want to find. I wish it were sweeter with more of the chocolate and oatmeal smoothness coming through.

Bottle, from a case purchased at the Beeryard (Wayne, PA). Pours very deep brown, nearly opaque, capped with a big tan head. Aroma of roasted chocolate malt, baker’s chocolate, and smoke. Flavor is big and roasty, with dark chocolate, dark fruit, oatmeal, charcoal, and alcohol. Long roasted malt finish. Nice, big stout.

22 oz. Stone bomber. Beautiful black pour and much darker brown head than the picture there shows. Lovely aroma and flavor of chocolate, coffee, malts, hops. Beautiful and powerful imperial stout.