Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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

Bottle: pours a jet black color. I would say it has a silky smooth feel with chocolate/coffee taste. I was hoping the bitterness would be more distinct as bitter chocolate can not of course replace hops. Balanced taste.

pitch black with tan head. very little carbonation. flavor has a lot of crystal malt for a stout and obvious roasted and chocolate components. the mouthfeel and sweetness of oats, the bitter chocolate aspect doesn’t really become obvious, maybe it is a combination of the hop bitterness and the chocolate malt? the beer becomes so much more flavorful when it is near room temperature. very nice though

Creamy earthy sweet oat aroma. Pear, molasses and currant. Dark chocolate, espresso, burnt barley. Big bitter chocolate and espresso flavor. Licorice, molasses, charcoal, hazel and walnuts. Minor cherry and plum fruitiness. Hops gives a perfumey spicy character. Some alchohol burn but in a good way, like acidic coffee. Some smoke in the finish. Killer silk texture (from oats) on the Uber-smooth palate. Astringency puckers mouth at first, then mellows to a rich semi-sweet finish.

At Vero. Dark black-brown warm and milky hue. Sweet malty aroma beckons and reveals a super-smooth, silken and sweet body. Really nice and smooth throughout, neither too roasty nor too sweet. Good job.

Dark pour, minimal tan head. Nose is somewhat floral rounded out by light citrus, hops, and dark chocolate. Flavor is bitter (surprise!), with molasses and an overall roasted flavor. Not unlike the Russian Imperial Stout by Stone. Moderate fizzy mouthfeel.

Bomber->snifter: Pours a rocky, light brown head that exhibits spare lacing atop a muddy amber body. Aroma is of toasted and/or burnt toffee, light hops, and of course a wonderful chocolate aroma. The body is medium, the texture oily, and the finish bitter. Long duration on the flavor and moderately sweet and bitter as well. A great beer for sure!

Pours thick and solid black with a creamy brown head. Slightly lactic aroma, burnt with leather, cocoa and smoke. Big body for sure but the flavor is somewhat rough, acrid and alcoholic. Little in the way of hop flavor with muted chocolate and no noticeable oat flavor due to the huge alcohol and roasted grain component. Perhaps this would mellow with age but as is it is rough.

On tap at Zeno’s Pub - State College. Aroma is really subdued, in light cocoa dust and dutch chocolate liquer. Pours a deep brown black with a darker than expected brown head, lacy. Flavor is good. Dense, cool cream sugar carries a bit of 60% Ecuadorian single estate cocoa bean, melded with plain sugars. Minimal caramel character. A very clean, cool chocolate sugar, blended with clean alcohols, a really bright fresh Northern Brewer hop presence. Hmm. I actually wouldn’t have guessed that this was an Imperial Stout. Strong and somewhat sugary, but surprisingly drinkable. Carbonation lays low. Hop character is really juicy and fresh. Bright. Not bad. Clean flavors, mild, and balanced. Maybe a little lean on the flavor profile for an Impy. Also, when you put Bitter Chocolate in the title, it makes me think I’m going to be sinking my teeth into a fresh bar of good chocolate, so when the character doesn’t begin to approach that feeling, I feel a little let down. Nothing I’d run to.