Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

Bottle. Head is initially average sized, frothy, brown, mostly diminishing. Body is opaque black (flashlight tested). Aroma is moderately malty (husks, roasted/burnt grain, chocolate), with notes of varnish, alcohol, plastic, sour apple, hint of nail polish. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly acidic, heavily bitter, slightly husky. Medium to full body, watery/syrupy texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic. I hate to preface ratings with "I’m honestly not a hater of this brewery, but..." I mean, the more good beers I can get locally, the better for me, yes? Stone is available locally, so I am literally rooting for them to make some tasty beverages. The 11th Anniversary was actually pretty good. This one is...well...kinda embarrassing. Unpleasant off notes in the aroma right from the start, and they don’t go away. Not to mention burnt and husky and oh-so-crude. The saddest part for me is that I was really in the mood for a stout tonight, but I can’t even drink this, much less rave about it.

Pours black with a light brown head which settles on the rim with good lacing. Aroma is dark chocolate, roasted malt, hint of acetone. Taste is bitter dark chocolate, alcohol is present throughout, espresso bitterness in the finish. Very creamy mouthfeel. I think this one needs to settle for awhile - a bit too abrasive now. Would be greatly improved if bourbon aged.

(22oz bottle) Smallish brown head atop brown-black body. Aroma is medium sweet, dark chocolate, some milk chocolate, roast, light coffee liqueur. Taste is moderately sweet, milk chocolate, burnt coffee, alcohol, some dark chocolate, roast. Smooth medium-full body. Alcohol presence detracts from what otherwise would be a very enjoyable beer.

Enjoyed this beer on draft at Max’s Taphouse in Baltimore. A very dark brown-black color with a big, creamy, dark-tan head that had great retention and cling on the edges. A strange sweet-syrupy aroma with roasty chocolate malt easily present, and a touch of hops. A very sweet taste with some syrupy and chocolate qualities and a touch of accompanying bitterness. A super wet and creamy texture, with very low carbonation and a bit on the thinner side.

bottle- nicely done impy stout with a great creamy mouthfeel, and high drinkability. Chocolate is by no means sweet, but is there along with some alcohol notes. Would try again.

Straight black pour, thick reddish tan head that settles to the rim of the glass. Aroma of hot chocolate, bakers chocolate, sharpie, and a bit of lactose sweetness. Sweet dark chocolate taste. It’s creamy with a bitter hop and bitter chocolate bite. Good balance. Nice mouthfeel with bitter finish with some alcohol. I’ve been looking forward to trying this for a while and it didn’t disappoint. In fact, I’m going to pick up some more of this and cellar it.

Jet black. Initially large light-cinnamon head settles into a jagged-edged collar as it quickly disperses. Extremely rich nose of mocha chocolate, ink, espresso, molasses and burnt sugar. Underlying hints of toffee, nougat, blueberry and steeped prunes. Soft pricks of fuzzy carbonation. Initially tongue-coating with weighty residuals swiftly trailed by a fairly sharp surge of alcohol which wipes the palate dry. Tangy mixture of raisins and prunes gel with the bristling metallic char. Bitter notes of black-chocolate-coated espresso beans enhance the smoky roast, though the malts don’t particularly possess much in terms of cleanness, depth or structure. Mushy roasted-grain textures are sandwiched between the fruitiness and brisk char. Caramelized malt hints softly exude but fail to withstand the massiveness of the roast and bitter chocolate. Combination of chocolate, residual sweetness, and a forceful omnipresence of roast tires the palate less than halfway through the bomber, as does the alcohol. Closes with an alcoholic sharpness yet with a lingering flabby trail of roasted grains and molasses. Not at all impressive. To me it simply smells and tastes like a big, straightforward, yet poorly crafted, stout with tons of chocolate. And as such it comes across as a novelty rather than something I’d ever want to revisit.

Deep opaque charcoal-brown body, medium tan head. Roasty aroma with chocolate and dark fruits. The dominant characteristic of the body is bitter, roasted malt, but there is a plummy, bready sweetness balancing the bitter roast and chocolate. Salty soy notes are also detectable. Chewy and rich.