Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

Cask at GBBF 08. Pure black with not much head. Ashen aroma with lots of peat and cooked meat notes. Oak, wood smoke and peaty flavours are accentuated by a dry bitterness and the perfect mouthfeel - it is absolute velvet on the tongue. Very fine beer indeed - a worthy anniversary celebration.

Cocoa, biscuit and cookie dough in the aroma with some light underlying dark malts and plenty of oatmeal. Opaque, dark brown body is topped by a low, tan head that recedes to a partial cover with some lacing. Biscuity and chocolate malts are quite sweet up front but are quickly joined by a pretty firm bitterness and plenty of dark malt character. Alcohol is quite apparent in the aftertaste. Medium full body with rich texture and fairly strong effervescence. Plenty of alcohol warming. Shaker glass. Approx cellar temperature. Bottle (Hi Time, Aug-08).

22oz bottle. Aroma: Oatmeal, cocoa powder, coffee, light alcohol, smoke. Some spicey and citrus hop notes. Appearance: Black in color and opaque. Dark tan head was large and creamy with fair retention. Small, spotty lacing. Flavor: Lots of roasted malt flavors (Coffee, smoke, light anise). More chocolate in the nose, but a good chocolate note shines through. Some hot alcohol flavor as it warms. Grassy and pine hop notes into the finish. Bitterness plays nicely against all the malt flavors. Slightly sweet finish. Palate: Full bodied and very smooth. Medium carbonation. Significant alcohol warming in mouth and chest. Overall: Nice beer. Mouthfeel was perfect. Rich and smooth with just the right level of carbonation. Alcohol was a little hot.

Bottle from Kegbear aroma is a wonderful chocolate. just overpoweringly awesome,smells like Willy Wonka’s own beer, The pour is engine oil black The aroma is too bitter for my liking, it tastes just like biting into a dark unsweetened piece of chocolate. Not my favorite. Would not buy again but an interesting try. Note: as the beer warms the bitterness mellows and the beer becomes much more palatable

Pours a deep black brown with a thick chocolate head. Nose is mellow cocoa scents. Taste is bitter and sweet all at the same time. alcohol not evident. bitter dark chocolate lovelyness on the finish.

Black body, a tan head is formed, quickly receding to simply a ring of tan lace at the edges of the glass. The aroma comes through on the promise of bitter chocolate and also has a bit of graininess, and some licorice character. The flavor is a mixture of oatmeal stout smoothness and chocolate bitterness, so I guess this is well played. A touch of smokiness remains in the finish. The body is not too thick and sticky, thankfully.

22oz bottle. Black Chocolate Heaven, with a hint of hops flavor. Dry and bitter. A very drinkable Imperial Stout, especially for dessert.

22oz bottle, courtesy of scraff. Thanks, Scott! Pours a dark chocolate-brown coor; thin medium brown head with patchy lacing. Lots of dark chocolate, coffee, and nougat; very nice chocolate character in the nose; very soft. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: very bitter chocolate, roasted malts, and nougat upfront; relaxed carbonation; very bitter (although underhopped), and heavy chocolate notes throughout. Difficult to drink a lot of this. Lengthy, dry finish: bitter chocolate and roasted malts / smoked meats at the end.