Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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

Draft at Stone Bistro. A black beer with a thin brown head. The aroma is sweet with strong notes of roasted malt and medium notes of sweet malt, oatmeal, and coffee. The flavor is sweet malty with notes of roasted malt and oatmeal, as well as lighter notes of alcohol, that is felt on the tongue, leading to a dry and roasted finish.

Bottle 65 cl. Courtesy of fiver29. Pours black and opaque with a light brown head. Rather alcoholic aroma with some burned malt. Medium-bodied, dried fruit and hard roasted malt, raisins, chocolate and a little cardboard. Fairly alcoholic finish. A surprisingly bland impy from Stone. 120609

Bottled at tasting with Greg Koch at Oliver Twist, Stockholm. Near opaque black, brown head. Burnt choclatey nose. Dryish with medium-full body, lesser than what you’d expect from a 9.2% stout. The mouthfeel is clean and rounded. Dark chocolate dominates all the way. It’s intensely roasty with the slightest hint of prunes to add fruitiess. FInishes with mid-intensity salty bitterness. A good straightforward beer, much less complicated than the long name makes you think it is.

From tap at Stone Bistro. Pours a black brown and creamy chocolate brown head. Roasted malty and slight spiced chocolate aroma. Light smoked in the initial flavour impression with a smooth chocolate base and a malty roasted flavour added in. Lingering chocolate finish.8-5-8-4-17=4.2>br>
From bottle, blind #7. Pours black with a small tan head. Mild smoked, metallic and roasted malt aroma. Light sweet, roasted, light smoked and dark chocolate to coffee flavoured. Light alcohol note. Smooth roasted malt flavoured finish.8-4-8-4-15=3.8

Cask (gravity) @ Great British Beer Festival, GBBF 2008, Earls Court, London, England SW5.
Dark black color with a small, virtualle none head. Aroma is heavy malty, caramel, chocolate, alcohol, vanila notes. Flavor is heavy sweet and some salty notes with a average to long duration. Body is medium to full, texture is oily - syrupy, carbonation is flat, finish feel is light alcoholic. (050808)
8-4-8-4-17
Bottle 65cl. @ Papsoes blindtasting. [ Bottle #7. ]
Clear dark black brown color with a small to average, frothy to creamy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, light brown head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, burnt, coffee - mocca, licorice notes ? Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and heavy bitter with a long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light alcoholic. [20090612]
7-4-8-3-15

Cask@GBBF2008. Black colour, small white head. Aroma is chocolate, malts, hops and spices. Some roasted notes as well as mild vanilla too. Flavour is roastred malts, chocolate, alcohol, mild fruityness and spices.

Draught at GABF 2008. Pitch black coloured with a medium sized beige head. Roasted aroma dominated by dark chocolate. Roasted flavour of dark chocolate, coffee and liquorice with notes of hops and alcohol. Roasted and hoppy finish.

Date: 08/23/2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: South Bay Drugs, San Diego

Appearance: black, fine tan head, drippy sudsy lace,
Aroma: dark chocolate aroma with a touch of sweetness, just a hint of fruityness,
Body: creamy body,
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, touch of roasted, creamy milky sweetness balances the bitterness from the roasted and dark chocolate to bring out a milky chocolate,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4