Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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

Dark beer with a foamy brown head that shrinks to an attractive whisp. Nose of Baker’s chocolate, alcohol and an almost smokey roast grain. Flavors of big burnt toast, bitter chocolate, ashes, nocitable alcohol and grassy hops. The chocolate is more subtle than expected. This is a really nice big stout.

On tap Blind Tiger. Deep dark brown in color with a nice off white head that left a nice lacing on the glass. Bitter chocolatety malty aroma. Caramel roasty oak notes. Chocolatey creamy malty hoppy flavor. Roasty grainy citrusy notes. Creamy and smooth tasting. Full bodied. Finish is roasty. Nice. Enjoyable beer.

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.

22oz bottle. completely black under a small brown head. chocolate aroma with a hint of floral hops. dark chocolate flavor that is very bitter with a dry finish. some soy sauce notes and

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.

A black pour throws up a tall, long lasting head of tan. Aroma is dark roast coffee, cocoa powder and alcohol. The flavor is bitter and smooth with a touch of alcohol on the tongue.

Bottle thanks to fata2683: Poured a thick oil black with a chocolate colored head. Aroma is dark chocolate, roasted malts, and strong coffee bean. The taste is rich with chocolate, coffee, and offseting hops. Very pleased with this beer from start to finish.

Bomber. Has most the standard Imperial Stout appearance characteristics: Opaque black, dense and somewhat lacy tan head. Kinda boozy in the nose, but there’s some licorice and chocolate there as well. Bitter chocolate taste that seems just a little sour. Lots of other little bits and pieces in the taste, with vanilla, brown sugar, espresso and roasty malt showing up. Medium body and light carbonation. Hot baking chocolate finish. Not bad, but they didn’t knock this one out of the park.