Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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

A nice but typical imperial stout. Aroma was nice and chocolaty but a not as full as most. pour was a perfect deep dark black with a 2 finger tan head. Taste was a good mix of chocolate and roasted bitter malt. Slight hints of coffee. Almost tastes like those dark chocolate covered coffee beans. Decent carbonation and hides the alcohol well. It is good, just typical.

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.

650ml bottle. Dark brown, close to black body with a firm beige head. Aroma is roasted malt, coffee and chocolate. Flavor is quite sweet, light roasted malt, coffee, and bitter chocolate. A very good balance between bitterness and chocolate, I find the flavor more like chocolate beans and cacao rather than milk chocolate, which suits this beer fine. A bit short finish, but very pleasant.

Thin dark brown head which does not last long. Super fine bubbles with minimal carbonation. Rich, malty aroma with some chocolate, roasted malts, just a touch of coffee and some vinuous notes. Red grapes and such. Color is black as midnight. Flavor is super smooth and balanced. Not overwelmingly thick and chewy but kind of slick. Lots of roasted grains and bitter chocolate. Noticable alcohol presence that warms the body. Rich and meaty and pretty complex. Very easy drinking for such a big beer. Finishes sweet and malty with a hint of smoke and roasted grains. A damn fine impy!

Pours black into a snifter. Mocha head recedes to hug rim. Earthy chocolate and alcohol aromas. Thick and creamy with sharp chocolate and alcohol. Stinging finish.

Draft at Stone Bistro for RBSG. Pours black with thin beige head. Aroma of coffee and dark chocolate. Medium- full bodied with a nice velvety texture and perfect carbonation. Flavor of dark chocolate, mild coffee, and oats. Not overly sweet. I did not find this very bitter at all, and alcohol was well hidden. Great beer.

Bottle review coming soon

Pitch black with a very thin tan head. Aroma is very bitter chocolate bark and alcohol. Taste is very bitter right in the middle with the baking chocolate, not much roastiness, some coffee and dark fruits notes but a big alcohol bite. Not that nice.

Tasted at the Carolina Crew gathering, Greenville. Nice thick pour with a fluffy head and an opaque body. Very dry and bitter aroma, with far fewer malts and chocolate notes than I’d have expected. There’s a sharp but not too lingering hop-like presence in the initial taste. My dominant impression was that this was a modified and amped up version of their smoked porter, that’s how similar I found them. I was slightly disappointed by the beer’s relative lack of personality (and FYI, I am a Stone lover). Hopefully things will come together over time.