Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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

Bottle curtessy of Buckeyeboy. Deep pitch black, of course, with lots of chocolate, molassas, an licorice in the aroma. some soy and potting soil aswell. reminescent of STONE’s RIS. Tastes roasted, but soft and smooth. Served a bit warm, so it seemed a bit more thin and fumey than it probly would have been. The oats give it that nice slick feel that goes down very smooth. carbonation is just aabout right. a bit soft.

Bottle. Pour is a dark brown (thick looking body) with a medium sized brown head. Aromas are a little mild... dark chocolate, a kind of cream or dairy edge, oats and kind of a dusty smell. I was expecting a little more robust nose on this one. Flavor is a little milder than would have guessed, too. Don’t get me wrong, this is pretty darn good... chocolate is well developed yet doesn’t get out of line by being too cloying or overpowering the oat flavors that lie underneath. Mouthfeel is almost the texture of milk... kind of goes well with the flavors that are mixing together. Pretty much the label sums up the complexity of the beer... bitter chocolate oatmeal stout... I’m not finding a lot of extra flavors entering the fight, but Stone does a darn fine job with the palate they are using.

black shade of mahogany brown topped by a brick red/brown head. some webby lacing is left behind as it recedes. aroma is definitely dark chocolate mixed with musty oats, earth, ashy/astringent/bitter grain, faint dark fruit and a sweetness similar to molasses but without the richness or depth. the flavor comes through as promised on the bottle... astringent grain, bitter chocolate, sweet, musty, earthy and an acetone-like boozy burn. bitter finish riddled with alcohol. medium body. the texture is certainly helped out by astringency and the alcohol gives it a bit of spice. the carbonation gets really creamy when sloshed around... meh. gets rather boring by the end of the first glass...7/4/7/3/15/3.6

end of august 2009. big coffee aroma and flavor, it’s lost the ashy edge, dust is faint, a bit woody and smoky yet it still has a touch of the cocoa sourness on the finish. it is far more balanced than fresh and the alcohol sting is gone. it is coming along...

Midnight brown with a medium tan protectorate. Aroma of dark and roasted malts, bitter chocolate with a mild hop presence. Taste is moderately bitter at first with chocolate, coffee, oatmeal, roasted malts, light black licorice and alcohol. The bitterness of this one overpowers the flavors a little too much. While it was a decent imp to try once, I won’t be running back for more.

Bottle. Black pour, nice looking moderately thick very dark tan head. Chocolate gingerbread cookie aroma, a ton of roast and powdered cocoa. Palate thinner than expected, but still a ton of bitter roast and chocolate, not too heavy. Well done.

Bottle. Pours black with a small dark tan head that dissipates quickly. Aroma of bitter hops. lots of bitter chocolate, vanilla, and rich roasted malt. Flavor is rather bitter! (as advertised). Sweet, rich oatmeal malt, alcohol, slight slight bitter chocolate. I was really excited about this beer but it proved to be a disappointment. Much too heavy and alcoholic for my liking. This needs a bit of age I think. Not as much chocolate as I’d prefer and the sweetness/alcohol richness does obliterate some of the other flavors. Fun to try, but I don’t think I’ll purchase again (unless it’s aged perhaps).

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.

22oz bottle from BOTW in Henrietta. Aroma is burnt coffee and alcohol. The flavor is a bit more complex with the chocolate favoring the tip of the tongue and the bitterness appearing as it rolls to the sides and the back. The alcohol is heavily present. In fact, after I swallow I feel as if the alcohol fumes continue to exit my throat across the roof of my mouth. Not a pleasant feeling. Overall I’m more than a little disappointed. The lushness of the oatmeal is lost here, and the alcohol is dominating.