Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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

Bottle thanks to 17thfloor. Opaque black with medium to large creamy burnt tan head. Aroma is chocolate, roast, dry, wonderful. Dry chocolate, bakers chocolate, roast, nice bitterness, slight alc, rich but dry. Medium to full with creamy, syrupiness. Absolutely delicious, a great imperial stout.

Poured a nice black color with a small tan head. Aroma was very strange, i guess it was the bitter chocolate, and some licorice. Flavor was a bit better than the aroma, just very bitter, but not in a good way, the oatmeal and sweet chocolate flavors I expected werent there at all. i was very disappointed with this.

Bottle. Very dark brownish black pour with small dark caramel colored head. Aroma is some sweet dark chocolate but mostly roasted malt. Flavor is pretty nice, mostly burnt and roasted malt, bitter chocolate, some residual oaty / malty sweetness, and a bitter chocolate / roasted malt finish.

From a 22oz Bottle. Pitch black, opaque pour with a thin layer of fizzy charred foam. Lot of roast and chocolate in the nose, along with some hot alcohol. Medium full bodied, moderately carbonated mouthfeel with a soft, oily texture. Flavors are an intense combination of dark chocolate and char. Toasted biscuit and molasses. The finish is exceptionally long and oozing with dry chocolate flavors. There’s a gentle alcohol warmth in the finish, but not as off-putting as I found in the nose. Awesome chocolate flavors without the excessive sweetness.

Finally cracked this one open. Bittersweet chocolate flavors and the oatmeal aspect mellows out the body, profile, and sweetness a bit. Roasted malt aroma and some coffee as well. Flavor also has a tinge of vanilla and there is a bit of a bitter hop finish. This one is nice and not overwhelming like many of the impy stouts running around these days.

Wow. Lots of chocolate. Very rich. Very dark. Very creamy. The taste sits for a long time in my mouth. Awesome. Why did I buy only one bottle? What an idiot. I should have stocked up on this one. Excellent.

22oz - Aroma is full of deep chocolate, vanilla, ashy dark malts with an oatmeal finish. Pours black with a small brown head. Flavor matches aroma. Palate is sticky and lasting. Alcohol is well hidden. This is a very tasty brew.

Growler from Stone courtesy of Homerwants beer. Pours pitch black with a 1 inch tan head. Aroma is of chocolate, malt and oatmeal. You get a taste of alcohol up front, followed by a smooth coffee and chocolate finish. Tastes pretty much the same as it does out of the bottle. Heard some opinions that it would be much better aged. Testing that theory, but definitely drinkable now.