Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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

My Bottom Line:
Dark chocolate and roastiness form succulent malt curves before they team up with leafy hops to build a potent bitter dryness in this original and very likeable Imperial Stout.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam circles the opaque black.
-Oatmeal contributes some crunchy cereal character.
-Alcohol is well hidden (by all the roastiness?) for a beer this size.
-The flavor profile is straightforward, but it is highly enjoyable when you enjoy such dark malt-driven discourses.

Bottles.

Pours dark brown with a nice tan head. Smells of chocolate, pepper, roasted malt, some dark fruit. Tastes bitter and caramelly with some nice chocolatey hints on the finish. Another great beer from a great brewer.

Deep dark black beer with a thick oily pour and a thin dark brown head. The aroma is quite nice, loaded with cocoa, espresso, bitter chocolate and a touch of rich molasses and soy character. Lightly charry aroma on the back. Flavour is decent with a strong charry roastiness and lots of bitter chocolate. There is a lot of soy, toasted malt and roast. It’s chewy and lightly peppery. Okay brew, but it’s got a lot more roasted barley flavour than chocolate, and to me it comes across as lightly astringent.

Bottle, 22oz. A next to black beer looking clear, with a small tan head on top. Hoppy dustyness, chocolate, cocoa and bitter chocolate in the aroma. The flavor followes the same pattern, with chocolate bitterness and some alcohol added. Full-bodied and warm on the palate. The finish is lasting, with chocolate the most evident flavor, but there’s also a little coffee touch. Yet another nice Stone. Would be interesting with more evident hops. Maybe. (080811)

22oz bottle at Zeno’s pours deep, rich black in color with a small film of a dark tan head. Thick and vinous when cold, the alcohol is a little too apparent, and it has a twangy dark fruit note, but that part tends to disappear when warmer. Oatmeal is quite apparent, tastes a bit flabby and mushy, but overall the total effect of semi-bitter chocolate and oatmeal is nice enough. A bit of dark plum and cherry and wood thrown in, but it never really goes anywhere. When warmer the oatmeal is far too apparent, and the chocolate presence is very muted. Okay stuff, but I’m not much of an oatmeal stout fan. Reminds me of Troegs Scratch 5.

Bottle from Liquor Stop in Highland, IN: This poured a black body with mahogany around the edges, a short-lived brown head, and some slippery lacework. It had an aroma of chocolate, charcoal, and roasted malt. The flavor had a dark malt sweetness with touches of vanilla and some bittersweet chocolate. The finish was a prolonged ddry bitterness. Not bad. Happy Anniversary, Stone folk!

Solid dark brown color with a moderate mocha head that slowly settles to a 1/8th inch of tight thick bubbles, and leaves a sheet of thin brown lace. Roasted and sweet malt aromas. Touches of molasses, dark chocolate, german chocolate, and hints of caramel and coal. Lush, thick and rich in feel. A mild alcohol bite and nip of acidity in tongue prevents it from being a 5. Sweet start with dark fruit and mild toffee. The sweetness does carry on into the middle and even finds itself in the finish and linger. Some real sweet stout qualities. Middle has some roasted and black malt bitterness and acidity that also carries along into the finish and linger. Some alcohol in the finish and just a hint of burn in the linger. Some very dark chocolate flavors come in and out, but the fruity flavors dry out and leave some charcoal and ashes. The flavors are at least more than the alcohol. Long linger with bitter dark chocolate and roasted malts. If you like dark, sweet and roasted malts you should be all over this one. I’m catching some coffee as well in the linger the longer I set with this one. A solid sweet, imperial, oatmeal stout.

Bottle: Pours a pitch black color with a nice thick brown head and ample lacing. The nose is robust with some chocolate and chewy malt notes, oats are apparent along with a healthy stone-level of hops. The flavor is creamy and roasty with a moderate amount of licorice, astringency and a lactose-like sweet mouthfeel. Brash bitterness and astringency in the finish with a lingering coffee note in the tail. A bit more bitter and astringent than I’m used to in an oatmeal stout and not enough complexity to be called an imperial. The cons of both styles are conspiring.