Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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

Pours black with a sizable, moderate tan head. Aroma is chocolate and java while the flavor has a major dark chocolate and coffee quality. Thick mouth feel. Really good beer!

Deep brown, nearly black, with a dark, dusky head that leaves tiny bead lacing all over the side of the glass. On the nose, a little leather, some savory herbs, like sage and thyme, but an overwhelming light chocolate. Bright palate, nice acidity, slick mouthfeel and a bitter chocolate finish that grows as you consume the beer. Flavors are peaty and leathery, like scotch, with the bitterness of chocolate nibs. There is no attempt to hide the alcohol on the beer, and that’s just fine with me, as it’s obviously done on purpose to heighten the bittering flavor and really matters on the palate. A very good beer -- I’m appreciative of the thought and effort that must have gone into making it.

This was extremely good. Nice bitter, roasted malt flavor with some smoke, oatmeal, dark chocolate, and bitter espresso with a bitter but almost creamy-smooth mouthfeel. Wish this was a year-round beer. YUM.

22 oz. pours pitch with nice brown head. aroma is roasted malt with a touch of bitter cocoa. mouthful is smooth and creamy with a gentle bitterness that feels like a bar of dark chocolate melting in my mouth. crisp finnish. very nice... can always look forward to a stone anniversary...

Poured into a Stone glass a nice black color, nice carbonation, nice little fizzy tan head, which leaves some sticky lacing behind. The nose is slightly sweet, malty, dark chocolate. The taste is slightly sweet, big malts, lots of bitter chocolate. Medium body. Very drinkable, this is a very tasty brew. Thanks Casey.

Pours extremely thick, pitch, motor oil black color. The head is a dissipating tan color. Aroma is dark chocolate, roasted malts. Flavor is smooth, with the roasted malts really coming through along with the dark chocolates and coffee. The beer has an extremely bitter finish. Not as good as their 11th Anniversary, but quite a feat - better than their Imperial Russian Stout.

Bomber. Pours much darker black than I expected with a small, but thick brown head. The head on my beer is much darker than the picture on this page. Aroma is baker’s chocolate, coffee, and burnt oats. The flavor is really more potent than the aroma lets on. Lots of heart oats, rich chocolate, and very roasty malts come through. The flavor stays really sharp throughout, and has some qualities that make me think dry stout, only bigger. The alcohol becomes more apparent as the glass warms.

From the Jug at the GABF Colorado Convention Center, Denver 10/10/2008 Roast aroma. Beige head. Black strong in alcohol and rich on the palate with a crisp and bitter lasting chocolate roast finish.