Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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

Very dark brown. Roasty and burnt dark fruits on the nose - even more so than in the Zywiec I just had. There is a nice nuttiness to this nose as well, from the oatmeal. Very oaty body. Rich chocolate taste with a hint of roast, slight burnt fruit. This really cuts between your typical low-grav oatmeal stout and a top-fermented Baltic porter.

A deep dark stout with a thin moka head, viscous appearance. Sweet chocolate aroma, chalky, licorice, and alcohol. In mouth, a bitter chocolate, chalky and powdery, smotth hops, rich and pleasing. Bottle at American Flatbread, Post Vermont Brewfest Dinner, July 19 2008 with TaktikMtl and Goldorak.

(22 oz bottle) pours dark oily black. Head is slow to come, but is moderate dark tan. Aroma of coffee and dark chocolate. Flavor is bitter roast malt, coffee, chocolate, a hint of dark fruit. Not as sweet as some oatmeal stouts.

Decided this would be a fitting one for #750. Stone I’d have probably never discovered or sampled without Ratebeer yet now they are among my favorite brewers. The look of this is top notch. Very very dark, motor oil, very very dark brown head. Big bubbles, settle quickly, mild hazy head, some splattered lacing. Aroma of cocoa, whiskey, prunes. Toasted malt in palate, along with a very syrupy feel, somewhat sweet yet cloying. At the end is when I notice the bitter chocolate the most, it is the aftertaste. This is along the lines of their normal imperial stout, but I like that one better. Still, great beer.

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a dark brown color head with good retention and good lacing. Aroma is totally dominated by some bitter chocolate note (not at all surprising when you consider the label) with not much discernable hops. Taste is also dominated by bitter roasted malt with some distinctive chocolate notes. I was expecting more hops considering the brewer reputation but this one is really dominated by chocolate. Full body with a creamy texture and good carbonation and also nom discernable alcohol were noted. I think I preferred the Southern Tier Choklat a bit more then this one but this is still a winner.

Poured a nice black creamy color.Notes of chocolate, vanilla and malts.Flavor was creamy and chocolatey with some nice roastiness.Finished off bitter sweet.

(bottle - 22 oz) Dark black pour with a thin tan head. Aroma is surprisingly light with a decent amount of roasted and burnt malts, some dark fruits, and some sweetness. Almost like a combination of caramel and cream. Flavor begins lightly sweet but then the chocolate takes over. Lightly bittersweet with a mild roasted middle. Finishes lightly bitter and fruity. Oatmeal adds a nice creamy texture to the beer.

Cocoa, biscuit and cookie dough in the aroma with some light underlying dark malts and plenty of oatmeal. Opaque, dark brown body is topped by a low, tan head that recedes to a partial cover with some lacing. Biscuity and chocolate malts are quite sweet up front but are quickly joined by a pretty firm bitterness and plenty of dark malt character. Alcohol is quite apparent in the aftertaste. Medium full body with rich texture and fairly strong effervescence. Plenty of alcohol warming. Shaker glass. Approx cellar temperature. Bottle (Hi Time, Aug-08).