Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

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

Bottle. Rich, slightly smoky bitter dark chocolate. Some dry oak-like character. Oily, viscuous dark brown with a big foamy light brown head that leaves thin splotchy lacing. Dark chocolate dominates up front Finish is burnt toast char, dry and bitter. Slightly foamy, creamy, full bodied with a slight warming bite.

Draft in Boston at the sunset grill with Clark and the gang. Poured deep black with a medium sized tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of roasted chocolate and mild coffee notes. Tastes of a almost burnt chocolate, dark chocolate, roasted coffee, mild oats, finishes a little creamy and dry (I didn’t think that was possible). I enjoyed this.

22 oz bottle. Opaque black in color with a medium sized light brown head. Aroma: chocolate, licorice, and tobacco, and alcohol, mild roast. Taste on this is still a bit green, roast, chocolate, licorice, molasses, a moderate amount of alcohol and oats. All the characteristics of a good RIS are there, they just don’t seem to integrate well yet. Moderate roasty and hoppy bitter finish. Full bodied, medium-full for the style. Good, and should get alot better with age.

Bomber. Thick and chewy, completely coating my tongue. It has been awhile since I had Stone RIS, and if memory serves me, the RIS is a tad better than this. The chocolate is faint and bitter. I think I anticipated more chocolate flavors. I have 2 more that I will store for awhile and see what changes in the beer.

Pours black with dark brown head. Aroma of roasted malts, molasses, bitter chocolate, and slight nutty-wheaty notes. Flavor is roasty and chocolatey with a nice bit of vanilla and malted chocolate ball notes, its boldness tempered with the oatmeal. Lingering bitterness in the finish with slight oak notes. Alcohol is still fairly present even after six months of aging. Nice full, creamy palate, though slightly sticky. A good impy, but not a great one.

This beer pours dark. Very dark. The head is a nice coffee color and is relatively fluffy. This beer smells of roasty malts, chocolate, and coffee. There might be a hint of a fruity scent somewhere in the back. The first taste is relatively sweet and chocolaty, but that is followed very quickly by a bitter taste that has a fruity nature to it. You can really feel the bitterness on the back sides of the tongue. This beer is thick but not heavy. The flavor is very strong, but it is pretty easy to drink. A good beer to drink on a cold day in front of the fire.

From a bottle poured black with a small head. Nice slightly sweet malty chocolate flavor with a quick finish.

Pours black with a good sized mocha head. Big aroma of chocolate and more chocolate. Taste is chocolate with maybe a touch of grain. Mouthfeel is thick. Very one sided on the taste but I like it. Nice a smooth.