 502Flavors (267), Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Jul 10, 2008
bomber into wine glass for lack of sniffer. Pitch black pour with a nice medium/dark puffy head. The aroma was somewhat faint and subtle but included notes of molasses, bitter chocolate, and some hops. The flavor is unique and interesting to say the least. It is very bitter, but not hop bitter, but rather chocolate and coffee bitter. The alcohol barely peaked through the rich and complex flavors of chocolate and coffee but definitely lingers in the stomach with a pleasant warming effect. It was pretty thick and coating on the palate, but not as much as the RIS. Overall: a well crafted unique brew that is definitely worth trying if you are an imperial stout lover.
AdamSkillin (368), High Bridge, New Jersey, USA
Oct 6, 2008 Pours 6,000 mile plus used motor oil black (always a good sign) and tastes of bitter chocolate with grainy oatmeal texture. No overbearing bitter-/ burntness (which is a good thing). Full mouthfeel, great flavor, amazing dark tan head on a truly opaque black beer. Stone always raises and then blasts through my expectations. A-plus beer.
KnN (306), Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
Oct 5, 2008 Pours black as your soul with a thin dark brown head. Aroma is burned roast malt and chocolate. Flavor is pretty robust, but a little one dimensional. There’s a hint of chocolate but a lot of burnt chocolate chip cookies action going on there too. However, it’s surprisingly low key from what I was expecting from a Stone stout. Good beer though.
bp (308), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Oct 4, 2008 Bottle: pours dark black with a tan head that quickly disappears, a little bit of the chocolate in the aroma but I’m not picking up much else, taste is malty, bitter chocolate, fairly full bodied. Solid but nothing special.
otakuden (117), Vero Beach, Florida, USA
Oct 4, 2008 Poured a rich black, bringing to mind liquid dark chocolate as she fills my glass and a soft tan head graces her top. The head quickly faded into a small ring around my glass, making way for an interesting nose mingling with caramel espresso notes, a hint of tobacco, and almost burnt dark chocolate notes. her body is thick, but not overly so, with an immediate bitter dark chocolate profile stepping up to the plate, followed by her pinch-hitters, woodsy notes, bitter espresso, soft chewy notes of toasted oatmeal and a dry finish. A warming sensation pleasantly lingers in my throat and upper chest area, giving away her ABV of just a little over 9%. A bit of a chewy mouthfeel as she warms which smacks of delicious toasted oat, though rich dark bitter chocolate and espresso rules her palate.
For an imperial stout, Stone’s 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout lives up to most of her name, though I didn’t detect as much oatmeal as I probably would in a standard oatmeal stout. This isn’t a detriment though, as part of her purpose is to bring the imperial to the oatmeal and create a delectable marriage of the two which she accomplishes with aplomb.
heynik1885 (26), tonawanda, New York, USA
Oct 3, 2008 Dark black pour, Dark brown 2 finger head. Some lacing on glass. Slight burnt masty smell, taste is the same with a hint of chocolate and oat. Hard to tell 9.2% well put together stout. Will drink again.
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