12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Stone Brewing

Jetlag767 from Minnesota

4.79/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

How can this be retired? It is 12/14/2019 and I am sitting in Stones Taproom drinking one! It’s fabulous, great feel, nice lace on the glass, well balanced with a nice bourbon background. I hope they brought it out of retirement!

Dec 14, 2019

BWood from California

4.03/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L: decent head, slight lace. Dark black.

S: slight chocolate and malt.

T: more chocolate than the nose. Finishes with a dark chocolate taste. Slightly bitter. I don't get much bourbon though. But very good.

F: smooth all the way through.

O: good beer. I like the bitter chocolate. Would buy again.

Sep 24, 2016

chinchill from South Carolina

4.1/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pint on tap at the Most Arrogant Bar Bash at Barleys in Greenville SC. Woohoo!

Opaque black with a modest sized but durable mocha brown head.

The aroma is sweet, with an obvious bourbon barrel component. The bourbon barrel is even more obvious in tasting, and lends a nice, albeit high ABV quality, to the flavor. Still, the high ABV is partly hidden. Lightly sweet and highly flavorful. Very good complexity and balance. Long lasting aftertaste.

Jun 14, 2013

UCLABrewN84 from California

3.99/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On tap at Congregation Ale House in Pasadena, CA.

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Thin rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, vanilla, wood, and bourbon. Taste is much the same an alcohol kick and woody finish. There is a mild roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a low level of carbonation with an almost flat mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty but has a better smell in my opinion.

Sep 22, 2012

FosterJM from California

4.39/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

1092nd Review on BA
Draft to 4oz taster

WinterStorm 2012

App- Very much a black pour. Had a super creamy pour with only about 1/16th-1/8th of bubbles in a dark brown color. Zero cling or lace.

Smell- Big notes of oats, bourbon, bits of chocolate chunks and a bit malty. Very smooth and very creamy on the nose.

Taste- Very smooth. Much more smooth than the 2008. Expected because of the ingredient profiles. The oats come in 1st again with more of the smoother bourbon (still prickly). I like the tempered chocolate and bourbon.

Mouth- A medium to low body on this one with a medium prickly carbonation. Residual booze and a bit of creamy chocolate.

Drink- I liked this one better than the 2008 but not by much. A bit creamier and a bit more smooth. I like this beer a lot.

Feb 06, 2012

HopHead84 from California

4.47/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12/31/2011

On tap at Stone's New Year's Eve party.

A: Black motor oil with a small light brown head.

S: Bourbonic dark chocolate cake with caramel drizzle and light vanilla notes. Roasted grains are pronounced and pervasive. Smells great.

T: Cocoa and bittersweet dark chocolate with an evenhanded bourbon presence and light vanilla notes. Lower moderate bitterness with earth and a little licorice. This is very sweet.

M: Full in body with upper low carbonation.

Overall: Not as good as the 2008 Bourbon Barrel IRS which was also on tap, but still enjoyable enough that I had 20 ounces or so. Recommended.

Jan 01, 2012

ehammond1

4.13/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On Tap

Stone 15th Anniversary Celebration
CSU, San Marcos
San Marcos, CA

(Aged 3 years at the brewery)

A menacingly thick and black pour with a thin brown, persistent head. Thick and oily in the glass and leaves plenty of lacing. Looks mean and menacing but beautiful.

Roasted malts, caramel malts, and plenty of dark chocolate in the nose. The bourbon is very faint but is present. It adds a nice, earthy warmth, without being at all overpowering. The burnt chocolate and char aromas I experienced in the non-barrel aged version are gone now, fortunately.

Rich chocolate, creamy oatmeal, lots of roasted malts, and just a hint of bourbon. I'm actually pleasantly surprised at how faint the bourbon is on this one--it doesn't cover up anything, only accentuates.

Creamy, thick, chewy in the mouth, which is appropriate and expected for this style, but not quite as velvety and full as the standard Stone RIS.

A delicious and subtle bourbon barrel aging of a delicious chocolate oatmeal stout.

Aug 26, 2011

ChainGangGuy from Georgia

4.55/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Served up a raven black body under a thin sheet of light tan-colored suds.

Smell: Soothing aroma smelling of creamy bittersweet chocolate fudge, chilled coffee, vanilla, coconut cream, and zesty wood. It's just a joy to cram up against one's nose and give it a whiff.

Taste: Deep, dark maltiness tasting of bittersweet chocolate fused with a small shot of espresso and a little helping of vanilla bean. The vanilla flavor moves to the front, joining with toasted oak and dark brown sugar. Hint of dark fruitiness and coconut shavings. Lightly earthy, roasty bitterness which ramps up on the back half, though the chocolate and bourbon hold on strong until the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-light carbonation. Smooth, creamy mouthfeel.

Drinkability: Quite nice! The bourbon barrel aging here made, for me, a marked improvement over the original beer, smoothing out its coarser elements and adding a new level of deliciousness.

Jan 14, 2011

Bung from Michigan

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Takeover at Duckworths. From notes.
Near black pour, dark tan head. So far so good.

Roasty malt and vanilla with some oaky woodiness.

Taste is a very nice blend of roast malt, dark chocolate, vanilla and oak. Oaky tannic barrel lingers forever. Finishes a little more caramelly and dry.

Near full bodied, creamy mouthfeel. Exceedingly smooth. An excellent version of the 12th which I already greatly enjoyed.

Dec 07, 2010

stakem from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Habmike for the chance to try this brew.

From a 16oz growler into a snifter, this brew appears black in color with some lighter brown showing around the edges. The head is darkly tanned which rapidly fades to a thin layering around the top of the brew.

The aroma includes some mellow vanilla and a lightly oxidized touch. A bit of an indication of grain like caramel and chocolate with some citrus hops and a layer of cocoa.

The taste of this brew is dark bitter chocolate that has a touch of citrus and herbal hops. It is lightly oxidizes which adds an interesting complexity to this brew. The alcohol becomes increasingly evident as the brew warms. It is reinforced with some faint bourbon notes.

This is medium bodied with a smooth, light level of carbonation. It has a longer lingering aftertaste of bitter chocolate and herbal hops. The bourbon is evident in trace amounts. I think this brew is too similar to the non-barreled version. I would have liked to see more a barrel presence in this beer instead of just a mellow smoothness that is readily notceable when compared to the normal version.

Nov 22, 2010

xnicknj from Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on tap at RnH during Total Takeover event. review from notes.

Pours a complete midnight black with a toffee brown head which dissolves into some nice lacing and film.

Coffee, chocolate, oak, vanilla, and bourbon boozyness in the nose.

Plenty of oats and dark roasted malt in the beginning. Continues into more complex bourbon and wood flavors with sweet tones and bitterness. Finished dry and oaky with alcohol warmth.

The feel was slightly different bc of the oatmeal but heavier drinking due to the boozy warmth.

This was one of my favorites at the event, yet another great vintage from Stone.

Oct 20, 2010

thagr81us from South Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served from tap into a sampler shaker. Poured pitch black with a minimal dark tan head. There was no lacing evident throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of only roasted malt and bourbon. The flavor was of roasted malt, bourbon, and slight chocolate. It had a heavy feel on the palate with low carbonation. Overall it had quite an excellent bourbon flavored followthrough. Even though it was a little boozy it was still nicely balanced and went down easily. This one is definitely worth trying IF you can find it that is...

Oct 18, 2010

chaz410 from North Carolina

3.71/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Got this beer at Charlotte's, that's right Charlotte's, Total Tower Takeover event at Duckworths.
Pours a deep dark black body with a thin mocha colored head.
Smells intesley of bourbon and tons of oak notes. Vanilla covers over some hints of roasted barley and bitter chocolates.
Taste of a beautiful battle between intense bitter stout and straight ass bourbon. It's intensely vanilla and oak as well as bitter roasted barley and bitter cocoa. There's some complex chocolate and caramel undertones that smoothes out with the oak wood. Finishes very dry and pretty harsh with the combination of boozy fussle alcohol and bitter chocolates.
Mouthfeel is thinner than expected but still very nice and sweet.
Not an easy to drink beer but if you want a perfect example of what a specialty stout should taste like... this is it!

Oct 13, 2010

jrallen34 from Illinois

4.24/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Small bar into a tasting glass for the Stone 40 tap takeover...Black pour with a thin light tan head...The aroma is the star of this beer, very strong with tons of bourbon showing throughout. Light oak, alcohol and bourbon are showed off. The beer malt character shows off with lots of chocolate...The taste is not dominated by the bourbon sadly as even though it was strong I was excited. The malts show through here in a creamy fashion, cream, vanilla and some chocolate...The beer is to light on the palate but pretty easy to drink.

One of the better beers of the night.

Oct 10, 2010

mdfb79 from New York

4.29/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From 10/04/10 notes. Had on tap at Churchkey at the Stone 40 Tap Takeover.

a - Pours a dark brown color with an inch of tan head and light carbonation evident.

s - Smells of bourbon, oak, vanilla, sweet chocolate, and roasted malts. Smells amazing.

t - Tastes of bourbon, oak, chocolate, vanilla, dark fruit. A touch hot, but enjoyable.

m - Medium body and low carbonation.

d - I enjoyed this beer a lot; it reminded me of the bourbon barrel aged 08 IRS, but was a bit hot, which the 08 IRS was not. Would love to try again.

Oct 06, 2010

MasterSki from Canada (ON)

4.39/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've had this a few times, but most recently at Small Bar Fullerton. This time it was served in a stange-like taster glass.

A - Black body. Small foam that settles to a very, very, thing ring of bubbles, leaving a few spots of lace.

S - Even at 2+ years this is still extremely bourbon heavy, with toms of whiskey and vanilla. Not a ton of the base beer here, although it manifests as a sort of chocolate milkeshake note. Only a little bit of wood and oak.

T - Taste is also very chocolate fudge and milkshake heavy, with big notes of vanilla and light oak. It's not a subtle beer, but it's a delicious one.

M - Body is a little thin, probably from the barrel-aging. It's quite nice otherwise, with medium-low carbonation, minimal heat, and a smooth texture. Finishes slightly oaky and tannic.

D - This is a boozy beer, but drinking it never feels like a chore. I'd gladly have this again if it showed up on-tap, and in a full serving as well. Probably my favorite beer of the event other than Double Dry Hopped Ruination.

Oct 06, 2010

drabmuh from Maryland

4.17/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

One of the beer on tap at the amazing Churchkey Stone tap takeover night, this was one of the standouts in my opinion. Served in a snifter.

Beer is black with a thin broken brown head that doesn't leave lacing on the glass. Beer served practically warm, carbonation low.

The aroma is straight up bourbon but with the sweetness its quite nice.

Beer is thinner than expected but has a great liquor character, I'm very impressed with the drinkability of this beer, we ordered a few of these throughout the night. The bitterness of the chocolate is over shadowed by the bourbon this time.

Oct 05, 2010

Thorpe429 from Illinois

4.37/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Churchkey.

Pours near black with a thin mocha head and a bit of streaky lacing. Nose is dominated by strong bourbon win a hefty amount of chocolate to go with it. A bit of espresso and roasted malt to go win it. Taste is a bit more balanced but the bourbon is still center stage. Hints of fudge and coffee in the background. Feel is surprisingly non-boozy but is too thin for the strong flavors. Drinkability is quite high, especially considering that I was not a big fan of the regular 12th Anniversary.

Oct 05, 2010

DefenCorps from Oregon

4.19/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Church Key today.

Black with reddish brown highlights, the head has nice retention and lacing. The nose is outrageously decadent. Chocolate, vanilla and milk-shake are all present, all in a combination that reminds me of the 07 BA Decadence from Alesmith. While simple, the combination of chocolate, vanilla and fudge is exceptional in its decadence.
The palate doesn't quit live up, though. With plenty of bourbon, vanilla and some oak, these flavors are followed up with by fudge and chocolate. The thinness that I remember not particularly caring for in the original 12th anniversary are present here too, and the finish is a little too dry and tannic. Carbonation is spot on, though. Excellent stuff, this was the best smelling beer of the night IMO

Oct 05, 2010

wedgie9 from Tennessee

3.96/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Tasted on draft at Map Room. Pours jet black with a brown head. Sweet nose of molasses, bourbon, and chocolate. Flavors are very similar. The barrel seems to have mellowed this beer, but it has also nullified the bitter portion of the chocolate. It is extremely drinkable, but much lighter than I expect most stouts to be. The body and carbonation are both medium, and the finish is long, displaying the molasses more than anything else. This beer is very good, but the body is somewhat disappointing, and the beer has mellowed maybe a little too much.

May 12, 2010