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Beer review: Stone Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

  • Jul. 22nd, 2008 at 4:31 PM
ladder
Damn, that is one inky beer. Seriously, like, you can't see light through the stream when you're pouring it.

It's possibly the richest beer I've ever had. Moderately strong at about 9.25%, it has the luxurious oatmeal mouthfeel and intense bitterness from unsweetened chocolate and chocolate malt. They describe it as lightly-hopped, but coming from Stone you've gotta take that with a grain of salt.

Shawn and I had trouble finishing a 20oz bottle between the two of us, and in attempting to polish it off, found this beer's true calling: tiny floats with Julie's Organic cookies and cream ice cream. The sweet cream really emphasizes the chocolate flavor.

I'd probably rate this beer a 3.75 out of 5, with really the only strikes against it being its low drinkability. The flavor was awesome, just overwhelming. Definitely getting another bottle or two to cellar, and stout fans should check it out while it's available.

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[info]harperjean wrote:
Jul. 23rd, 2008 02:10 am (UTC)
Oatmeal stouts: love 'em. Now curious to try this one. I have a rule about beer: if I can see through it, I probably won't drink it.
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[info]wendolen wrote:
Jul. 23rd, 2008 05:01 am (UTC)
Stone is a California brewery, so you may not see it on your coast outside of specialty shops, but it's worth seeking out.

One of my reliable favorite beers is Samuel Smith's oatmeal stout. When Shawn's dad started homebrewing, at my request he made an oatmeal stout that was even heftier and better than that. This one is head and shoulders above his, in that metric. (In some ways I think I like the others better, because it doesn't seem like work to drink them, but this is definitely impressive stuff.)
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[info]harperjean wrote:
Jul. 23rd, 2008 11:49 am (UTC)
Ah, Sam Smith's, a classic! Clearly if I'm ever in your neck of the woods, we should get a beer.
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[info]wendolen wrote:
Jul. 23rd, 2008 06:35 pm (UTC)
Definitely. And if you can give me a bit of lead time, I can make sure to have tasty homebrew stored up!
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[info]hetaera15 wrote:
Jul. 23rd, 2008 05:33 am (UTC)
yeah, Lars got a bottle and I had a few sips...much, much more intense than I like. The finish is just too much, I think. The initial flavors are not so overwhelming, at least to my palate. :)
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[info]wendolen wrote:
Jul. 23rd, 2008 06:43 pm (UTC)
I think about a quarter cup of that beer, over a scoop of nice ice cream, would be a really excellent dessert.
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[info]josienutter wrote:
Jul. 23rd, 2008 06:33 pm (UTC)
Did you ever get to try Scott's imperial stout? It was super dark, thick, and chocolate-y. But with a sweeter/less bitter balance that was okay for even my wussy palate.
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[info]wendolen wrote:
Jul. 23rd, 2008 06:42 pm (UTC)
I didn't. The only beer of his that I've gotten to try was a ...witbier? that tasted like cider. I think it was one of the first efforts.
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