Stone's 12th Anniversary has hit the shelves in Albuquerque's better beer stores! This year's version is a "Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout" that weighs in at 9.2%. I saw it for $6.49 at Kelly's on Wyoming and imagine that is the going price everywhere, as seems to be the case with other Stone seasonals.
Stone decided to do an oatmeal stout rather than an IPA due to the hop shortage. I find this to be an interesting choice due to the timing of the release. I would have expected something more along the lines of a Saison or something more summery, but Stone stayed true to what they know so good for them. People will still be gobbling these things up like Cabbage Patch Kids no matter what the style.
We opened one Saturday night and noticed that it was still hot, which is no surprise since it was just bottled. I couldn't detect chocolate or any noticeable bitterness, just a smooth finish with lots of alcohol. Maybe a little thin on the mouthfeel. A solid offering.
To be honest, I added some Marble IPA about halfway through because I felt like the beer needed some hoppiness. It was even better! Maybe not what the brewer intended, but what's a Stone beer without the hops!
1 comment:
Oh yea, well why not add High Life?! Hey I feel the beer will be better after sitting in the fridge for a year. Or a controled steady temp. Hmmmm.......most excelent for the up and coming winter.
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