Harveys Imperial Stout

375ml Bottle - Gravity Beer Market - Olympia, WA
Aroma – Deep dark malt aroma with a huge alcohol finish.
Appearance – Dark black in color, light head and clear.
Flavor – Huge oil like flavor the deep dark malt and strong alcohol flavor came through.
Palate – Nice Mouthfeel, good texture with a dry finish.
Overall – Huge dark malt flavor, deep flavors with huge hops and alcohol flavor.

2003 bottle. Pours black with ruby highlights and no head at all.. It has a sour, woody, musty smell. Flavor is woody and vinous, kind of like an aged red wine. There are also some roasted malt, chocolate and alcohol flavors. A very unusual imperial stout. It is different than any imp stout I have ever had. Different but good. Full body with no carbonation. Definately worth a try.

Bottle (2003). Pours very close to black, with the tiniest ring of brown foam around the edge of the glass. As it settles I can see a little bit of flaky sediment at the bottom. Interesting aroma, that is roasted, sweet, and sour. The first whiff is all funky brett, then fruity notes, oak/wood, and vanilla. Very full bodied, and a bit acidic. The flavor starts out on an almost mellow sour fruit note, and hits notes of vanilla, molasses, and chocolate, before the long oaky and roasted finish, with a touch of funky bretty notes lingering in the background. Very different, which I love. Very extreme as well. Definitely worth a try if you can get your hands on one.

11.2 oz bottle from John’s Grocery. Year:2000. An extremely flat pour. Absolutely no head whatsoever. Not even a TRACE of lace/foam/anything. Literally looks like tar and motor oil. Pitch black. It looks dead, but right up my alley! Smells of aged wine. Smells like it came out of a barrel. Strong alcohol smell, hints of roast and chocolate. Definitely a sour, salty, soy sauce, and a sweet and slightly fruity hop smell. Now when they say one of the world’s most unusual beers...they are damn right! This is an intense imperial stout. Tastes like a red wine. An intense flavor assortment of raison, alcohol, chocolate roasts, and soy sauce. Finishes more and more fruity and licorice-esque. Wow...this is complex. I’m getting some fig newton in there, so there must be some fig. This isn’t a very full bodied beer, its actually rather light/medium, but it just tastes "fat." Extremely smooth flowing. Damn this is complex. Lets see...its acidic, sour, tart, oak aged, absolutely zero carbonation. It finishes bitter, but wet. Leaves a lingering burnt chocolate bitterness and warms all the way down like a wine. Overall, this is probably the most unique beer I’ve had besides the Alvinne Podge Belgian Imperial Stout, except that was just different because it was a Belgian styled stout. This beer is just insane. Its a wine, its a beer, its a real piece of work. Its hard to finish sips at times, but then again its making me want another sip at times. I guess all I can really say about this is that it intrigues me like no other and was easily the most difficult beer I’ve had to rate so far. Wow. And it had a freaking cork!!!

1st bottle I had years ago and didn’t rate. This one: better than expected (and tried at cellar temperature). Pours with no head. The previous aromas of soy sauce have morphed into bitter chocolate and old cocoa powder. The palate is thick and viscous, creamy almost in a burnt caramel way. Imagine a Worther’s Original toffee with a mouthful of old coffee. Scorched molasses, mission figs, spicy currant, and fig paste. Intriguing to say the least. Lactic elements creep into the fold and help the beer finish with a roasted bitterness. Wild stuff man. If you’re a fan of funky brews (Lambics, Old Ales etc.) don’t give these away or pour them down the drain. Works very well with cigars, one of the few things that can mask some of the flaws.