Harviestoun Ola Dubh (18 Year Old)

Brewed by Harviestoun
Style: Old Ale
Alva, Central, Scotland

330 ml bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Bottle No. 12610. ABV is 8.0%. Pitch black colour, big tan head. The aroma of the 18 is less distinct than the 12 and 16, notes of sweet malts, almonds, brown sugar and oak, with a moderate roastiness, notes of chocolate and mild coffee. The flavour is excellent, distinct notes of whisky oak cask, peaty smoke, hints of tar, also roasted notes of coffee, liquorice and dark bitter chocolate. Well rounded, with just the right sweetness and a pleasant bitterness in the finish. Yummy!

Firkin at brouwers. Deep black color with no head. Strong chocolate aroma with cooffee undertones. Taste is sweet almost sickly so and really watery smooth.

Bottle 33 cl, bottled jan 2009. Pours pitch black with a small but lasting tan head and an aroma of sweet ripe fruit )cherries, plums, black currants, oranges, grapes), oak, coffee and wet earth. The taste is very rick, both an earthy, smoky, woody side and a sweet side with hints of cream, chocolate, strong coffee, tobacco, peat, roasted malts, smoked eel and vanilla. A great bitter and smoky/roasty finish, a great beer!

Bottle thanks to bu11zeye. Pours a deep dark brown/black with creamy beige head. Aroma of some chocolate, dark fruit, dark roast, tobacco. Flavor of some smoke, wood, dark roast, faint chocolate, tobacco. Mouth feel is heavy body with low-medium carbonation. Overall, a very good beer!

Big thanks to Peter from Angelica’s in Redwood City, who was nice enough to provide us with this excellent beer while we were having a tasting there. Great guy, good to see more people running quality beer establishments in this area. Pours black and fairly viscous with a nice tan head. Great aroma of smoke, chocolate, tobacco, leather, and scotch whisky. Flavor is similarly complex with lots to it: roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, smoke, Copenhagen tobacco (this is not a bad thing), vanilla, and wood. Also some Scotch whisky of course. Rounds out very well. Body is medium and palate is smooth. Great beer!

Bottle from Holiday. Black with a creamy brown head. Coffee scotch whiskey chocolate and vanilla aroma and taste with a very smooth mouth feel.

Bottle @ YNWA, Kolding.
Pours deep chestnut brown with a very nice, creamy, beige head. Great lacing. Aroma is sweet, lots of black currants, peity smoke, milky chocolate and roasted malts. Fat and creamy mouthfeel. Flavour is really wonderful. Chocolate, quite softer peity character than the 16. Roasted and milky character in the warming and elegant finish. Very nice.

Bottle: Pours a mostly opaque black with dark mahogany edges and a thin, spotty-lacing light tan head. Aroma is rich with smoky peat and oaky Scotch with some sweet dark caramel malty undertones. Starts with a nice malty fullness and smoky dark caramel sweetness with just the right amout of oxidation, well-balanced with earthy peat and Scotch barrel flavor before a smooth, slightly warming semi-dry finish. A very enjoyable scotch barrel-aged brew.