Harviestoun Old Engine Oil (Bottle)

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

12oz. bottle. Sweet on the nose like a dopplebock till that subsides and roasted malts arrive. Black body looks like oil with chcolate milk colored head. Flavor is sweet to start with but as this warms a mild chcolate presence is there with a real good roasted malts flavor. Some sweeteener lingers a bit on palate along with some dry coco good brew.

Pours a deep dark brown - black in the glass - with a tan head that dissipates. Smells nice - roasty malts, some molasses and a bit of coffee. Flavor isn’t what I was expecting though - they call it rich and full-bodied, and for something called "engine oil," it’s neither. The flavor adds what is almost a sour note (bad sour, not tart sour), and it’s very watery. The notes are nice, but the mouthfeel just doesn’t do anything for me. This one was a disappointment, even without being an Impy.

12 oz bottle purchased at Frugal MacDoogal’s in Nashville. Poured a dark black color with a two finger brown head. The aroma was largely roasted malt, with a mild note of bitter chocolate. The flavor was very roasty, with only a small bit of chocolate present. The palate was above average, with a creamy mouthfeel, soft carbonation and a medium/full body. I was a little disappointed in this beer. I was expecting a lot of chocolate, and a got a lot of roasted malt. This had a really strong "homebrew" character to it. Good beer, but not quite what I expected.

Black colour with chocolate aroma and flavour mixed with smooth finish. Pours like a stout, looks like a stout but isn’t a stout. Instead it’s better.

Bottle L8074A. Smells like a stout. Dark beer, tan head. Nice smooth texture. Bittersweet, with the bitter coming more from roasted grains than from hops. Slight fruitiness as well. Good beer, but I don’t detect all the complexity that others seem to.

Is there a better feeling than walking into a crappy liquor outlet expecting to grab a dull local six-pack and instead finding a beer you have wanted to try for years? There was a time not so long ago when this ranked amongst the most highly regarded ales in Scotland. The bar has been raised since then but this is still a fine old ale. Normally I like to drink strong dark ales at room temperature but this one is astringent enough to be worth chilling. Impenetrable teak colour with a dollop of beige shaving foam. Excellent head retention. Sweet aroma of cocoa powder, figs, caramelised sugars and licorice, plus nose-prickling white pepper. Medium bodied and creamy in the swallow. Some Milo chocolate malts and blackcurrant fruitiness before a hot finish with some licorice root astringency. Tarry malts and bitumen. Tastes like a bigger beer. A very satisfying nightcap. (330ml bottle from Vintage Cellars, Clovelly. BB Sep 09)

Pretty darn good, very crisp for such a deep array of flavors. Pitch black with no head on a very aggresive pour into a Chimay glass. Smells of malts and coffee, tastes of malts coffee, prunes, maybe grapes add the crispness. Great if you want a porter that is not too filling. Would go very well Peking Duck. Only 1.99 per bottle at Gulf Liquors in Miami Beach.

Dark black pour with a thin head. I actually found this a little boring. Roasted malt, nuts. and some chocolate on the nose. A bit of coffee roast and light chocolate along with a mild bitterness.