Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Special Reserve

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

Appearance: Pours a thinnish-looking black body with no real head worth mentioning. Smell: Roasty aroma that’s nicely malty, and has some fruit and bourbon, along with it’s accompanying notes of wood and vanilla. Taste: Plenty of roasted dark maltiness with lush notes of coffee and anise. Lightly chocolatey. Mild dried fruit undertone. Finishes sweet and warming with notes of whiskey and wood. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Very mild carbonation. Slightly warming. Drinkability: Not bad at all. How about that Old Engine Oil, huh?

Date: 09/08/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

Appearance: black, wispy tan head, bits of lace,
Aroma: sweet dark chocolate and roasted aroma with hints of dark fruits,
Body: big body,
Flavor: sweet dark chocolate flavor, nice fruity character, balanced by roasted malts and earthy hops, light touch of smoke melds with a woody character,
-------- /> Date: 02/23/2008
Mode: bottle
Source: cellar tasting

touch of a sour mash character balances really well with the chocolate and caramel sweetness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Thanks to SoLan for suggesting this one. Thick, opaque black pour. Small, bubbly tan head. Slippery, sudsy lace droops down the glass. The aroma is beautiful and fairly complex, showing chocolate, whiskey, oak, burnt caramel, and a little smoke. The flavor starts out with sweet chocolate and caramel, quickly evolving to a drier, woodsy alcohol taste. There is a little bit of smoked soy sauce in the background. The whiskey really adds a perfectly complimentary element to this beer. The mouthfeel is thick and viscous, just as the name would suggest. Incredibly smooth, with a long, whiskey-kissed chocolate finish. Outstanding brew!

Aroma is simply heavenly - rich and "stouty" with strong smoky and coffee undertones, as well as a sharp alcohol nip. It pours a deep, opaque sable with a thick tan head. Flavor is strong and smoky, with some bitterness but not too much. It is very smooth, yet goes down somewhat like strong liquor - you know exactly where it is in your esophagus. Perhaps this comes from being aged in single-malt whisky barrels.

11.2oz, no date. Clear dark brown with a small tan head, fading to a ring of bubbles. Aroma of chocolate, roasted grain, and the oak, and vanilla from the whiskey. Alcohol is present in the aroma, and is a bit stronger in the flavor--never gets to the point of being detracting though. There is a bit of oaky wood with some dryness, but I don’t know if I can necessarily pick out whiskey in particular. Chocolate isn’t as strong in the flavor, either, and the roasted malts are a bit stronger, and some tart raisins and tobacco are a pleasant addition to the flavor. Dry finish. Full body with low low carbonation, and no that isn’t a typo. Pretty good. I want to rate this one a little higher, but I don’t know where I’d put the extra points.

Bottle from Hi-Time Wine. Pretty much pitch black in color. Sweet rich roasted malty aromas. Smells very stout-like. Rich thick mouthfeel. Strong roasted malty flavors. Pretty much like a strong stout. Good quality though. Can’t really find any whiskey. Some alcohol.

Aroma of dark malts, dark fruit, and mysterious alcohol. It’s opaque black, but halogen brings out ruby hilites. The tan head ringed, but left lace tatters at the edges. Full bodied; mild, creamy, carbonation. It has the dark toasted malt of a stout, the sweetness of something indescribable, some coffee, some puckery smokey notes (from the barrels?), some astringency, and, arguably, some pruney, raisin impact. It is quite the ale. Yummy. A great sipper in the late evening.

Viscous looking black beer with thick brown head. Thick coffee, chocolate and alcohol aroma. Big alcohol quality. Charcoal notes. Tasty barrel quality notes. A bit light in body and complexity but still tasty. Alcohol, whiskey and charcoal chips.