Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Special Reserve

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

A deep dark color with red highlights. Head is light brown, weak, and dies quickly. Aroma is of oak, hops, cherries, caramel and some acrid notes. Flavor goes from sweet to acrid: molasses, cherries, caramel and a lasting acidic hop finish. Palate is surprisingly watery with a sour/metallic end. I tried to be open to the experience, but just didn’t get it.

Perfect black color with a cool, gradual head build up. Intresting reddish tint to the head, too. Massive aroma. You can really tell this was in whisky barrels. Boozy scent with vanilla, marshmellow, chocolate, and espresso. Very complex nose. The flavors are really cool, too. Soft, soapy carbonation leads to a very whisky influenced flavor, with a light almost citric tang. Sweetness of oak lingers on the tounge, finishing a touch on the dry side. This was really impressive. Truely captures the essence of a scotch/whisky barrel aged beer.

This stuff is just wacky. Sweet malty taste with just the right amount of the oak flavor seeping into. it. Kind of a jacked up stout with a touch of barleywine. Nice roasted aroma. The taste is sweet with some sour. Bitter chocolate flavor is rich without being too much. Flavors of dried fruits and caramel also. No head at all.

Good brown color,small tan head that faded quickly and left only a slight lace behind.Malty sweet aroma with maybe a hint of hops and some decent fruit hints coming through.Nice malty taste with a good fruity side maybe some hints of Whisky but a definate alcohol burn toawards the end.The cask ageing does add a little extra nuance to the brew with a little more of a woodsy taste with just a hint of the booze but little more then that.It’s quite good over all and well worth being a #1500 but i have to go with something mellower in a porter this time.

Spritzy look, but the tan head diminishes swiftly. Surprising deep charcoal color.Big aroma with a considerable range of flavors going from chocolatey malt to roasted charcoal and tobacco. Oak aging obvious providing the typical mint reminiscent touch and whisky bite. Appealing fruitiness (grapes, figs) adds depth to the blend.Oaky palate bears a load of dark malts. Sugar cane, oily vegetables and scotch suggestions. Expressive roasty finish. Weird oily medium body proposes close to no effervescence which may be the only weakness.

Dark in color. Pours nicely. The packaging on the beer almost put me off. I really don’t need to "buy" boilermakers, but I tried it anyway. I was pleasantly suprised. The aroma was enticing to say the least, and upon taking a swig I was not dissapointed. The flavor was excellent. Tastes of whiskey and malt. Has a strong sour taste, but it did not effect the brew badly. I was expecting a horribly taxing whiskey taste, but what I got was a mild complimenting dash of whiskey flavor that enhanced the beer alot.

Very little head which dies quickly. Almost no carbonation. Nice rich aroma. Sweet malts, port and prunes. Color is a very dark brown/black. Darker than I expected. Yet the flavor is pretty thin. Malts, obvious whisky flavor and a note of sourness I did not expect and a bit of alcohol. Kind of flat finish. Bit of sourness and bitterness. Strange for a scottish ale but quite good. Needs more in the body to make this an exceptional brew.

Black body, minimal tan head. Dark, dry aroma: oily dark malts along with nicely subtle woody, whisky notes. The flavor is also dry, has a round smokiness with a lightening fruit element (that might be some whisky). Finishes with an almost sticky dark malt sweetness, but the sweetness is balanced by smoke and possibly some musty hops. I appreciated how they didn’t go nuts on the whisky flavors, the brewer allowed them to compliment the existing flavors not supplant them.