Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Special Reserve

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

330 ml, opaque black with a small, but beautifully creamy and lasting head. Roasty malt aroma of cocoa and espresso, some charred wood in there too. Flavors of peppery beef jerky, chocolate, oak, molasses, coffee, leather, brown sugar, char, vanilla, dates, tobacco, and green herbs are very well blended. Medium-heavy body is smooth and syrupy, with a slight tingle, and a nice drying finish. About as complex as they come, awesome, and thankfully not too heavy on the whiskey flavors.

This one poured a dark black color with a thin bubbly tan head that left behind nice lacing. The aroma is pretty complex with hints of chocolate, whiskey, caramel, and some smoke all making their presence felt. The flavor is much the same with the dark chocolate, caramel coming out first follwed by a hot whiskey flavor. The whiskey isn’t overdone, but blends in perfectly with the other flavors. The mouthfeel is real thick and viscous with a big body that goes down really smooth. The finish is really nice with a dry whiskey flavor along with some heat. This one is really nice. I can’t wait to try the ola dubh versions.

no head at all, with a dark brown color. Nose is very malty and whiskeyish in aroma. flavor is malty, braddy, and sweet with some whiskey flavors. very flavorful.

Interesting, flavourful, and admirable but not my style. It pours almost like oil, thick, black, almost completely lacking carbonation, with essentially no head and only a small wispy top that forms. The aroma is red wine, chocolate, with hints of old plums gone bad. The taste is similar but better. It is dominated by the sweetish, cheap/old red wine & chocolate quality, with a sweet-sour character along with hints of vinegar and old plums gone bad. It truly is best when on the warmer side but still it’s not my kind of thing.

33cl Bottle $4.49 Sam’s Marcey 8% abv. Old Engine Oil Special Reserve plops into my glass black without letting a glimpse of light break through. The super creamy tan head was slow to develop but a more aggressive pour yielded a fingers worth. The head eventually fell to a respectable cap and left film lacing on it’s fall. This is an excellent looking beer. The aroma is good but needs to be more robust. All the aromas come together so well it’s actually tough to put a finger on all the different components. Roasted malts, cold coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla and alcohol are in there in order of intensity. The smell of this beer makes you want to drink up without a doubt. The flavor doesn’t stray much from the aroma. The Special Reserve is incredibly well rounded. All the maltiness I picked up in the nose is in the flavor as well. The vanilla is a little more pronounced along with spicy alcohol on the swallow. The aftertaste leaves a hint of smokiness. The aging that’s been done is spot on. An excellent old ale. After my first few sips the body seemed somewhat thin. After it had a chance to warm a little more it became all at once rich, creamy and velvety. Alcohol fumes waft through the nose on the swallow. This is a beer to sit back with and enjoy the complexities. A sipper without a doubt and a good beer for these cool winter evenings. I enjoy the original but the Special Reserve steps it up a notch. The added complexity the aging provides make this a beer to be reckoned with. 2/23/08

Nov. 2006 - Dark almost black pour with minimal head or lacing. Aroma was malty and chocolatey with a touch of smoke. The flavor was full of chocolate with a touch of the whiskey sweetness from the barrel aging and some smoke emerged as it warmed.

2002 Bottle. Aroma a bit heavy in the prune at first whiff, but with time the chocolate and roast comes through nicely. Flavor opens up more into other fruits as well, lots of dark berries in there, and the chocolate then takes over more and more. Great brew to age. 7-4-8-4-16. Rerate 8/28/08. Bottle, 2002. Aroma very alcoholic with whiskey notes, cherries, prunes, as well, and a very sweet dark malt. Flavor of super-sweet fruits, some of the whiskey notes, and all in all absurdly sweet. Way too sweet for me this time around.

bottle as depicted. Pour is true black. Roasted aroma - chocolates, charred wood. Mouth is finishes powdery, maybe chocolates, tobacco, and oak. Very nice alc content, could not taste it. Over all a really nice brew.