Orkney Dark Island Reserve

Brewed by Orkney (Sinclair Breweries)
Style: Barley Wine
Stromness, Orkney, Highlands & Islands, Scotland

Bottle. Brown but very quickly disappearing head. Looking through the glass and into my sharp lamp I can see some ruby nuances at the bottom. Without a lamp I would definately call it pitch black. Putting my nose close to this fuidum makes me in doubt about what is actually in the glass as it is very vineous, coffee, cocoa, prunes and plums and a good deal of alcohol. Flavor though is beer not wine, thank God. Still coffee, cocoa prunes, plums and maybe even raisins. Low carbonation, long aftertaste. If it is the long storage in oak barrels I do not know but the high alcohol contents is very well hidden and the beer appears smooth, round, pleasant and what else I can use of positive words. Very good, expensive though.

Bottle. Pours an almost black color with a small brown head. Aroma of malt raisins, dark fruit and oak. Also some weak aroma of chocolate. Has a slightly roasted malty oak flavor with lots of dark fruit and chocolate. Also a little vinous hints. Warming roasted malty finish with hints of dark fruit.

Last bottle at Stone World Bistro for $42. This is the Extraordinary Orcadian Ale with the swing top at 10%...ayieee! Black, swirling brown head. Big aroma of Scotch, oak, roasted malts, subtle cane syrup and smoke. Smooth yet big flavor of an oak aged liquor barrel. "Fruit, spices, oak and roast malt" is what the bottle says. It also suggests food pairing with pate, red meat dishes, dark chocolate and strong cheeses. Warmed up there’s some sour oak barrel notes, bitter chocolate, scotch. The big aroma remains till the end...lovely!

For rate number 2,000, sampled from 750 ml bottle and shared by brewfiend. Pours a cloudy dark brown brew with a thick tan head that has some good retention. Aroma of milk chocolate, raisins, dark pitted fruit, orange zest, and a touch of coffee. Taste is full bodied, lightly syrupy, with flavors of smoked roasted dark malt, raisins, some oak wood, and caramel. Finish is semi-sweet with a lingering mild bitterness after the finish.

(75 bottle at Bishops Arms, V Hamng, Göteborg)
Bottled 2006
Shared with ekstedt, Marsiblursi and a non-ratebeer friend.
Pitch black color, small brown head. Acidic, malty, raissin, oak and wood scent. Also alochol. Sweet malt, oak, raissin and acidic taste. Oak and roasted aftertaste. Some smoke in the taste. Feels dry once the acidic main part of teh taste settles a bit. Not worth the €55 we paid for it. Might be too oxidized or perhaps in infection? Did not deliver what I had expected.

Bottle (75 cl) at Bishops Arms, V Hamngatan, Göteborg, Sweden, shared with gnoff, marsiblursi and non-RB Mikael. Deep black with a thin beige head. Raisiny, fruity and vinous with notes of wood and oranges, and some light burnt and roasted notes. Medium bodied and silky smooth. Some sweetness backed up by a moderate acidity and bitterness.

Bottle at Bjergtrolden. Dark brown with a brown head. Aroma heavy malty (caramel, chocolate, roasted, whisky cask, spicy). Flavor heavy sweet, moderate bitter. Full body. Also a gift to us!

A deliciously black beer with fain head. Chocolate, smokey malt, and dark fruits. Powerful smoke body with faint chocolate and some oakiness. Very very nice.