Port Brewing Old Viscosity

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: American Strong Ale
San Marcos, California USA

0.65 bottle at Konttori, Tampere. Dark brown almost black color with creamy head. Deep sweet, toasty, nutty, warming and slightly roasty aroma with coffee, chocolate, vanilla and licorice. Thick toasty, nutty and softly roasty flavor with coffee, chocolate, vanilla and licorice. Very rich aroma and flavor but too boozy.

black as sin, smallish roasted tan head... gorgeous, deep, dark nose, rich and resplendent, redolent of molasses, anise, whiskey, a twisted stygian blend...classic! taste: profound impact on the palate, heavy, full, and packed with prodigious flavors. All that in the nose and a little more, hangs long on the tongue. some plum, dark cherries, cocoa,...but well-blended, no particular one flavor rides over any other. Is this a stout, a porter, an old ale...? The whiskey is king in it, and anything else fades away...very mellow, relaxing, satisfying... 10%? It’s there, but it’s not intrusive, it’s ...mmm, motor oil! Very solid...so rubust, and so delicate...well put-together... oh, man!

22 ounce bottle purchased at Monument Wine and Liquors. Raisins, coffee, chocolate, espresso, molasses, and a nice godly roastiness in the aroma. Extremely quaffable. Pitch black body with a medium creamy brown head with just impeccable lacing present. SPritzy, lightly spicy start, which then has a nice sweet chocolatey maltiness present. Becomes quite roasted and a bit burnt. Tons of coffee present in this. FInishes with a dry-ish lightly hopped finish and more dark roasted malt flavors. This is fucking delicious. One of the best beers I’ve had in a while.

20071105 Bomber from Julio’s. Nearly black, chestnut edges, with small, thin, but determined head. Aromas of prune, bourbon, molasses, some background hoppiness (c-hops?)...mild aromas though that do not give away the secret beast beneath. This is not a far step away from hoppier imperial stouts like Smuttynose that are alcohol and bruising hops forward but adds pleasant complexity with wood, tobacco, and more bourbon. Finishes long and boozy with a late and somewhat harsh kick of alcohol. Glorious. This is significant because I don’t usually note bourbon flavors in these barrel aged beers. I’m also a bit confused because my label says ’aged in bourbon barrels’ but the label pictured here does not - but it definitely says Old Viscosity, not Older. At any rate, the beer is lush, hearty, and lives up to the label’s billing of big, big , big.

Blackened rusty body with a creamy, fading tan head. Aroma of deep caramelization, sweet dark chocolate, raisin and bourbon. Nice malty chocolate and boozy flavors. Lots of alcohol fumes surface as it warms. Spicy cinnamon hop profile. Firm hop and roast bitterness. Strikes me as a big, hoppy, well-attenuated stout. This is a nicely executed strong bourbon-barrel beer.

Rich black color with creamy brown head. Chocolate and roasted malts on the nose with just the faintest hops. Vanilla, intense oak, roasted oatmeal, chocolate, and just the faintest bitterness at the end. Sweet and smooth.

Bottle. Black with a small head. Full body with some bitterness.Strong presence of alcohol as you would expect. Definitely magic.

Bomber from Mr. Capone, iirc. Very sweet, rich caramel nose, pitted dark fruit with brown sugar and a touch of caramelized sugar, slight chocolate and a bit of vanilla/oak. Pitch pour with a gorgeous light brown head. Very dry, lightly bitter taste, caramel steeped in chocolate, with light grapefruit hop prickling and muddled toffee. Milk chocolate and cocoa, milk itself, bourbon and oak with a little booze seeping through (though very well hidden on the whole) to a warm, slightly acidic finish. Faint roast is buried just a bit by the fruit. Medium, oily, filmy body, and the comparison with spiked milk refuses to abate. A little bit of an indecisive mess, but a delicious one! Yummy!