Port Brewing Old Viscosity

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

Black, almost oily liquid now sits in my glass. Three fingers of creamy coffee colored foam sit atop it. Beautiful. Excellent retention and some excellent lacing, also. Big maltiness scents mix with a slight touch of booziness. Mild chocolate covers dark fruits. Cherries and dark berries, mostly. Decent coffee nuttiness. Hints of vanilla caramels. Unfortunately, all of these scents are fairly minimal and you really have to search to find them. Very light nose. Big chocolate taste mixes with hints of coffee. Dark fruit sweetness. Light hints of vanilla and caramel, probably from the bourbon barrel aging. Big malts and toasted nuttiness. Some burnt brown sugar and molasses. Very slight licorice notes. Good full bodied brew. Sadly, not as big and full as I expected it to be. It’s close to oily, but not quite there, yet. Carbonation is a tiny bit lacking. Could be so much better with a few more tiny bubbles. Lack of creaminess really hurts this one. Despite my criticisms, I really like this one. I want to bathe in it. The taste is great. Almost lives up to it’s hype.

Pours a slick, thick, viscous midnight black color; completely opaque. Rich and luscious aromas of alcohol drenched figs, raisins, licorice candies and anise all swimming in molasses. Palate is perfectly round, chewy, oily and subtlely carbonated; extremely velvety smooth and right on for its namesake. Flavor abounds in sweet notes of black licorice, anise, blackstrap molasses, brandy soaked fruit cake, figs, raisins and plums. As the beer warms from its initial serving temp of 50 degrees the alcohol continues to come into the forefront. This is definitely more to the style of an Imperial Stout than a typical Strong Ale, but either way a very enjoyable and extrordinary treat.

Black with hues of chestnut. Tight and creamy cap of gray-tan foam. Sophisticated malt-driven aromas of chocolate wafers, malted milk balls, creamed coffee, caramelized malt, and scorched malt hulls. Light whiff of hops, red licorice, burnt toffee, plum, and raisin. Carbonation softly caresses the tongue. Bottle conditioned. Weighty layers of malt immediately unfold upon the palate as a balancing kiss of lustrous chocolate-covered plums and black cherry fruitiness shyly emerges. Sturdy, seemingly impenetrable malt body is partially lifted by a poignant bite of roasted malt hulls. Dab of coffee teases the palate as it wavers in and out of the flavorsome medley of lighter malt shades. The brightness of the dried plum and red licorice esters mirrors that of the restraint. Gooey base of melted fudge pillars the hefty maltiness while bitter notes of burnt cocoa and dark chocolate underscore the richness and echo the beautifully understated caramelized oak undertow. Alcohol is clean and virtually undetectable. Dazzling interplay between the metallic malt bite and subtle tannins which lightly tingle the palate. Despite the presence of tannins, the barrel extractives are in synch with the malt and esters. Well-developed cakey malt forms an alliance with a fudgelike tackiness before closing with a dryish cocoa, charcoal, and minty alcohol flourish. This is a finessed malt bomb. Quite exquisite.

2007-11-02, Papsoe Blind Tasting
Very dark brown color, oily, beige head. Nutty aroma, dark chocolate and roasted malt, very well complemented by some vanilla. Full body, strong flavors (malt, roasted malt, dark chocolate, vanilla, tobacco, light coffee...); unfortunately there is a light cardboard touch. Strong hopping, but overwhelmed. Very strong alcohol, burning feeling (maybe too much). Great.

Bottle from a grocery in Seattle. The beer pours used motor oil black with a medium light brown head that recedes slowly. Thick rings of lacing on the glass, and a good sized chunk of sludge in the bottom of the bottle. Aroma of roasted malt and bittersweet chocolate. Full body with lots of roasted malt and coffee flavor plus some dark chocolate and hops. The finish is espresso and chocolate with a mild warming alcohol and hops aftertaste. Very good overall, makes me want to track down the Older Viscosity even more.

Porus a mostly opaque with some dark brown hues and a nicely-lacing frothy tan head. Aroma has a rich, sweet dark caramel maltiness with some dark fruity complexity. Body starts rich, thick and viscous (hence the name) with lots of sweet sticky caramel and toasted malts. Finishes smooth hiding the alcohol and leaving lots of lingering dark chocolate. A very nice beer.

The description is correct, this is a LUSCIOUS DARK ALE. The aroma was a brilliant blend of hops and sweet malty flavors. The taste took all the flavors in the aroma and added a touch of bourbon and oak to make it absolutely a must have for any fan of well aged beer.

Bottle. thanks to Mary at Captain Lawrence Ratebeer Gathering 5/5/07. Deep dark brown in color with a nice fluffy off white head. Malty roasty chocolatety aroma. Caramel toffee notes. Roasty malty and bitter chocolatety flavor. Hoppy notes. Finish is malty. Full bodied. Smooth. Rich and complex. Great beer. Very drinkable.