Harveys Imperial Stout

GLASS: Imperial Pint Glass TEMP: Cellared @ Approx. 50 degrees Let me begin by saying that for me personaly, this is almost a perfect beer. I love big, thick, dark, heavy beers and this one definitely falls into that category. The bottle and packaging themselves bring about a very nice (old-style) presentation. Being a package with a cork is also a nice touch. I will also tell you that I am reviewing the 2003 vintage. Now, on to the beer! When poured into a glass the first thing you will notice is the color: Black. This is one of the blackest beers that i’ve ever poured. Secondly, you notice the minimal head it produces (almost none at all). The darkness is just the way I like it. Don’t be afraid of the dark. The smell is good overall but slightly off-putting. Just a bit of alcohol on the nose that turns me away slightly, but I press on. The mouthfeel is silky smooth and almost (unexpectedly) light. Don’t get me wrong here, it is a heavy taste, just not as ’in your face’ as I was expecting. The taste is phenomenal: dark coffee, light notes of chocolate covered cherries, and smoke. Quite a bit of smoke in the taste, but not overbearing. (I think this beer would make excellent beef jerky because of these flavors.) Finally we come to drinkability, and I think this beer is exceptionally drinkable. It only took me four pulls to quaff mine down and that was while trying to savor it’s flavor and prolong it’s life in my pint-glass. While I don’t kid myself into thinking that everyone loves ’dark beers’ or stouts, if you do, I can’t recommend this beer strongly enough. It is truly an experience not to be missed. I look forward to my next one.

2003 bottle, pours black and oily with a thin tan film resting on the very top. Aroma is mildly chocolate with soy sauce and black patent. Powerful! Still with no carbonation. This is hard to swallow. Foul soy sauce and oxidation. Gross drain pour.

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a very thin foamy head with not much head retention or lacing. Aroma of soy-sauce and salty malt makes for a weird and unique experience. Taste is again very unique with some salty notes and weird soy-sauce like finish. Body is full with very light carbonation and no signs of alcohol. Very unique experience but unfortunately not one that is really to my liking.

2001 vintage. Deep black of color with a brown head. An aroma of liqurice, soya, roasted malt and dark fruits. A flavor of liqurice and dark fruits.

Flaske 0,275l merket "Imperial Extra Double Stout". Årgang 2008. Gave fra Rune. Takker! Dette var definitivt en "høydare". Svart som natta. Høyt mokka-farget skum som står som betong. Nydelig aroma av kaffe og frukt. Rikt sammensatt smak med lakris, kaffe og frukt i forgrunnen. Utrolig kompleks. En nesten evigvarende ettersmak dominert av kaffe og litt bitterhet. Nydelig. KI=9

Bottle - 2001 vintage Pours like motor oil. I was blown away by the aroma. Mainly because it was a total shock. There was noting that I expected from an imperial stout and everything I would expect from a glass of wine. Taste was a mix of an imperial, barley wine, and a sour. I am not a sour fan but this one worked much better for me. The bottle was shared, and I think that I am going to need to try again. I would also like a fresh bottle to see what happened in the 8+ years.

Bottle - 2001 vintage - Oh my dear God, did this come out of nowhere. Pours dark black with no head at all. Smells of...holy crap...red wine, and really sour. It doesn’t smell like any IS I’ve ever had. There’s a bit of vanilla in there too, but the red wine just blew me away. Taste is that luscious red wine with sweet caramel/toffee underneath, along with some dark roasted malt. It’s sweet and syrupy, and I’m going find this stuff to stock my cellar with--the older the better, apparently.

11.2 oz bottle ’99 Vintage-Pours black with a small tan head that dissipates rather quickly into a ring. Aroma of stout(roasted malt and slight coffee) and Barley Wine(sweetness and caramel). Taste is some sourness along with sweetness. Wonder when I tried this if it was past its prime. Would of liked to have tried in its prime.