Harveys Imperial Stout

Brewed by Harveys
Style: Imperial Stout
Lewes, England

2001 Bottle at home. Pours in syrupy and black like motor oil. No head, no carbonation. The aroma had notes of vinuous fruit(grape and raisin). As others have said this reminded me of port. Flavor was incerdibly complex. Very bitter with notes of fruit, coffee, and a hint of dark chocolate. The alcohal is sweet on the palate but the sour from fermentation holds its own. Not as thick as it looks (don’t think that would have been possible come to think of it). Slick mouthfeel with some of the warming effects of its 9% abv. The finish was long and bitter. This beer has made me ponder my own ability to judge. It was either past its prime which I have to believe is a possibility or it was too complex for my palate which is another distinct possibility. I will try this again in a few years but for now I have to say it has mainly novelty appeal.

2001 bottle. Pours a very dark brown with NO head. Head is certainly unique and a bit portish; filled with maple wood and currants, with also lactic dark chocolate, burnt maple, and faint ground coffee. Flavor is nearly awful with lots of burnt or charred wood with soured milk, soy sauce, with some reminents of roasted coffee and currant FAR in the background. Palate is fair, medium to full, flat, and silky. Finish is actually quite nice nice with soft burnt wood notes, roast from coffee, and lingering currants. Hopefully I just a bottle past its prime, nose is nice, finish is pleasant, and palate seems like it was once good. Initial flavor may be the worst flavor I’ve put into my mouth... Maybe someone will convince me to try another bottle and I will be pleasantly surprised, or maybe I just stay away from these English Imps altogether!?

Bottled. 2003 Vintage. Black with a large brown foam. Deep malty and slightly acidic aroma of wood, blck coffee, cocoa, soy and red currant. Full-bodied. Flavour of black coffee and chocolate, wood, soy, salt, tobacco and alcohol. Vinous finish of anise, wood, red currant and black chocolate. Quite extreme one, this.

2000 bottle poured into a snifter. Aroma of soy suae with some deep malt. Pours absolutely pitch black with no head whatsoever. Deep espresso flavor. Sweet in the finish with some excellent depth. There is so much going on here I really can’t explain it all. So milky and dark. No noticeable alcohol. Full mouthfeel.

330ml bottle - - Royal Oak, London - - 2005 vintage, drunk 2007
8-5-8-4-13=3.8
Black and treacly. Smells of raisins and port-wine. Sticky sweet and savoury too - meat stock and bovril. Huge burnt malt component.
330ml bottle - - Pikkulintu, Helsinki - - 2001 vintage, drunk 2008
7-4-8-4-15=3.8
Red wine, cork, and slight snatch aroma. Sherbetty. Rich roasty taste, also some snatch. Absolutely lovely, very serious brew.

bottle 2003. black with espresso-like crema head. Aroma of burning plastic. Full taste of motor oil, burnt plastic,coffe grounds, bitter like the enteric coating of some aspirins. Tough to drink. I love stout. This one sucks.

[Sampled in 2005.] This is a great brew. Creamy, softy, coffeechocs, ananas, licorice, complexy, wood. Must taste it again for enjoying

The 11.2 ounce bottle poured a thick black beverage with a small smooth brown head that was completely diminishing and left no lacing on the glass. The aroma had a strong presence of sherry with subtle notes of caramel and chocolate malts lurking around the edges. The body was very full with little carbonation and a soft velvet texture. The flavor started out lightly sweet but this soon changed to a subtle dry bitterness that lasted throughout the long finish. There was also a decided alcohol warmth in the chest and throat at the end.