Harveys Imperial Stout

Brewed by Harveys
Style: Imperial Stout
Lewes, England

(Vintage 2003, bottle, Royal Oak, Borough, London 25 Apr 2007) Black colour with small brown head. Roasted, vinous nose with liquorice, coffee, tar, fresh asphalt and sweetish notes of vanilla. Roasted, full taste packed with liquorice, vanilla, wood and citrus. Long, roasted, bittersweet finish. Full body, oily mouthfeel (almost like liquid asphalt). Very tasty, not particularly balanced, but still very nice.

Bottle vintage 2001. Pours a black syrupy motor oil with no head, even at 45 degrees. Aromas of burnt black chocolate, burnt toast, burnt dry raisin grapes and prunes, some oakness, and even soy sauce. Taste is thick and oily with some tones of fruit, and more burnt molasses. Tastes almost like a liqueur/cough medicine with a lot of salty soy sauce. This 2001 beer could have been beyond its life expectancy. Finish is sour with some stickyness to the throat, then more sourness. No, I don’t want to try this again. (rating 3,3,1,2,7)

ReRate: After some repeated persuation by the Minnesota Crew (badgerben, JK, brewfiend, joebrew, et. al) I’ll give Harveys Imperial Stout a second try. Bottle vintage 2000, pours an opaque near black brew with no head, film, ring or lacing. Aroma of licorice, soy sauce, and tawny port. Taste is slightly oily, smooth, creamy with a slight burnt sour aftertaste. Palate is thick and chewy with no carbonation. Looks like I had a contaminated 2001 bottle during the first rating. Much better the second time around. Thanks team!

Bottle. 2001. Clear black color with virturually none head. Aroma is port, soya sauce, licorice, alcohol, dark fruit. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter, sour with a long duration. Body is medium to full, texture is oily, carbonation is flat. Very nice ;o))

2001 vintage, (2007), poured black, no head, wine and/or porter aroma, tart, sour; pretty sure the cork was compromised or the beer was way beyond its peak.

Bottle from 2000 vintage. Pours jet black like old motor oil with absolutely no head. Aroma is much like a port wine. Flavor is a sour funk with a helping of cork. This must have been weel past its prime. This was completely undrinkable and found its way quickly down the drain.

2003 bottle from Kingdom Liquors Brandon, Fl. Pours an opaque black with no head and no signs of carbonation. Aroma of soy sauce, roasted malt, burnt chocolate and coffee, alcohol, paper, and some acidity. Taste is the same with the soy sauce over powering everything and totally ruining the beer. Oily mouth feel with a rancid bitterness from dark malt. After opening another two bottles and realizing that it was supposed to taste like this, I decided to give up and realize the fact that this beer is just not for me.

Bottle, April 2007, 2003 vintage. Acrid, tart, vinous aroma with an underlying cognac, vanilla, coffe touch. Very good. Appareance is a deep, rich, opaque black with an amazing, medium, very creamy yellow/brown head (that sadly dissippates). Flavor is chocolate, bitter chocolate with some roast and a classy sour twist. Tia Maria like finnish. Excellent. MF is full, creamy, smooth, velvet palate. Satiating and captivating. Superbly crafted, traditional brit Impreial Stout.

At my 2007 Impy Stout Tasting. Vintage 2000. Too bad that Moejuck’s bottle did not age well. This 2000 vintage was roundly appreciated at the tasting. It does indeed have an overpowering vinegar aroma. The flavor is delightfully sour, but mildly so. I appreciate the Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce flavors. Has a great palate that coats the mouth and stands out as a unique imperial stout. Has some really great legs. I can see why so many compare this to wines.