Harveys Imperial Stout

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.

2000 vintage. Aroma of port wine, bourbon and alcohol. No head at all comes from a jet black body. Medium palate. The taste is incredibly dry--with a wicked sour flavor. The taste is just awful, so I’m guessing that this might have been past its prime--a drainpour for me.

Very dark. Almost balck, but with a taste that warms you. This is a perfect beer for long Winter evening, besides a fireplace, when it is cold outside and you need to feel comfortable. Too dark for other seasons, but a pleasure on cold days.

This is 2000 vintage in a wrapped cork bottle. Pours dark and thick with no head. Just a brown fringe around the edge. Totally opaque Dark brown glass of history. The first impression is of a fine dark red wine. Alcohol and dark fruits in the nose. But more. Barnyard smells. The beer flows down the tongue with a thick feel. And the flavor echoes the nose. It is easy to see why people in the 1800’s compared this style of beer to wine. And thumbed their nose to the wine snobs, because beer is better.