Harveys Imperial Stout

Brewed by Harveys
Style: Imperial Stout
Lewes, England

Bottle. 2001 Vintage. Shared with Grovlam. Pours absolutely pitch black with no head whatsoever. Not even a slight film - nothing! Feels like tar, when you pour and when you look at it. Great aroma - roasted, vinious, sherry, cognac and a touch of berries! Extremely low carbonated making drinking it like downing tar (not that I’ve tried!). Flavour is dominated by a clear and very present roastiness, balanced out well by some sweet berries again. Very complex in its taste.

There is definitely over aged. The bottle say 2000 on it so 6+ years was too much for this beer. There are raisins, prunes, coffee, smoke, and heavily toasted malt. But now the aroma only has remnants. The appearance is black. It’s the darkest beer I have rated. But it has no head as it’s totally flat. The flavor is like the aroma but I also detect salt and leather. I think it’s oxidized. The palate is not as thick as I had assumed from the appearance. This is no good. 2001 Update. This one is not quite as strong as the 2000 (but still powerful) in taste but it favors molasses, vinegar, and rubber a little more.

2000 vintage. Perhaps I drank past its optimal maturity date. The more I drink this, the more I can taste is off flavors off salt, bitter and dark fruit. I want to enjoy this beer more, But I find it hard to enjoy.

11.2 oz bottle, vintage 2000. pours a thick black with no head whatsoever. A pretty nice aroma, though there is a hint of cardboard, its strong with coffee, prunes, raisins, chocolate, a hint of smoke and a lot of plum. When it comes to the flavor ... bah, i guess i’m just not going to have a good beer tonight. Salty as the ocean, chocolate, pine, soy sauce, way past its prime, I know this is at least a year old, but wow. this is disguisting, why is this like licking a sweaty neck. i’m done.

Aroma has a bit of sourness, prunes, smoke, toffee and vanilla. Pours motor oil jet black with no head. Flavor is salty with hints of the sea, leather and coffee. Palate is thick and creamy. Interesting, but not one I’d like to have again.

2000. In the nose, a peculiar waft of ripened currants, cheese rind and marinating beef. Touches of soy and tobacco. Very stagnant and mature. Edges of warm applesauce and spiced plums. Not that explosive or inviting. Pours a deep oil black, with a blistering fiery edge of ruby. Tiny rim of tan. No carbonation. On the tongue, and oily slick of initially flat and boring tannic water. Faints nips of sherry and port. Then a cascade of dry, oak heavy nut husks and dry grain fusels. Risingly dry and yet soppy with wet, boring sugars. The palate is the most distinct character of this beer, with long draws of faint pipe tobacco, roasted almonds and then a wisp of Northdown hop oils. The even further down the road vanilla bean, brown sugar and nips of coffee perk up. A bit oily and slick overall, yet not carrying much flavor. The alcohol, well-hidden, yet not expressive. Aged characters aren’t as forward as I expected, but they don’t lend or detract much from the beer. Seemingly well-brewed, and not aging poorly, but possibly a mediocre middle of the road Imperial Stout in the first place. Interesting to taste a progenitor after so many advanced versions.

Bottle 2001 vintage: Black in color with a tiny dark tan head. Aroma, port wine, chocolate, dark fruits, some sherry quality. Flavor, some tangyness, coffee, roasted malts, some fruits, an almost dusty/ashy quality to it. Cocoa powder, bittersweet chocolate. Just seems off somehow. Don’t know if it’s the age or what.

1999 bottle courtesy of maltydogs at his house, paired with a nice Stilton after dinner. A Brett-nosed stout with some roasted malt and mild tanginess - not quite what I had in mind for the aroma of an impy stout. Dark black with a meniscus of magenta to it. No head at all. Heavy watery body with mild carbonation - more thin than I would expect. Starts with a Brett tang, sour notes of cherry skin, oak. Malty roasted grain with some chocolate, licorice, and coffee at the finish. Almost a bit like J.W. Lee’s that’s been a bit oxidized. We opened two bottles and both tasted the same, so perhaps not representative of the brew?