Harveys Imperial Stout

Brewed by Harveys
Style: Imperial Stout
Lewes, England

Pours to that deathly color with a thin brown head. Aroma is nearly through and through merlot. Plums, currants, dust, mildew and chocolate. Flavor is like that cheap red kept in the attic for too long. Oily but dry and musty. Somewhat salty soy saucy finish. At this point I’m confused about why I paid six dollars for 1999 vintage of a brew that claims to expire in one year. Honestly tastes more like an old wine than a beer, so it’s interesting although it kind of grates at my patience.

2001 bottle - great nose, plum puddingish. limited head. Top stuff with a real shot of flavour. A special one

A bottle from 2003 which poured an opaque black with no head at all. Very odd sour liquorice aroma with loads of different under- and overtones. The taste is really unique - coffee, dark fruit, Golding hop; sour and very dry with hints of lactose and soy sauce. The flavor is extremely concentrated - even though this brew has a reasonable 9% ABV, it tastes enormous. The mouthfeel is thick, with almost no carbonation. What a peculiar brew, well made and certainly very unique.

2001 Bottle: Poured a dark oily black with zero head. Aroma is interesting, with an almost wine-like fruitiness. Flavor is intensely bitter, with sour cherry, chocolate, and coffee all making an appearance. An interesting display of contrasts.

2001 vintage at the White Horse, Parsons Green. Lovely bottle with real cork. No carbonation, no head. Dark ruby. Smells of blackcurrants, very storng berry taste. Coffee and liquorice, too. Lovely.

Bottle (2000 vintage) from Premier Gourmet, Buffalo. Pours a deep black with ruby tones and absolutely no head. Aroma is quite vinous, with some chocolate and wood notes, and an alcohol warmth lurking behind. Still body, barely a hint of carbonation. Flavour is OK - sour fruit/wine notes, a hint of fresh roasted coffee, some salt & licorice, and notes of port and whisky in the finish - but it seems a bit stale and lifeless around the edges. Honestly, I think this baby might be a bit past it’s prime. I’m glad to have tried it, but I’ll be looking to pick up a younger bottle sometime to give it another shot.

vintage 20001 bottle drank at the maltings. poured really really dark black with 0 head. flavors were of alcohol and licorice. flavor full of vinous and woody, and wiskey notes. taste was also a bit sour with hints of berry. Very complex. but I must admit that it was a bit thin. I thoughly enjoyed the beer though and think that it is really underated.

I found a Vintage 2000 bottle in New Beer in downtown Manhattan. I’m always excited about vintages. When I uncorked this bottle and poured it, it looked like used motor oil. It’s pitch black and has no head at all. The aroma is surprisingly sharp. White wine hints, fruity tart berry notes, oakey wood character, and permanent marker. When I first sipped it it was strange. It seemed to have no body and was tastless. Then I realized it was because it was almost all dark bitterness. When it lapped over the back of my tongue I picked up on charcoal-like smokey malt, burning tobacco, deep woody oakeyness, stale cardboard/papery, maybe a touch of some type of tartness after it breaths for atleast 15 minutes. I want to try a younger bottle. Maybe mine died off in it’s 6-year life. It also has no mouthfeel at all. Although it’s viscous, it surprisingly does not stimulate the palate. A very strange beer experience.