Harveys Imperial Stout

Brewed by Harveys
Style: Imperial Stout
Lewes, England

2003 bottle from Beer World (Largo, FL). Pours a murky and muddy dark pitch black, used motor oil black color with no head. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of ripe dark fruit, toffee, slight notes of vinegar, light coffee, brown sugar, wood, and caramel. Flavor is sweet and vinegary with notes of sour ripe fruit, sour coffee, some light toffee. Generally medium body with a nasty finish. I agree with ChefChad that this 2003 bottle is a total mess. Would make a great steak sauce, but not a beer that ages well.

WOW.... Very Weird.. . Smells great... looks great... now if we can just work on taste....2003 bottle and I was excited to see it.... But is was a total mess... Let us be honest.. I spent $6 on this and I cannot pour it out... but I want to.. . there is know way that it will get better with age or taste better if it warms up.. I could sit here and describe the beer for you.. I would rather tell you DON"T DRINK IT!!! this was crap..... I fell ripped off

The first whiff of this beer was like a barleywine, but the second was more like a stout - smoky with hints of coffee. Still there is a decided barleywine or cider overtone. It pours a deep opaque sable with a decent tan head. Flavor is rich, oily and smoky with a mocha undertone and a strong alcohol bite. Texture is smooth, a little fizzy, and just a bit slimy. Aftertaste is a rather strong alcohol bite like brandy.

Bought awhile ago, so it has probably a year and half+ on it? Very similar to Bells Cherry Stout with age on it. Less cherry of course but still some. Still syrupy. Pretty good really. Finishes with nice chocolate. Vinous nose, but good. Still some gross sweetness? though.

2003 bottle. Near-black with no head to speak of. Strong smelling. The alcohol really comes through, smelling almost of whiskey. Oakey, resiney, raisiny. Palate similar to a bourbon stout. Oak, molasses, smoked cheese, licorice tastes. Bitter finish. Odd taste. Not bad, but wouldn’t want to kick back with an entire bottle.

Pours a solid black with a thick, dense dark-brown head which quickly subsides into a small ring. Incredibly potent aroma - vinous, sour berry, blackcurrant. Taste is off the chart - dark sour cherries against sweet medicinal boozy & peppery finish, plenty of bittering hops molasses, more red wine, earthy cedar, wow! Body is chewy, thick and coating, and has just a hint of sparkle as far as carbonation goes, but that’s just fine. My god, the finish just doesn’t subside! Very impressive, very sad I didn’t buy two.

2003 vintage bottle.This one was different from any stout I have ever tried.The aroma was thick with a licorice and brandy and plums.It poured a very dark dark black with a little white head and very little carbonation.The flavor was oaky with a an overripe fruit and sweet chocolate with brandy finishing.It tasted dirty is the best way to describe it,I assume its brett?Too complex and the flavors collide with no forgiveness to one another.It was good but I’m not sure as to how good because like I said I’ve never tasted anything like it.

2003 vintage bottle. Pours fizzy (lots of nucleation on the sides of the glass) black with a dark greyish brown head that fades quickly to a thin tan ring. Aroma is of oak, cherry, musty grain, some funk, licorice, brandy, teriyaki, earthy balsamic vinegar, dark chocolate, brettanmyces and some english hops. Flavor is full of soy, roast, port, smoked beef, lots of oak, some basement funk, balsamic vinegar, dark coffee, way overripe apples, leather, brett? tannins, musty grain, dark chocolate, sharp cheese, raw grain, smoked cheese, licorice, cedar, charred peaches and apples and some charred mustard crusted pork. Finish is bitter, sour, tannin, herbal, roast, and herbal, I could go on here but this rating is going a bit too long for this beer. Palate is medium thickness, oily texture with a light though biting carbonation and an excessively dry, astringent finish. This stuff is ridiculously complex, interesting and odd, but not necessarily really delicious. I did have to give it some credit for oddity, it reminds me of SA Triple Bock in some ways. I really have to wonder if this stuff is aged with brett on purpose, or if some just made it in there by accident, either way it really smelled and tasted of bretty funk, which was really interesting in an old oxidized stout.