Harveys Imperial Stout

2001. bottle. cork. 6/27/06 drank. Pours with almost no head and then a very nice mocha thin bubbled head appears. The aroma is strong. Can smell from three feet away. strong raisons, mollasses, malts, hops, cherry, whisky barrel. very lively on the pallets but smooth. sweet cherries, dark chocolate, whisky barrel give way to a very slight coffee taste. nice malts and hops. aftertaste lingers a long time. one of the more interesting imperials i have had.

2001 Bottle. Black color with neither head nor carbonation. Vinous, medical, acetic and corky aroma with notes of salty licorice. Thick and stunning flavor reminding soya sauce and Fernet Branca bitter. Charcoal roastedness, licorice, apple and acetic acid. Roasted, salty, woody, corky and bitter finish with notes of apple and licorice. Great and very long finish. Not entirely pleasant experience but have to respect the complexity and uniqueness of this beer.

1999. First thing that hits you even befor you pour is the wine aroma on the cork. Pours black and thick with no head and no carbonation. Aroma of wine, cork, alcholhol and a musty celler or basement. Intense. The aroma makes you think you need to chew it but its not as thick as is smells. It just kicked my butt and overpowered me.

Poured like old motor oil without a hint of a head. Its completely opaque and rather viscous on the glass. The aroma is strong with lots of competing notes: dates, overpowering olive brine, alcohol, wood chips, licorice and vanilla (what in the heck is this going to taste like?). Wow, a lot going on. Harsh olive brine flavor starts off the taste profile in sort of a vile way. Then some smoke flavor, chocolate, coffee and licorice. Definitely a sipping beer along with a hearty meal. That didn’t work for me though. The brine flavor got to me and I poured half down the drain. Might be a nice beer without the brine.

1999. Just a hiss as I removed the cork, no pop. Black motor oil pour, no head, no carbonation, even with a nearly vertical pour. Nose of port wine with big plums and raisins, vinegar, roasty malt, bittersweet chocoffee, and some licorice candy. Intense brew. Flavors are port, dark fruits, vanilla, roastiness, wood, vinegar, bittersweet mocha. No barrel involved? Aftertaste of roasted bitterness. Full body, smooth. Motor oil. The flavor comes alive if I take big drinks and roll it around a bit, sips don’t do well for this one. One big drink will satisfy for about ten minutes, so this bottle should last an hour. Authentic English style R.I.S. Very enjoyable, complex brew.

2000 brewing sampled 5/2006. Sampled from an 11.2 oz brown bottle this beer poured thick, black and oily with no head whatsoever. The aroma is an incredibly luscious mix of sweet chocolate, plum raising and port wine. The flavor is huge with flavors of plum, raisin, port wine and a hint of aged vinegar. The body is super thick. There are hints of chocolate, sour fruits, molasses and roasty malts that appear on the aftertaste just lightly underneath the strong tangy front flavor. This beer is amazingly vast and rich though sadly it manages to smell better than it tastes.

Bottle at Købehavnske Øldage 2006. Bours black with a quickly dimminishing tanned head. Smells Portish. Low/no carbonation. Tastes sweet and portlike. Aromas of liquirish, prunes and port. hints of coffee and alcohol. VERY full bodied. A full bottle is more than enough for me.

Bottle. 2001 vintage. Pours a black colour with no head. Fruity aroma slightly lactic acid. Malty fruity flavor with hints of licourice and chocolate. Malty warming aftertaste with some sourness.