Harveys Imperial Stout

Brewed by Harveys
Style: Imperial Stout
Lewes, England

Poured totally flat and very dark with a prune juice color around the edge of the glass. Not unpleasant aroma-plumy pruney red wine with some soy sauce. Flavors of soy, bitter chocolate, some roasted malt with a sour note but mostly just devoid of sweetness. Assertive flavor and yet watery in texture with a dry brackish finish. Not good but it didn’t really seem spoiled, just way over the hill maybe. Apparently there is still some of this floating around out there but with the thousands of excellent freshly brewed beers available these days, I can’t recommend taking a chance on this one, and it wasn’t cheap either. 2000.

2000 vintage, black with no head and lacing. aroma of red wine, chocolate, and alcohol. taste was dry with sourness and some fruit. can appreciate but not my kind of thing.

2001 – Black body with a lasting brown head; Huge, fantastic nose, with loads of complexity: Sweet dark overripe cherries, cinnamon on the on side, on the other almost Flemish sour again with cherries (sour ones), almost Kriek character, this together with salty soy sauce, dust, resin even rot, this is amazing!: WHAT A SURPRISE to pour this beer into your mount! It is so salty that it almost hurts, with a very late bitterness in the finish. The body is thick and oily, totally flat. In the finish you have the same bitterness and taste as in a super black espresso, the same explosion of taste as well, this together with condensed licorice. In the very late finish there are loads of hazelnuts and even notes of flowery perfume. I have never had anything like this, it is very special and just fantastic!

11.2 oz corked bottle. Pours a black body with no head at all. Aroma is sherry-like. Flavor is sherry, port, chocolate, and a nice breadiness. With the medium thick, rich palate, it makes for a nice Imperial.

From a 11.2 oz. corked long, narrow neck bottle with the year 2000 on bottom of label and a history about the Russian Imperial Stout on top and sides of label. Made a good appearance, poured a deep opaque black with a small foamy brown head that settled into a thin bubbly lacing, moderate carbonation. Had a dark ripe fig aroma with a good deal of woodiness, whiffs of roasted grain and alcohol. A syrupy full bodied mouth feel, good sipping drinkability. Bitterness from the roasted grain and hops is the first thing you notice in the taste, a sweet woodiness follows, a dark ripe fruitiness, and a roasted malty and woody finish with a warm alcohol presence lingering in the palate. A very nice Russian Imperial Stout with an interesting history, well worth seeking out.

2001 bottle. Was like pouring motor oil, black and thick, no head. Very flat. Nose was molasses, hint of roast and a lot of sour. The alcohol is definitely noticeable. Flavor is very complex, very sweet, prunes, some roasts/smokiness. The sourness was a bit more than I cared for, didn’t mix well with the bitterness. Is definitely better at warmer temps.

This beer needs to air out and warm to the room. 2000 vintage. Inititially Cantillon sour and chemical aroma that becomes more coffee and above average. Thick black appearance that does not disapoint the palate. Just boozy and sourish at the beginning, then it tapers around the edges as it warmed.

2000 and 2001 vintage. Pours a dark black color, thick but completly flat. Aroma is of sour cherry and bitter chocolate. Flavor was horrid, I could not finish this beer. There was far too much sour and bitter (in a bad way) flavors. I did not even attempt to try to decipher them out, so siffice it to say it was bad and does not et a recommendation from me.