Harveys Imperial Stout

Brewed by Harveys
Style: Imperial Stout
Lewes, England

Bottle, 2001. Aroma of tart cherry, other tart medium-dark fruits, sweet malt. Flavor rather tart as well with touches of chocolate. Roastiness only shows up at all in the finish which is also quite dry. Feels complex underneath it all, but I can’t get much past the cherry notes. Certainly a unique one!

2000 bottle shared by Crosling. Poured a deep brown/black color with no head. Aroma of tart fruit (cherry and grape), faint chocolate, anise, raisin, and some cardboard oxidization. Smooth, lightly sweet entry with hints of raisin leading into a chewy chocolatiness followed by some dark fruits, and faint anise that finishes with a light chalkiness and some oxidization. No carbonation and a bit thin on the palate. Overall, time certianly seems to have taken its toll on this beer. It is thin, a bit tart, and off in a number of ways. I will need to retry a fresher bottle.

I bought a bottle of this in 2005 that was a 2001 vintage. Since it was purchased it was cellared properly. Needed a cork screw to open it, which was kinda fun. That’s where the fun ended. The aroma from the bottle is very fusel, which puts you on edge. Pours an oily, slightly watery, opaque black with no head. Had legs like a scotch. Nose now opens into even more harsh aromas, soy sauce, burnt toast, metal, this strange industrial smell. Yuck. Decided to try it anyway, motor oil, metal, soy sauce, charcoal, burnt toast, nothing redeemable. Finish is oily and hot and sorta sour. Gross, all around. Went right down the drain, a complete disappointment.

(2003 vintage) Pours zero head. Nil, nada. Aromas of vanilla and sherry to the nose. Interesting experience of taking "air hits" off the tulip glass I’m using makes my lungs a little warm. Never experienced that with a beer before. Body looks of dark brown motor oil. Flavors along the lines of cork, tobacco and oxidized sherry. Zero carbonation to the mouth to support early fact there was not head. If you take small sips then the flavors are mostly bitter. However, if you take larger mouthfuls then there is a tiny sweetness hiding in there. Bitterness lingers on palate long after finishing consumption. If this had "normal" carbonation I might be rating this higher, but I’m just not digging this imperial compared to others I’ve enjoyed.

Bottle. Poured black with absolutely no head. Very sparse carbonation, almost like a wine. Aromas of raisins, burning rubber, worcestershire, soy sauce, stale coffee, and dark chocolate. Strong raisin and coffee accents, but mostly tasted like I was drinking unsalted soy sauce gone bad. Thick, syrupy mouthfeel with a finish of motor oil and regurgitated chinese food. I would insult this beer, but I think my description is enough. A truly disgusting "drink."

Bottle from Utobeer. Black body with no head. Nose of malts, dark fruits. Taste of dark fruits and sherry. More of a wine. Full-bodied. Tart finish.

Bottle, 2001 vintage. Pours a pitch black body with no head. Almost wine-like aroma of tobacco, dark fruit, red wine, wood, and burnt malt. Flavor is surprisingly more of the same - a strong charcoal flavor with dark fruit tartness, apple, cocoa powder, and black licorice. There is a slight hint of cork throughout the palate. Full bodied with a smooth mouthfeel. Cocoa finish with an odd tartness on the aftertaste. One of the more interesting imperial stouts I’ve tried.

2001 vintage. Aromas and flavours of; Worcester sauce, sherry, treacle, tart rich dried fruit. Thick and black - what little head there was was the colour of demerara sugar. Strong vineous aroma developed as the beer warmed slightly. A beer with depth and heaviness, but I was quite pleasantly surprised how drinkable it still was. My bottle’s cork had slighlty dried out and did split slightly, resulting in the first inch being chucked out, on the initial pour.