Harveys Imperial Stout

(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.

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

Bottle (2001) at plan B.Black body, with a small brown head. Aroma is fruit, dark fruits (prunes). Flavor is the same, but also liqourice and soy. When it enters the mouth, it is sour. Good imperial stout.

Bottle. Pours pitch black with a medium dense brown head. Aroma is fruit and soy, with hints of prune and raisin. Flavor is mostly soy, making it quite salty, but also roasted malt, tan and some alcohol. An interesting brew, but it taste to much of soy.