Harveys Imperial Stout

Brewed by Harveys
Style: Imperial Stout
Lewes, England

bottle-pours no head, I then poured it from 12” high and got a few bubbles for a few seconds and oil sludge black color. Aroma is vinuous, molasses, dark fruit-raisin/some plum/figs, sugar cane, vanilla, oak, slight tar,alcohol. Not my style but a delight to breathe in, spectacular. Taste is lots of weed/grainy, red wine mouth feel with the related tannins, chicory-almost coffee. Some slickness at initial and mid taste. Minimum/no carbonation. Thanks to Joe-jwc215 for picking this out.

2001 bottle, thanks Sham. Well guess what, it is 4 years old, has been sitting in my glass for almost an hour and I have a decent sheet of dark brown foam over it to remind me of the louder than most pop upon opening, call me lucky:) Nevertheless, few imperials score such a head and this one is as black as it gets, the kind of black that acts like a mirror, you can’t see 1mm through it. An easy 5. Aroma is highly vinous, interestingly balsamic and feels original in that aspect. I’ve had a few poor excuses of impies that had a lot of citric acidity, but this is tannic, fruity and corky like a fine red wine. Meaty molasses maltiness abund surrounding a slight milk chocolate sweetness. Alcohol appears more and more as it warms, through aniseseed and bubblegum flavors that remind of the finest liqueurs. I have no idea how those spicy cork notes manage to work well with the roastiness, but you have to taste it to believe it. Very complex. Oily palate proposes mostly low though well spread out carbonation and is probably the weakest link to me though I guess it would lose a lot of its charm with a belgian carbonation of a dark lord syrupyness. Delicious... Classic characteristics of imperial stouts meeting with a bière de garde.

This is such a strange beer for me. Aroma is sour red wine vinigar, infact the nose is a flemish sour ale. Taste is similarly sour, with some maltiness coming through the vinigar. Long finish like 2-3 min long finish. This is a stout, it says on the bottle and it looks like one, but to me its a malty flemish sour ale, excellent!

Bottle... (1999)... This beer rocks!... The aroma is of exotic roasted nuts, dates and toffee smothered in pure Godiva dark chocolate. Hint of vanilla as well.The appearance is menacing, mean and dark. Pitch Black with a small, quickly diminishing creamy brown head. Excellent lacing. Flavors of alcohol, dark chocolate, toffee and dark fruits up front. Bitter and pungent on the backside. Oily mouthfeel. Soft carbonation. Long, bitter and dry finish. A "must try" imperial stout. World class!

Rerate 11/23/02: 2000 Vintage pours an oily black with a small, short-lived light brown head. Acidic cherry aroma, almost like a lambic. Body has good thickness and very pleasant dry-roasted chocolate malt finish. Light sweetness throughout. Good complexity, but I think the acidity is a detriment. This might have passed its peak, but still a mighty fine and unique imperial stout. Still hides the alcohol quite well. 9/26/02: It looks like oil. It doesn't even taste like beer until about 2/3 of the way down. Extremely complex! Hints of soy and oats. Masks its alcohol quite well in the fact that its body is more like that of sherry. Reminds of Sam Adams Triple Bock, without the harsh aftertaste. 1999 bottle, ages very well.

black and opaque, fine head; aroma: wine-like (every wine connoisseur, blindfold, would take this for a syrah), black-currant, slightly toasted, nougat; oily, petrol and bitter with a coffee finish - really not an easy beer !

Pretty good stuff, the nose is quite strong, very amlty and yeasty. The first sip is quite sweet, but finishes off with a nice bitter coffee flavour, very big and complex, a must try.

(2000 vintage) Pours jet-black with just a few black-brown bubbles; nearly viscous; and the cork, of abysmal quality, has expanded little corkfluff all over the surface. Dried plums, vinous, nearly acetic or balsamico; also very remarkedly dried figs. Somewhere something smoked is suggested. Again extremely vinous in the taste, tart, over-woody character; walnut and its green husk - even ink-like. Bitter, but the vinous character makes it more as tannines, or tuber-like, than hoppy. Tobacco and vanilla retronasal. Very viscous (pouring is affirmed), syrupy. Velvety is too mild - its like drinking compressed cotton or gauze. Very bitter aftertaste, tobacco-like. This is BIG and complex - nothing subtle and layered about it - just an enormous punch. And not to be missed, IMO.