Harveys Imperial Stout

Brewed by Harveys
Style: Imperial Stout
Lewes, England

2000 Vintage: HUGE black currant, syrah, blackberry and raspberry aromas accompanied by mild sourness. Blacker than black with absolutely no head. Very, very low carbonation. Mildly sour flavor up front with big, spicy blackberry/black currant flavors giving way to extremely bitter chocolate and a touch of coffee. Heavy bodied, complex sweetness. This is big, bold, heavy, VERY complex and absolutely wonderful.

this handsome bottle would look august and epicurean on the condiment shelf pressuming to be a steak sauce. no 'hiss' was heard when i bade the cork to yield, not even a sniff. the contents flopped heavily into the glass, exciting only a peppery dotting of golden bubbles-- a pour of primordial swamp ooze comprised of composting dinosaurs and rubber trees crushed and baked for a geological age or two under the weight of the continental mantle. aroma is a beautiful melange of cointreau orange and cabernet, salt air and oil from a rhine river barge, and plums-- not just dried but smoked and made resinous in the gummy chambers of a hash pipe from an ottoman palace. at once both sweet as raisins and bitter as lime peel, it elegantly envelopes the tongue in it's smoky sweet puissance and squeezes like a boa. some carbonation would be interesting, but likewise this silky elixir of snake oil, darkest chocolate, india ink, alcohol and worchestershire sauce is magnificent as a flat, sipped cordial. great thanks and cheers to indra.

Absolutly delicious. Sweet, spicy, with tones of dried fruit and chocolate. A perfect companion to chocolate or just as a stand alone after a hearty meal.

2000 bottle consumed February 29 2004.
Finally decided to break this one out. Thick, viscous, oily deep dark black, could not get any head out of mine. Opaque, bottle conditioned. Aroma that you can almost drink; french roast coffee, rich dark chocolate, heavily roasted barley, light hints of maple and soy. Incredible. Flavor is immediately very salty and in your face, and makes a quick transition in to black roasted malt. Flavor deepens and adds some bitter chocolate, and plenty of vinous alcohol notes. Oak barrel flavor is subtle and combines well with the deep roast. Bitter, dark coffee on the finish and some more woodiness with a hint of anise and hazelnuts. Incredibly complex, delicious and full-bodied, supremely well-balanced. Sure, it has some preliminary signs of oxidation; there is some thinning on the finish, but it adds a vintage feel to this and stretches out the flavors. 9/4/8/4/18
2001 bottle Drunk on 11/02/05 at Sunset Grille
Completely flat pour. Even vigorously pouring it results in no head. Aroma of deep black chocolate and espresso, with a thick, pervasive dusty, cardboardy-like yeast. Prunes and lots of vinousness. Not too shabby in the nose, were it not for the thick, dulling yeast. Flavor really has suffered, unfortunately. Thick, dull, dirty yeast remeniscent of bacterial infections I’ve tasted in T. Hardys. Flat, oxidized mouthfeel. The strong black bitterness and sourish vinousness go nowhere when the beer is in this condition. A pity, really and I’m torn as to whether to lower the score. But having had this only twice now and seeing the other poor ratings, I think I will. If future samples prove that this is just an anomaly, I doubt I will count this sample. 8/2/5/2/9
1999 bottle drunk on 2/17/07
This was a strange experience to say the least. Decork it and….nothing, no carbonation escaping. The pour is completely flat and lifeless. Hmmm, this dosent bode well…But, one smell of the aroma and I’m shocked. Smells divine! All the prunes, vanilla, tar, roast and delicious chocolate you could want, without any oxidation. Flavor took some breathing, much like an old wine, but after about 25 minutes or so, it really made a huge improvement and the flavors lightened/softened and it was actually pretty enjoyable drinking. Mouthfeel/texture was very similar to wine, but the flavor had a profound and very enjoyable smokiness, with lots of char, oil and crunchy coffee. Some bitter chocolate notes on the finish, with moderate saltiness and a hint of sweet vanilla running through it. Light suggestions of brandy in the nose, upon breathing. Really phenomenal stuff. I’m going to discount my previous bad example and chalk it up to problems with shipping/storage. I really think if you get this stuff from the source and cellar it properly, it will rarely (if ever) disappoint.

One of the most unique beers I've had in a while. This is a very filling, very rotund-tasting Imperial Stout. It pours pitch-black with an absence of almost any head. It looks like oil drained out of a 1972 Ford Pickup truck. Very, very little carbonation. This is indeed a flat beer. The nose isn't terribly strong but I did notice pepperiness and sweetness (licorice). The taste is complex and rich and the flavors explode on the palate. Tastes of licorice, blackberries, brandy and prunes shine through. Very syrupy. Its hard not to make a face when drinking this. That's not to say its bad, but the flavors are so intense and so distinctive that I don't think your palate knows exactly how to react! A smooth and almost buttery finish. Not an everyday beer, but definitely recommended to try at least once!

A nice imperial stout. Very little carbonation. Reminds me of last years Bell Expedition stout. Very complex. 2000 vintage, didn’t notice the sweetness much.

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!

Some vintage imperial double stout bought right here in Krakow for a horrendous amount of money. But on the other hand I gotta admit it was awesome - pitch black colour, absolutely no head, only slight bubbles. OMG what a flavour - extremely dense, almost wine-like, full flavoured with some roasted, slightly fruity notes and peanut taste. Unlike anything I ever tried before - syrup-like but very, very satisfying, feels as it there was no drop of water. The only disadvantage is that it was hard to imagine another one after this - so thick and absorbing. 2001. Awesome stuff, a completely unique & different drinking experience.