RateBeer
   Home Sign Up or Login Advanced Search
   People Ratings Events Places Forums Shop Magazine
      Top By Category  RateBeer Best  Latest Ratings  Top 50    

Harveys Imperial Stout

Harveys Imperial Stout

* picture credits
copyright may apply

 Percentile 
77
overall
An Imperial Stout brewed by
Harveys

Lewes, England

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
Find this beer

Add Distribution Data
Send Corrections

 Ratings  Average  Score  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
6743.39/5.03.39/5.09%12.4Snifter P  Stats

Commercial Description:
Usually only available bottle conditioned as Imperial Extra Double Stout. Has occasionally appeared on cask as Harveys Imperial Russian Stout.
Also known as A le Coq Imperial Stout - bottle only.
Ingredients: Pale, Amber, Brown and Black malts; high levels of Fuggles and Goldings hops
"Regarded as one of the World’s most unusual and prestigious beers. The recipe contains a dense concentration of varied malts and hops to produce a bottle conditioned stout. This brew will improve over six months to one year to develop its complexity. This beer has an intense flavour which is complex and distinctive. The roast, alcoholic and spicy notes combine in this unusually sweet & sour beer."

 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 Beershine (1515), Miami Beach, Florida, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/517/20

Jan 14, 2008    Updated: May 3, 2008
2003 Vintage, labeled as Imp. Extra Double Stout. Pour is not totally opaque but almost. Brown-black and deeply hued. Both the aromas and the flavors are a joyful surprise: a panoply of blackberry and malt like a rich layered cake. A delightful, fun melange with a surprising sourness that makes this an interesting one to try.<br /> Nighttime black, no head. Aromas of mashed cherries, blueberries, blackberries. Sour and fun with lots of cherry pit. Very little carbonation, nice. Not thick or viscous. Cherry, cherry pits, some oak. Mellow yet assertive. Killer sour fun. Lots to think about here! Like conceptual art in a glass, like a Jackson Pollack painting, full of color and abstraction.

 stoutlover72 (1342), NorCal, California, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/56/103/514/20
Nov 30, 2008  
Enjoyable beer, and one that I shared with some family members while enjoying Thankgiving 2008. The beer has a perfect pour, deep black in color, a rich, creamy, thick 2-finger head which stayed the entire length of the drink. Aroma was roasted malts, dark chocolate, and slightly musty. Flavors had the same characteristics as in the aroma, with a bit of earthy anise and alcohol thrown in. Decent beer.


 BelgiskOlklub (260), Viby J, Denmark
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/57/104/514/20
Nov 21, 2008  
Bottle at The Warf, Aalborg. Average size creamy dark lasting head with good lacing. Hazy black body. Aroma of coffee and roasted and toasted malt, tar and licorice. Full body with a sticky texture and a soft carbonation. Heavy sweet and light/moderate bitter. Powerfull.


 illidurit (492), Santa Cruz, California, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/103/57/102/513/20
Nov 20, 2008  
Odd little bottle purchased at Ledger’s in Berkeley. Dated 2003. Poured into a snifter. Deep viscous black with browned edges. No head whatsoever. Coats the glass with a swirl. Aroma is unusual, more along the lines of a Flanders red than a RIS. Deep winey berries and grapes drizzled with chocolate. Portlike and very alluring. Flavor is nothing like the aroma, really. Still acidic like wine but the flavor is leathery and woody. Vinous quality like chewing on grape seeds. Regains some white wine fruitiness with warmth, but not much. I have to dock this beer’s mouthfeel and drinkability for the lack of carbonation. Body isn’t really all that thick, and the wine-like qualities help create a dry finish. Really interesting beer. Something you should try even if you end up not liking it.


 CaryTheDude (489), Ripon, Wisconsin, USA
1.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
2/105/52/101/52/20
Nov 19, 2008  
Kinda crushed with Jakebra. Really thought I was drinking Sam Adams Triple Bock. Soy sauce like a motherfucker. Not AS offensive as the tripele bock, but still. What the fuck. Finishes surprisingly clean. Damn.


 lithy (385), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
1.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
4/102/52/102/56/20
Nov 17, 2008  
2000 vintage. Expecting either a religious experience or a gag-inducing soy sauce. Broke the cork from this terrible bottle type. Slight sour whiff when opened. Pitch black pour with absolutely no head. Biting nose, soy sauce, tobacco, slight chocolate. Taste is horrendous. Burned toast, soy sauce, earthy tobacco, pitch, cheap chocolate and watery pine tar finish. I really would like to get a ’good’ bottle of this beer to rerate but I’m in no hurry.



would you like to read more ratings?



Then join us! RateBeer is made by beer enthusiasts for the craft beer community. Your basic membership is free and allows you to read all beer ratings.

Desired User Name
*


Valid Email (Needed to verify your account)
*

Relax. RateBeer is 100%, guaranteed spam-free. That's our promise to you.

I agree to the terms of the RateBeer User Agreement

RATE THIS BEER

Aroma

rating assistance

Appearance

rating assistance

Flavor

rating assistance

Palate

rating assistance

Overall impression

rating assistance

TOTAL SCORE

Comments

More Imperial Stouts

Närke Kaggen Stormaktsporter (4.48)

Three Floyds Oak Aged Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout (4.44)

Three Floyds Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout (4.38)

AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout (4.35)

AleSmith Speedway Stout (4.34)

Surly Darkness (4.32)

Bells Expedition Stout (4.32)

Närke Stormaktsporter (4.23)

Stone Imperial Russian Stout (4.22)

Three Floyds Vanilla Bean Barrel Aged Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout (4.2)


About RateBeer | Add A Beer | Add A Brewer | Edit Personal Info | 100 Beer Club | FAQ | Log out | Feedback? | Copyright 2000-2008, RateBeer LLC