Harviestoun Old Engine Oil (Bottle)

Brewed by Harviestoun
Style: Old Ale
Alva, Central, Scotland

Listed as an old ale on the B United website, I always considered this to be a porter of sorts.I don’t enjoy this as much as I enjoy the barrel aged special reserve. This has some dark fruits going on as well as some chocolate, and a bit of licorice and molasses, like its name states a very oily mouthfeel, but not overly complex, but quite drinkable, not heavy at all.

Eh, not a whole lot going on here really. Pours jet black, and looks nice, but too watery to remind me of engine oil. Taste is flat and lifeless. Like a mess of dark fruit and mud. Never balances out or finds a personality. Watery in spots. That compost comment from the rating before mine is spot on, lots of things going on here, none of them very good.

Bottle: Deep brown with a smaller brown head. Aroma is full or earthiness, peat, smoke, and eggshells. Flavor is a roasty malt and smokey, but becomes musty and earthy. Kind of like it was stored near a compost pile... Not really what I like.

From an 11.2 oz bottle this poured a black as oil from a 1968 Volkswagen driven 30,000 miles through the desert without an oil change. Medium light brown head and good lacing. Nose of roasted malts with chocolate, coffee, and burnt wood chips. Very rich and creamy mouthfeel. Finish is like bittersweet chocolate. Very nice brew.

Very dark brown beer with small brown head, nice lacing, (quite big bubbly). Sweet, roasted malty aroma got also nice aromatic hoppyness, licorice and chokolate. Flavor is roasted with much chokolate. Aftertaste is rather sweet. Quite full-bodied and oily palate.

11.2oz bottle. Pours dark brown/black with very little, tan head. Smells slightly toasty and sweet malty. Tastes toasty malty, slightly chocolatey, a little coffee, and a little dish towel. Body is not viscous in myopinion. Pretty thin but very smooth with nice smooth carbonation.

Pours silky black with barely any head. Peaty nose, very mild and welcoming. Gorgeous silky body with subtle complexity. Black licorice, peat and chocolate flavors. Low co2 silky and viscous texture. Reaches that wonderful place where the hops and roasted malt resonate on the same bitterness note, accentuated by smokey harmonics. Light feel and absolutely sessionable. Lovely!

Bottle. Smells like a porter, tastes like a porter, looks like a porter. Chocolatey and roastey but not sour and burnt like a stout. Clean yeast character. Nice.