Harviestoun Old Engine Oil (Bottle)

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

Pours pitch black, thick, and no head. Aroma of raisins, dark chocolate, and espresso. Flavor is mostly bittersweet chocolate, with some dried fruit (raisins, prunes?), molassas, and alcohol. There is a ton of flavor, but for some reason, and I can’t quite put my finger on it, the tastes don’t mesh. Palate is creamy and extra smooth, but finishes way drier than I’d prefer. Overall an interesting beer that I’m glad to have tried, but this one won’t be going in the regular rotation.

Dark black amber with light brown head. Aroma has nice burnt roasted aromas of bitter chocolate and malts and a load of fresh ground coffee grinds. Thick flavour that equally compliments the aroma only changes is the acidic tartness that carries the flavours into a very well balanced body. Very nice!! As complex as this beer is it still offers an easy drinking enjoyment.

11.2 oz bottle pours an opaque pitch black color with virtually no head whatsoever. Aroma includes dark chocolate, roasted malts, campfire wood and soy sauce. Lots of bittersweet chocolate in the flavor with some black cherry. Really enjoy the bitter finish.

330 ml bottle from LCBO, served almost cold in a tulip glass. BB April 2009.

App.: Deep brown-black with a minute greyish-tan head. Aroma: Lots of very dark aromas – molasses, burnt malt, a bit of dark chocolate or black coffee, light dark, dried fruits; there’s a faint, underlying brightness and slight sweetness, like lemons and caramels too shy to show themselves (wow, that sounds pretty stupid). Palate: Medium body (thinner than anticipated), very soft carbonation, fairly powdery. Flav.: A bit more restrained than the nose – there is certainly some dark dark roasted malts, some of the black coffee, but the molasses and fruity notes have vanished; there is a bit of wood, a certain brightness (more than the nose) and a citric quality; on swallowing, it is very dry dark cocoa, a touch of lemon and a little bitterness.

Seems to me that the Reserve was a bit better, more rounded due to the time in wood.

Opaque black, thin cream-colored head, milk chocolate and malt aroma that continues into the flavor with a mild hop bitterness.

Bottle. Pours on the black side of brown with a small tan head. The aroma is slight molasses with lots of roasted character and burnt fruitiness, maybe a little bit of chocolate, and a distant hint of tobacco. The flavor is a slight burnt acidity at first, followed by a quick burst of dark fruits and a little bit of chocolate. Then it gradually dries out, eventually coming to a fairly bitter, woody finish. Ok.

Bottle- Pours a deep cola brown, topped with a foamy mocha cap, leaving minute lace. Nose is of wood, cherries, dark chocolate, and a musty, dank, port wine. Nice semi-sweet dark chocolate flavours here, with cherries, smoke, wood, some milk chocolate coming through in the finish with some nice round bitterness. The finish is creamy with good roast lingering.

330ml bottle Poured a deep pretty chestnut with a tall whitish dense head... Low carbonation Smells like bitter chocolate and roasty grains.. Good malty body and just enough bitter hops, not overly roasty bitter finish. Dark fruit, licorice candy and pipe tobacco aromas. Like a serious porter.