Harviestoun Old Engine Oil (Bottle)

330 cl. Opaque black with a four-finger lasting head, and beautiful sticky soapy lacing. Aroma is chocolate, coffee, molasses, maybe a whiff of beef jerky. Taste is big malt, but has great balance: chocolate, chicory coffee, light peppery herb, charred oak, and a slight salty-smoky aftertaste. Mouthfeel is medium-heavy, extremely smooth, and just the right balance between watery and sticky. As advertised, a great dessert beer, and nearly perfect.

Bottle sampled. Pours dark with ruby edges and a small beige head. Aroma of roast, dark fruit, chocolate, and spices. the flavor is roast, chocolate, spices, and a fair amount of bitterness in the finish.

Pours dark chocolate brown wtih a smooth khaki head. Very rich chocolate flavors, like bakers chocolate, molasses, lightly burnt flavors, and hints of port. Tastes more like a stout then an old ale.

Bottle. Very dark brown with a slight, tan head. Aroma was roasty, with prunes and bitter chocolate. Flavour of more chocolate, with coffee and preserved fruits. A warming alcohol finish. Very good.

Pours a dark black with a fast fading head. I have had this on tap and in the bottle. I bypassed it several times at Beer and Wine Westpark, but I finally took a chance. Why did I wait so long? This comes acorss like a good British porter with a bit less carbonation. The smoky satin taste brings the chocolate out with very little bitterness. It finishes with a mildness yet moderate alcohol taste.

Tap at Blind Tiger. Pitch black beer with a thin off-white head. Aroma is quite roasty. Heavy tarry/charry roasted malt character. Earthy/roasty with a bit of fruit and dark sweet malts. Leathery flavour and surprisingly dry throughout. Bitter chocolate and roast. The flavour is fairly simple IMHO… dry roastiness, a touch of soft leather, and light toast/heavy roast. More of a big dry stout than any Old Ale I’ve had before. I’d like to try it with a bit more age on it. Warming improves it significantly, bringing out leather and more sweet fruitiness.

12 oz bottle. Pours a dark brown body with a mahogany edge under a small fine bubbled light brown head that left lots of heavy lacing. Aroma is heavily malty with some roast, coffee, chocolate, and caramel notes. Some light alcohol, licorice, and husky grain. Flavor has lots of chocolate, a little smoke, and a nice slightly sour roasty finish with coffee, a little alcohol, and light bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a nice oily texture and soft fine carbonation. This was a really nice surprise, much better than the Special Reserve version. Not really sure it fits in real well with the Old Ale style, but it’s pretty darn good.

Rich dark solid color, aroma is syrupy and toasty. Chewy palate. Taste is burnt malt with a noticable kick. First taste after swallow is coffee with nice clean hoppy finish at the end.