Harviestoun Old Engine Oil (Bottle)

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

Opaque ebony pour, with thin head. Toasted chocolate malts on the nose. Shares similar scents as those found in a smokey single malt, toasted, almost peaty? but less powerful. Rich chocolate flavors...toasted, nutty, with hints of caramel and dry hoppy presence lingering towards the end. A dry stout, but one with lots of character. Agreat brew!

Hard to classify this one, but you can’t deny that it’s a damn good beer. Rich and full of lovely chocolatey and some citrusy aromas, and a full body that tastes like chocolate, coffee, and roasted nuts. Incredibly drinkable for a beer so rich.

Bottled. Poured a murky, deep cola brown with a fizzy beige head that settles down quickly. Aroma was quite lovely with sweeter chocolates and day-old coffee grounds (but a decent coffee, so it was still aiight).. mild darker rummy raison notes and some roasted black patent malt even deeper. Flavor began with an interesting hit of dark fruit sourness, followed by sweet, dry, and grainy roasted chocolates.. sour fruit and coffee bitterness accent the edges.. back to the chocolate, some figs, and raisins at the finish.. tasty and intriguing. Medium-bodied with a solid flow across the palate.. chocolate was grainy, but I enjoyed the feel.. just slightly warm on the finish. Nice one.

Pours deep ruby with largish brown head. Nose is chocolate, olive, roasted malt, coffee, and faint floral hops. The flavor is roasty, smoky, ashy, sweet. Oily mouthfeel. Reminds me of a sweet stout. Pretty good stuff.

Rich is the word to describe this one. Sensational aroma of complex chocolate (not the 1D choc flavours you get in a lot of beers), Christmas cake, sea air, salty rauchbier smoke, plummy esters, a tiny hint of hop and that distinct British yeast character. Rich, round cocoa flavours with subtle burnt toast and a slightly sweet finish. A bit more bitterness would make this great. Fantastic mouthfeel - dusty, soft and round but with a faint booziness sadly. This was in really great condition for a UK bottled beer. Top stuff. The comparison to Men of Norfolk is inevitable here I think, and I think I prefer Men of Norfolk, but this type of beer really works for me. Thanks heaps Linc!

Very black pour. Very nice beer with a great bitter finish for a dark beer. Almost a porter. Lots of chocolate. Texture is oily and thick, almost rubbery. I like pilsnerrogge’s comment "like Guinness but with more balls".

Bottle (Kaisla, Helsinki) Jet black,no head. Plum aroma quickly becomes bacon very quickly. And once you’ve got the smoky bacon idea in your head, you’ll sense it every time you lift the glass to your lips. Deeply burnt but also quite milky. Subtle but also quite insistent stoutness. Perfectly balanced.
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Harviestoun Old Engine Oil = Inhale it, soon over-indulge.
-- Anna

Great caramel malty aroma and color. Nice slightly sweet. Tried at Pizza Port’s Real Ale festival from bottle. Absolutely loved the special reserve version of this beer.