Port Brewing Old Viscosity

Old Visco. What a brew indeed! Strong resemblance in flavor and appearance to an impy stout. Not quite as thick. Super inky pour, decent sized tan head. Some, not much, lacing. Coffee, baker’s chocolate, vanilla, mascerated plums, a subtle port wine hint and charred wood on the nose. Oily body. A silky smooth montage of flavors...espresso and cream, cocoa powder, cinnamon....I’ll let it warm a bit. The warming time brings out a chocolate covered cherry finish. Not as hoppy as an impy, but it is detectable, nonetheless it is strongly overpowered by a welcomed sweetness coupled with an ashen dryness. Hell, I don’t think Starbuck’s could come up with anything this good. If you find, buy it, buy it all !

Black with hues of chestnut. Tight and creamy cap of gray-tan foam. Sophisticated malt-driven aromas of chocolate wafers, malted milk balls, creamed coffee, caramelized malt, and scorched malt hulls. Light whiff of hops, red licorice, burnt toffee, plum, and raisin. Carbonation softly caresses the tongue. Bottle conditioned. Weighty layers of malt immediately unfold upon the palate as a balancing kiss of lustrous chocolate-covered plums and black cherry fruitiness shyly emerges. Sturdy, seemingly impenetrable malt body is partially lifted by a poignant bite of roasted malt hulls. Dab of coffee teases the palate as it wavers in and out of the flavorsome medley of lighter malt shades. The brightness of the dried plum and red licorice esters mirrors that of the restraint. Gooey base of melted fudge pillars the hefty maltiness while bitter notes of burnt cocoa and dark chocolate underscore the richness and echo the beautifully understated caramelized oak undertow. Alcohol is clean and virtually undetectable. Dazzling interplay between the metallic malt bite and subtle tannins which lightly tingle the palate. Despite the presence of tannins, the barrel extractives are in synch with the malt and esters. Well-developed cakey malt forms an alliance with a fudgelike tackiness before closing with a dryish cocoa, charcoal, and minty alcohol flourish. This is a finessed malt bomb. Quite exquisite.

Bottle. Poured a solid black color with a two finger brown head. Aroma of vanilla and roasted malt. Flavor was oak, vanilla, dark fruit and chocolate. Full body with soft carbonation.

Courtesy of Hank. On a night that I served Westvleteren 8 and Leffe Brune, this was my fave. The aromas of vanilla and roasted malts were pleasing. The dark pour yielded flavors of ripe fruits, sherry, and bourbon. This should age tremendously. well.

Lovely pour, used motor oil black pour with a lovely chocolate colored head. Aroma of earth, dark malts, with some sweetness. Lots of hops just beneath the other flavors. What a blast of oily thick flavors from burned malts, sweetness, hops, followed by a long finish that is austere to dry at the tail end. There is an abundance of heavy dark rich just ripe stone fruits, wood, vegetal hops, and sherry/marsala. This is an imperial stout of world class. I am impressed and look forward to my next bottle.