Old Engine Oil - Special Reserve
Harviestoun in Alva, Clackmannanshire, Scotland 🏴
Traditional Beer - Old Ale Regular|
Score
7.39
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Aged for six months in single malt whisky casks.
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8.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
thanks to dsnowden for this gem!
pour pitch black, really no surprise there, small light brown head that doesnt last long. Aroma is VERY roasty, lots of malt, and hickory smoke, and i’m getting a bit of soy sauce. FLavour is again, big on roasted malt, and a big smoky note in the finish, almost sausage like. A nice lingering bitterness in the finish also. SUper nice beer!
pour pitch black, really no surprise there, small light brown head that doesnt last long. Aroma is VERY roasty, lots of malt, and hickory smoke, and i’m getting a bit of soy sauce. FLavour is again, big on roasted malt, and a big smoky note in the finish, almost sausage like. A nice lingering bitterness in the finish also. SUper nice beer!
Tried
on 27 Feb 2025
at 06:12
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle at home. It pours very dark brown (near black) with a small dark tan head. The nose is roasted malt, chocolate, meatiness, coffee, whisky, peat, earth and salted caramel. The taste is roasted malt, coffee, dark fruit, wood, whisky, chocolate, mild acidity, earth, umami aspect and treacle with a warming finish. Full body, low carbonation and viscous mouth-feel. Rich and flavoursome. Good depth of flavour. Nice after dinner beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Jan 2013
at 11:40
3.5/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 5
Flavor 3
Texture 4
Overall 2
Imported from my RateBeer account as Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Special Reserve (by Harviestoun Brewery):
Aroma: 5/10, Appearance: 2/5, Taste: 3/10, Palate: 2/5, Overall: 4/20, MyTotalScore: 1.6/5
Darkbrown beer, beige very small head. Smells like caramel and coffee. Tastes like coffee grit with a very slight hint of caramel.
Aroma: 5/10, Appearance: 2/5, Taste: 3/10, Palate: 2/5, Overall: 4/20, MyTotalScore: 1.6/5
Darkbrown beer, beige very small head. Smells like caramel and coffee. Tastes like coffee grit with a very slight hint of caramel.
Tried
on 14 May 2010
at 05:39
8.3/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle 12fl.oz.[ Courtesy of Summer Secret Santa ]. Clear dark red brown color with a average to large, creamy, good lacing, mostly lasting, light brown to beige head. Aroma is light heavy malty, dark roasted, burnt, caramel, chocolate, smoke and vanilla notes. Flavor is heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light alcoholic - whisky. [20091113]
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Dec 2009
at 04:21
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
33 cL bottle. Pours dark brown to black with a huge and chocolate brown head. Aroma is chocolate, vanilla and wooden notes to a strong malt base. Sweet, chocolate and vanilla wooden flavoured. Light roasted bitter to acidic note coming through. Rather dry and hardroasted malt flavoured. Lingering acidic roasted malt finish with a light whiskey alcohol note.
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Nov 2009
at 18:06
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle, 8.0%. Good aroma, roasted coffee, some cream. Black colour, red shine. Small stable brown head. The flavour is very creamy with a good coffee note, some sweetness. Good alcohol note in the finish to balance the flavour and sweetness.
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Nov 2009
at 18:06
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
bottle at DLD 2009 ... At bloody last but i needed to goto the US for this Scottish beer ... deep black ... nice tan head ... deep roast ... little toffee nose... rich smooth roast malt ... little meaty ... little coffee and little vanilla ...
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 May 2009
at 14:50
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle. Pours like its name... dark, dark brown. Has a minimal film of tan bubbles on the surface and sports aromas that are slightly smokey, sweet and roasty. There is also a kind of damp earth/leather smell... First thoughts on flavor are that it comes awful close to being too sweet... near cloying brown sugar flavor mixes with some dark fruit and alcoholic warmth, while still having a bit of a smoke and chocolate edge to it - especially in the finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Aug 2008
at 23:05
8.2/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8
A very nice beer. Black and almost not carbonation. Roasted malt aroma. Very smooth palate on this beer, extremely drinkable. Flavor is not as sweet as some old ales, but there is abundant, lightly roasted malt and prominent, earth-peat like flavor. The high abv is well hidden, and I didn’t taste any whiskey.
Tried
on 21 Dec 2007
at 14:39