About
When we started making brilliant, innovative beer back in 1983, the craft beer thing was just a glint in Harvie’s eye. Now, more than 35 years later, we are proud to be the forefathers of this movement to better beer. Harviestoun is a proud, family-run business, our Chairmen Sandy Orr and Donald MacDonald champion a dedication to the craft that produces award-winning, natural brews made using the finest ingredients and purest Scottish water.
Founded in 1983 by Ken Brooker, the Scottish brewery has grown steadily to become renowned for their award winning beers. Head brewer, Stuart Cail, joined Harviestoun in 1995. Over the years the brewery has found new and innovative ways to create truly unique beers from their whisky cask aged Old Engine Oil to Bitter and Twisted, aged in Gin and Pinot Noir barrels.
Founded in 1983 by Ken Brooker, the Scottish brewery has grown steadily to become renowned for their award winning beers. Head brewer, Stuart Cail, joined Harviestoun in 1995. Over the years the brewery has found new and innovative ways to create truly unique beers from their whisky cask aged Old Engine Oil to Bitter and Twisted, aged in Gin and Pinot Noir barrels.
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 7
Overall 8
Black pour. Smoky flavor with molasses, raisins, and plums. Liquid smoke palate.
Tried
from Can
from
Wine Warehouse - Charlottesville
on 05 May 2026
at 00:56
7.4/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Charred oak, almond, molasses, port wine nose. Viscous black pour, headless. Charred oak. Subtle raisin, walnut finish. Light body, soft silky mouthfeel.
Tried
from Can
from
Wine Warehouse - Charlottesville
on 04 May 2026
at 23:54
7.3/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Pours clear gold with a small white head. Smells very much of herbal hops. The flavor is moderately bitter with herbal hops and grainy biscuity malt. This is aggressively hopped for the style. Works for me. Very nice pils.
Tried
from Draft
on 28 Apr 2026
at 05:10
7.5/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 7
Overall 7
Reviewed from notes.
Bottle to snifter. (Aged Review - this was bottled in 10/2017 and consumed on 12/06/2025)
Appearance is in the picture and yes, not much of any head no matter how hard I tried to pour.
Aroma: deep peaty sweetness with smoke and a little bit of bitter earthy tones, molasses, malty smooth sweetness, sweet barrel and a pinch of dark fruits
Flavor: blends the prior noted aromas to a fine sweet to semi-sticky sweet vibe while underscored by barrel sweet tones; finishes malty barrel sweet then just a tickle of barrel spice (I was wondering if I would get any of that, woooeeee, boy was that faint or what!)
Texture: medium bodied, this beer what I thought would be a sipper seems to be now becoming slightly sessionable eight years after bottling (seems like the alcohol is losing strength here but not too much); so the smoothness is there but almost coming across as "mobile" to almost "watery?" Yeah, I'll lean more towards "mobile" here
Overall: I guess "eight years later" was probably excessive for having this when I did so I'll fault myself a little bit for overly aging this. "Kind" numbers on this.
Bottle to snifter. (Aged Review - this was bottled in 10/2017 and consumed on 12/06/2025)
Appearance is in the picture and yes, not much of any head no matter how hard I tried to pour.
Aroma: deep peaty sweetness with smoke and a little bit of bitter earthy tones, molasses, malty smooth sweetness, sweet barrel and a pinch of dark fruits
Flavor: blends the prior noted aromas to a fine sweet to semi-sticky sweet vibe while underscored by barrel sweet tones; finishes malty barrel sweet then just a tickle of barrel spice (I was wondering if I would get any of that, woooeeee, boy was that faint or what!)
Texture: medium bodied, this beer what I thought would be a sipper seems to be now becoming slightly sessionable eight years after bottling (seems like the alcohol is losing strength here but not too much); so the smoothness is there but almost coming across as "mobile" to almost "watery?" Yeah, I'll lean more towards "mobile" here
Overall: I guess "eight years later" was probably excessive for having this when I did so I'll fault myself a little bit for overly aging this. "Kind" numbers on this.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Apr 2026
at 23:20
Wetherspoons London Victoria Station
Tried
from Cask
at
JD Wetherspoons (Various locations)
on 19 Mar 2026
at 00:00
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Cask at the Hope Tap (JDW), Reading. Mahogany-brown with a thin beige head. Toffee, brazil nuts and chocolate with a woody note. Raisins and blackberries come through. Sweetish but with a drying finish. Decent stuff, I enjoyed this.
Tried
from Cask
at
The Hope Tap
on 18 Mar 2026
at 11:45