TBone (30139) reviewed Old Engine Oil from Harviestoun 21 years ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8.5
Bottled (BB 08/2004)
Opaque black. Brown whipped cream-like head. Barley-wine type sweet and malty aroma. Good mouthfeel: sweet and same time hoppy. Gives nice bitter aftertaste. Not too heavy-bodied, which makes this easy to drink. (8/5/7/4/16 4.0)
Re-rate, bottled
Rich, wineous and malty aroma. Sweetish and robut - rounded mouthfeel. Great. (8/5/7/5/17 4.2)
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Jet black pour with a fluffy, off-white head - strikingly tart aroma, with hints of chocolate and quite a strong presence of the scotch barrel it was aged in (wood and all) - this tastes both just like I expected, and not like I expected at all - I anticipated a strong chocolate flavor with a scotch presence, but I never thought those flavors would mix like this - tartness moves in initially, then the chocolate moves in, generating a bitter-sweet flavor - the scotch is quite evident in the flavor - it doesn’t seem to blend well at first, but boy does it grow on you - notes of port creep in to seduce the tongue (and they succeed) - some dark fruit and slight vinous qualities - takes some getting used to, but it’s worth the effort.
TBone (30139) reviewed Bitter & Twisted from Harviestoun 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8
Bottled
Fresh grassy hop aroma. Off-white white creamy head with big bubbles and some lace. Clear copper color. As expected very hoppy taste but bitterness come just in the finish, very interesting and complex bitter (has to sample cask conditioned someday ...)! (8/4/8/4/17 4.1)
Re-rated: Bottled (BB 09/2005)
Clear dark golden color and nice steady white head. Grassy flowery hop aroma. Well-balanced crisp mouthfeel with good late bitterness. One of my favourite UK beers. (7/3/7/5/15 3.7)
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Interesting blend of traditional Scottish Ale flavors and cask-derived wood and whiskey. The beer pours chocolate-brown with a thin tan head, and has an aroma of smoked peat, whiskey, and wood. Flavor is tangy with plenty of peat but dominated by sour wood and whiskey which is reminiscent of the malt vinegar people (myself included) sprinkle on fish at Long John Silver's. Finishes with a hint of chocolate but the sour aftertaste lingers in the back of the mouth and throat.
Sigmund (14587) reviewed Bitter & Twisted from Harviestoun 22 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
(500 ml bottle). Golden colour, moderate head. Moderate but decent hoppy aroma. Hallertau in a bitter? Must be unusual? Mouthfeel is initially quite soft and not very "bitter and twisted", but there’s a distinct lemony bitterness in the finish (Styrian Goldings). Leaves a nice aftertaste. Very refreshing. I can see why this beer has a broad appeal to the masses. Not a piece of art, perhaps, but a decent and well made bitter. Looking forward to sampling it cask conditioned. Rerate: This beer has become part of my staple diet, due to its availability here in Norway, and I will readily admit that I LOVE both the aroma and flavour. I’m upping it 1 point.
Oakes (33493) reviewed Old Engine Oil - Special Reserve from Harviestoun 22 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Close to pitch. Malty aroma - toffee, wood, molasses and Highland whisky. Rich malt flavours of molasses and earth, melded seamlessly with light peat and whisky notes. Finish is sweet, almost cloying, though there is also tartness there. For a barrel-aged beer, this is quite balanced. I had Calva Reserva last month and though they've both spent six months in their respective casks, there is a tremendous difference in balance. Just one more reason why Harviestoun is one of the top British breweries, I guess.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Pours a thick black with deep violets and dark burgundies. No head, maybe a touch of burnt beige around the edges. Decent lacing. Upon warming and sitting, the appearance is actually fairly clear. Good aroma, very chocolatey, lots of prunes, dark grapes, a very whiskey aged smell. Surprisingly, this is only a medium bodied ale at best. Very light upon opening, with the body being mainly chocolate, slight bitter grapes and some roasted barley. Carbonation is well handled however, and the finish is quite winey and somewhat complex. I realize old ales were never meant to be the thickest, richest, most full bodied ales, but this one could still use some more body. I like the relatively low alcohol.
jhaase (14816) reviewed Old Engine Oil from Harviestoun 22 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Black, lowish head. Nuts and sharp lemony flavors dominate. Hops seem a bit dusty. Had some sharp edges I couldn't come to terms with.
Ungstrup (52110) reviewed Bitter & Twisted (Cask) from Harviestoun 22 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
The aroma is very light hoppy with notes of grass. TH volor is a dark yellow and it has no head. The flavor is sweet, malty, and hoppy with grassy notes. A fine beer.
Oakes (33493) reviewed Indian Summer from Harviestoun 22 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8
Bright copper colour. Minerally, earthy, marmaladey aroma. The palate is complex, juicy, earthy, hoppy. Their yeast is absolutely wonderful, adding layers to their beers. Truly one of Britain's showpiece breweries, Harviestoun is well-deserving of their CBOB award for Bitter & Twisted. The Indian Summer is a better beer, but these guys are a stellar representative of what British brewing should be in the 21st century.