8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
The aroma is lovely; sweet with notes of caramel, cloves, and bread. The color is a deep red and it has a small though disappearing beige head. The flavor is sweet too with notes of caramel, yeast, roasted bread, and alcohol running over the tongue. The end is slightly bitter.
Tried
on 15 Feb 2004
at 11:42
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Vintage 2000. Pours dark chestnut brown with a thin light tan head. Interesting and unusual aroma of soy, tangy dark fruit, cinnamon and licorice. The unusual aroma carries over to the flavor. The body is very soylike and salty/smokey with dark fruit (plum) and licorice, woody flavors and a healthy dose of alcohol. Can't say this reminds me of any other Imperial Stout; this beer is in a category of its own. Reminds me a bit of the Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Special Reserve I recently tried, with a similar oily body and relatively dry but sour malt.
Tried
from Can
on 14 Feb 2004
at 21:27
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Amber color. Simple but nice hop aroma. Quite hoppy flavor, good, without being too bitter; enough malt and caramel; touch of liquorice. Delicate, quite good, well brewed.
Tried
on 09 Feb 2004
at 08:29
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
I found a lone, dust covered bottle of this at a local store, with a torn label, and what appeared to be a pidgeon feather stuck to the price tag - pour is very opaque, with a somewhat frothy lacing - highly complex aroma of brown sugar, prunes, dates, licorice - nearly zero carbonation, medium bodied - slight bitterness cuts the sweet flavors of dates, chocolate chip cookie dough, sweetened coffee, licorice - bready finish - a unique and tasty porter.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Feb 2004
at 18:45
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
2009-10-27, vintage 2001, 8 years old, 7-3-6-2-13=31
Black color; sparse bubbles in place of any head. The aroma is initially woody and lightly sour, possibly corky; then some roasted malt and chocolate come to the surface; it may be interesting in some cases. As the pour anticipated, there is no carbonation; the mouthfeel is bold and very oily, now too much alcoholic too; strong chocolate flavor, some roasted malt and liquorice; salty and a bit corky. In the end there is warming alcohol and bitterness from the roasted malts; also some tannins.
Excessive, it didn’t age very well. Mostly, the combination of salt, alcohol and cork. Therefore, it’s not exactely pleasant.
2004-01-28, vintage 2001, 3 years old, 9-4-7-4-15=39
Totally black!; brown head. Strong chocolate nose; liquorice; roasted malt. Flows smoothly on the tongue at the beginning, leaving a strong liquorice impression. Burnt bitterness at the end (again, chocolate and liquorice), maybe short. I expected more… Thanks Jens (Ungstrup) for sharing this bottle.
Black color; sparse bubbles in place of any head. The aroma is initially woody and lightly sour, possibly corky; then some roasted malt and chocolate come to the surface; it may be interesting in some cases. As the pour anticipated, there is no carbonation; the mouthfeel is bold and very oily, now too much alcoholic too; strong chocolate flavor, some roasted malt and liquorice; salty and a bit corky. In the end there is warming alcohol and bitterness from the roasted malts; also some tannins.
Excessive, it didn’t age very well. Mostly, the combination of salt, alcohol and cork. Therefore, it’s not exactely pleasant.
2004-01-28, vintage 2001, 3 years old, 9-4-7-4-15=39
Totally black!; brown head. Strong chocolate nose; liquorice; roasted malt. Flows smoothly on the tongue at the beginning, leaving a strong liquorice impression. Burnt bitterness at the end (again, chocolate and liquorice), maybe short. I expected more… Thanks Jens (Ungstrup) for sharing this bottle.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Feb 2004
at 05:25
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
[Vintage 2001, sampled January 28th, 2004] A pithc black beer with a chocolate brown head, though disappearing. The aroma is light though complex containing notes of wood, burnt caramel, prunes, raisins, and chocolate both sweet and bitter. The flavor is very complex too; at first it is very woody, in the middle: fruity, combined with hops, oil, soya, spices, licorice and chocolate. To end on a dry woody finish combined with notes of licorice and chocolate. The palate is great and all in all this beer is great!
Tried
on 02 Feb 2004
at 09:59
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
This doesn't seem much like a pale ale at all, but more like and english strong ale, considering the low hop presence, moderate malt sweetness, and distinct roasty characteristics - low carbonation, mild yeastiness, cloudy appearance, and somewhat creamy mouthfeel combine to make this feel almost like a cask-ale experience - damp and musty - brown sugar and molassas - sweet malts make way for bitterness and some bready, biscuity flavors - it took my palate a while to adjust to this one, but once it did I thought it was decent.
Tried
from Cask
on 30 Jan 2004
at 19:55
5.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Bottle. Very dark, somewhat syrupy beer with almost no head. Roasty aroma, with a little hop and chocolate thrown in. lighter body than expected. Huge roasty tastes with licorice, chocolate, and raisin flavors. alcoholic warming.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Jan 2004
at 14:42
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Cask. Creamy head. Citrusy fruit flavour. Nicely bitter with a good roughness. Quite flavourful. 8 3 8 3 18
Cask, 4.5%. Weak fruity aroma. Slightly sweet flavour, nutty and slightly spiced with cookie spices. 7 3 7 3 16
Cask, 4.5%. Weak fruity aroma. Slightly sweet flavour, nutty and slightly spiced with cookie spices. 7 3 7 3 16
Tried
from Cask
on 23 Jan 2004
at 12:05
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
2017-11-21, bottle bb Mar04, ~15 years old, 5-3-4-1-7=20
Leather, old bloke, wet wood. Flat, with bready and leathery malts, some wood in the final.
Definitively too old.
2004-01-10, bottle, 8-4-8-5-17=42
Amber color. Fruity hop aroma (Cascade-like). Strong, sweet, malty, oranges… Almost an IPA. The only really good one by Harvey's, I had so far.
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Jan 2004
at 02:59