Ola Dubh Special Reserve 16 - Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.

RoyalT

Ohio

4.53/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance – This is almost as dark as their Engine Oil with a tan but slightly less lively head.

Smell – There’s some dark roasted malts to this nose and little sugar even after an hour opened up. The aroma though is exceptional and now I’m also getting a hint of espresso.

Taste – The espresso comes out a little more at the taste and the sugars, closer to raw then anything else, are much stronger on the tongue. The roastiness is passionate but quiet.

Mouthfeel – This Old Ale is close to full-bodied and incredibly smooth in the mouth, probably one of the smoothest OAs that I’ve ever had.

Drinkability – It’s efforts like this that make me fall in love all over again with this uncommon style here in the US. I would love to throw 10 of these in a cellar and open one a year for the next ten years.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 01:42:49 | More by RoyalT

heygeebee

Australia

4.11/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Appearance - black 'n' tan one finger head clingy lace

Smell - vanilla, roasts, choc.

Taste - dark chocolate, roast malts, vanilla, hint brown sugar.

Mouthfeel - medium bodied, moderately oily

Overall - delighful beer, well balanced, and moderate bitterness. Just like dark chocolate in a glass.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 12:10:31 | More by heygeebee

UCLABrewN84

California

3.96/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to GRG1313 for gifting me this one.

Bottled 1/2009. Bottle # 06435.

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that fades to nothing. Small dots of lace slowly drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, molasses, smoke, wood, whisky, and some oxidation aromas. Taste is much the same with dark roasted malt, cocoa, and whisky flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of woody bitterness and a very slight tang on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with some complex aromas that I am enjoying slightly more than the flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 04:12:14 | More by UCLABrewN84

acevenom

Louisiana

4.6/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a snifter glass. The beer pours dark brown to black with no head. There's some streaming carbonation that is visible on the side of the glass, but there isn't a lot of it. There are aromas of dark roasted malt, oak, vanilla, and some alcoholic character from the scotch. There's some sweetness from the malt as well as the alcohol. The taste follows the nose for the most part. There's a nice malt backbone that has some dark roastiness and toffee sweetness that mingles with the oak, vanilla, and scotch. Those oak characteristics really blend nicely with the flavors. The body is medium to full with light carbonation. The beer is smooth and drinks pretty well for a bigger beer. This is an excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 23:09:14 | More by acevenom

Bill235

Ohio

4/5  rDev -2.9%

05-12-2013 22:52:18 | More by Bill235

BeerBucks

New York

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%

05-12-2013 22:32:34 | More by BeerBucks

stephenjmoore

Maryland

4.11/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle Dated August 2010

A- Pours a very dark brown and settles into the glass as an oily black. Frothy tan head that lingers around for awhile.

S- Baker's chocolate, boozy scotch with hints of vanilla, oak, caramel and smoke, roasted malts.

T- Big roasty malts up front, huge flavor. The big roasty flavors give way to lots of oak and vanilla about half way through, which stays around until the finish.

M- Mostly smooth, with just a hint of sharpness towards the end. Slightly boozy, but very drinkable.

O- Very good beer with lots of flavor complexity. Big roast, oak and vanilla.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 22:41:04 | More by stephenjmoore

CTJman

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%

04-28-2013 02:36:59 | More by CTJman

outoffocus

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%

04-26-2013 21:15:50 | More by outoffocus

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -9%

04-24-2013 15:51:14 | More by Jason1337

FlussigkeitMut

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%

04-22-2013 04:12:30 | More by FlussigkeitMut

dannyhead

Florida

4/5  rDev -2.9%

04-16-2013 03:13:36 | More by dannyhead

hiphopj5

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -15%

04-12-2013 14:07:14 | More by hiphopj5

Atomicskis5

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -2.9%

04-11-2013 00:56:01 | More by Atomicskis5

tbryan5

Louisiana

4.5/5  rDev +9.2%

04-06-2013 13:11:46 | More by tbryan5

00chris

Missouri

4/5  rDev -2.9%

03-23-2013 22:07:46 | More by 00chris

thegerm87

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -2.9%

03-23-2013 14:09:05 | More by thegerm87

StefanosG

Florida

4/5  rDev -2.9%

03-09-2013 11:01:03 | More by StefanosG

ajkiser12

Illinois

4/5  rDev -2.9%

03-04-2013 21:11:34 | More by ajkiser12

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.08/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

this is a very interesting beer, superior in some ways to the 18yr, oddly. the pour is a matte black color, deep chocolate brown, fairly thick, and with only a thin finger of tan bubbles. the nose is raw cocoa and scotch, its musty and oaky, and the malt is about as black as it can be without being bitter and burnt. the alcohol smells are beautiful in this beer, the barrel has obviously done quite a bit to this. the flavor is surprisingly unsweetened. there is some vanilla and toasted coconut, but none of that is sugary. the alcohol adds flavor without burn, and it actually has a very mellow feel. dark chocolate and bran muffin are the dominant flavors in the finish, in addition to the scotch whiskey. full body and a smooth feel, maybe a little chalky, but the finish is long and complex. there is much to appreciate about this special brew, a very different tune to this than the American barrel aged beers. there is something particularly well refined about this, polished and calculated, intentional, as opposed to the sometimes random chance barrel offerings from this country. very impressive.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 19:17:33 | More by StonedTrippin

johunnic

Illinois

4/5  rDev -2.9%

03-03-2013 03:06:45 | More by johunnic

KingSlayer

Mexico

4/5  rDev -2.9%

03-01-2013 05:54:23 | More by KingSlayer

IanSpindler

Alberta (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%

02-27-2013 20:55:23 | More by IanSpindler

CaptainNomihodai

Illinois

4/5  rDev -2.9%

02-26-2013 07:12:45 | More by CaptainNomihodai

e30todamax

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +9.2%

02-16-2013 00:08:39 | More by e30todamax