Old Engine Oil Engineer's Reserve Blackest Ale - Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.

BeerNemesis

New York

4.15/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Old Engine Oil (Engineer's Reserve) | 330 ml. | 9.0% ABV | 2011

Brewer: Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.
Style: English Porter
Glass: crystal mug

Appearance:
Black as, well, engine oil, with an enticing cocoa head.

Aroma:
Roasty and chocolatey

Taste:
Deep roasted, almost burnt, malts hit you up front. A wave of warming alcohol soon follows. Grassy and spicy hops make an appearance towards the finish and into the aftertaste. The bottle says Harviestoun used Fuggles, Kent GOldings, and Galena.

Mouthfeel:
Delightfully smooth, rich, and thick. Engine oil indeed!

Harmony:
This is an amped up version of Old Engine Oil--and i like it. The extra alcohol gives it a manic quality and a pure intensity. I still prefer the deep, mellow flavors of the original.

Would I get it again?:
Yeah, though Old Engine Oil is preferable.

Bottled: ?
Served: January 28, 2012

Price = $5.99 at Whole Foods NYC

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 00:25:40 | More by BeerNemesis

pin

Australia

4/5  rDev -5.9%

05-20-2013 03:48:43 | More by pin

DukeX13

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5.9%

05-19-2013 06:48:01 | More by DukeX13

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle, no bottled-on date, poured into a snifter.

A- Pours black with an inch of creamy brown head, leaves some nice lacing.

S- Chocolate, dark fruit and a lot of smoky, roasted grain.

T- Lots of roast and some subtle hops with a center of chocolate, caramel, and some dark fruit. Has a dry, smoky finish.

M- Medium-bodied, smooth feel, dry finish.

O- A solid porter, very drinkable stuff and with some great flavors.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 04:15:38 | More by WillCarrera

alelover

Michigan

4/5  rDev -5.9%

05-10-2013 03:22:02 | More by alelover

tommyguz

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -17.6%

05-08-2013 03:49:18 | More by tommyguz

MadScientist

New York

4.39/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

A: Verk, very dark brown and opaque. A creamy dark brown head with good retention.

S: Moderately-strong chocolate and coffee aromas but a moderate dark dried fruit hit my nose before I even poured a glass. There is a soft alcohol sweetness and an inviting roasty/fermentation type of a smell that has me excited to try a sip. Some moderate dark roasted grain character as well.

T: A rich, dark malt flavors of chocolate, coffe with moderate sweetness balanced by some bitterness from the dark grains and a low hop bitterness. The balance somewhat sweet. There isn't much of the hops coming through but a low spiciness and fruitiness that is hard to distinguish what comes from the hops and what the grains and yeast bring. There is a low prune and raisin fruitiness. The is a light burnt character from the grains. The finish is medium and the aftertaste is of coffee and dark grains.

M: A creamy medium-full bodied beer with a medium level of carbonation.

O: A smooth beer with rich dark grain flavors of chocolate and coffee mixed with some dark fruit, a little spice and a burnt toffee character. A great after dinner beer that would pair well with a vanilla custard and fruit compote or any rich chocolate dessert.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 23:43:24 | More by MadScientist

dvmin98

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev 0%

04-29-2013 20:15:00 | More by dvmin98

YeastEnthusiast

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev 0%

03-31-2013 01:19:44 | More by YeastEnthusiast

abrodsky

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev 0%

03-20-2013 03:24:05 | More by abrodsky

hosehead83

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured from an 11.2 oz. bottle into a wine goblet.
Opaque black in color, with a moderate head of deep tan foam.
Aroma-Chocolate, whiff of alcohol
Taste-Dark roasted malt, chocolate, earthy hop notes, gently warming finish. Dark, rich and smooth. great character and flavor. A great match for a strong blue cheese. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 17:42:12 | More by hosehead83

pkalix

California

4.49/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

black, but brown. cant see through it at all.
smell is heavenly! roasty chocolate malts, cocoa, vanilla...
taste is very cocoa. very vanilla. very roasted malts.
i cant find this beer on the brewery's own site. i would love to see some more story on this. 9% abv and a great taste.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 04:08:44 | More by pkalix

mt24turner

New York

4.4/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

appearance- pitch black, dark as it gets.. about a half finger head that hangs around surprisingly long
smell- warm and inviting, chocolatey and sweet, with a deep roasted coffee underneath, hops are pretty substantial
taste- really full malt, lots of dark fruit and caramel sweetness, followed by a strong coffee/espresso flavor. perfectly balanced hop bitterness and piney earthynes to match the huge complex malt, no alcohol flavor just a nice warmth. leaves you wanting another drink
mouthfeel- really full mouthfeel light carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 20:43:19 | More by mt24turner

UCLABrewN84

California

4.23/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours an opaque black with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, marshmallows, vanilla, cocoa powder, and milk chocolate. Taste is much the same with char-like and smoke flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer with a fantastic smell and some really nice flavors. Definitely a step above normal Old Engine Oil in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 09:52:18 | More by UCLABrewN84

Reswald

Alaska

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

02-01-2013 22:13:22 | More by Reswald

tbryan5

Louisiana

4.25/5  rDev 0%

01-20-2013 23:35:01 | More by tbryan5

joshbrink

Alabama

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

01-18-2013 18:35:47 | More by joshbrink

enelson

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

01-17-2013 03:28:24 | More by enelson

spycow

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -11.8%

01-14-2013 04:34:00 | More by spycow

ElGallo

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev 0%

01-13-2013 02:22:38 | More by ElGallo

pathman

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +11.8%

01-13-2013 02:17:19 | More by pathman

bashiba

Iowa

4.18/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured a deep dark brown with dark mahogany highlights and a thin ring of dark tan head.

The smell is a mixture of light smoked peat, a bit of anise, and a touch of sweet alcohol.

The flavor is very black and bitter, a nice bit of sweetness starts to creep through after you get through the smoke and roasted barley flavors along with the moderate earthy hops. It seems to get a bit sweeter as you go with a touch of oatmeal and caramel malts coming out along with a Worcestershire fish oil type flavor as well that seems to give a very english like flavor, could be black treacle?

The mouthfeel is thick and oily, very heavy leaving a long lasting tongue coating.

Pretty nice big porter, has a great English quality to it along with a nice range of flavors.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 01:53:33 | More by bashiba

kirbmeist

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

01-12-2013 22:32:09 | More by kirbmeist

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.39/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer poured out as a deep black color with a nice off white head on top. The head retention and lacing were really nice on this beer. The smell is very malty with a healthy aroma of chocolate on the nose. The taste of the beer has a really nice big bold roasted flavors along with a sweet chocolate backbone in there too. The mouthfeel is slick and smooth with a light carbonation. Overall this beer is very good. I would drink it again for sure.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 23:51:57 | More by Knapp85

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a snifter)

A- This beer pours a jet black body with a sticky tan head that fades to a film but sticks to the glass in sheets.

S- The mellow dark toffee aroma has some smooth black roasted malt smells in the finish. Even though the aroma is smooth, it is full.

T- The mellow roasted black malt has some toffee flavors and an inky note comes through as it opens. There is a papery oak flavor that supports the malt aswell. The hop bittern note in the slightly sweet finish leads to a hint of a slightly tart hop flavor. There is a smokey black malt flavor that lingers in the aftertaste.

M- The medium-light mouthfeel has a gentle fizz and no alcohol heat really noticed.

O- This beer has a nice complex dark malt flavor that is also well blended and very drinkable. There is a bit more carbonation as the beer warms but it has some nice character.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 22:10:54 | More by rhoadsrage