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

acevenom

Louisiana

5/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured into a pint glass. Pours black with a two-finger length dark tan head that dissipates slowly. There is excellent head retention. Some lacing is left behind on the glass as the head dissipates. There are aromas of dark roasted malts, coffee, bitter chocolate, and molasses. There are lots of big flavors in this beer. Sweet dark roasted malts, bitter chocolate, coffee, molasses, hops, and some dark fruits can be tasted in this beer. The alcohol is very well-hidden in this one. The flavors remind me so much of a good RIS, but I have to remember this is a porter. The body is medium and this is smooth and creamy. There is just enough carbonation to make this very drinkable. It goes down very easily. Despite the fact that this is such a big beer, it still feels like a porter. Overall, this is an excellent beer. I liked it better than the regular Old Engine Oil, which is also an excellent beer. This porter is big and bold, but doesn't forget it's a porter. This is a home run.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 23:55:14 | More by acevenom

JamesS

Indiana

5/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a wonderful thick black with wonderful thick head and great lacing throughout. Great chocolate and roasted grain aromas with a nice earthiness underneath. Excellent flavors with great thick and sweet and coffee like roasted malts and a wonderful chocolate flavor with a great slight earthy hop undertone. Extremely smooth and great going down with no discernible alcohol heat. Best... Beer... Ever.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 18:38:28 | More by JamesS

Corkpuller

Pennsylvania

4.95/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Out of a wooden cask at TJ's Anniversary event. In a supreme lineup of dark beers including Parabola, Velvet Merkin, Everett, Bourbon County etc....this beer reigned supreme.

Rich, Dark and unctuous and not overly sweet. Hugely complex nose of dried fruits, roast and torrefaction. Dense but incredibly dynamic palate leads to a finish and aftertaste that just won't quit. the aftertaste is so long that it delays follow up sips, but just as the beer begins to fades the palate turns dry and begs for another glug.

The balance is such that the beer becomes more aromatic in the mouth than the nose. - an amazing feat for a dark beer of this volume.

An utterly fantastic experience.

Serving type: cask

12-10-2012 14:16:07 | More by Corkpuller

TheSupremeAJ

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served off the hand pump @ Trapp Door in Emmaus, PA into a 10oz glass.

A- Pitch black (really is "Blackest") with a very creamy thin tan head. This beer is truly barely opaque.

S- Rich, dark chocolate, molasses and raisins. Alcohol is well hidden considering the 9%ABV.

T- Home run of a porter we have here. The sweetness and bitterness is played nice. Roasted cocoa and dark malt are exemplary.

M- Perfecto off the cask. This beer is meant for casks.

O- This beer is a very good example of a cask english porter. Very flavorful, robust, and truly a treat. FYI- $9 for a 10oz pour; $4.50 on T-Fr from 4pm-6pm during Happy Hour. Happy Hour @ Trapp Door is rocks.

Serving type: cask

05-15-2012 23:12:33 | More by TheSupremeAJ

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.58/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured at a good temperature and with a medium size, tan, foamy head that soon settled to some swirls and a ring plus some lace. Color (with the help of a bright light) is a clear, almost opaque brown black red. Aroma is a heavenly, volatile blend of coffee, malt, cocoa, dark ripe fruit, vanilla. Flavor's like nose, has good interplay between malt sweet & bitter, carbonic tang, and hop bitter plus a bit metallic. Body is good, full and decent carbonation. Finsih is like flavor, fairly long, and the barest hint of alcohol. Very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 00:29:28 | More by drpimento

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours dark as oil pitch black with a nice thicket of mocha tan head forms fine even lacing down the sides of my glass. This is basically an imperial version of their standard Old Engine Oil, I would call it just that an Imperial Porter. Aroma is creamy with dark chocolate, sweet underlying molasses, mild fruit complexity some hints of raisin. Herbal spicy hops are evident. Flavor is big with dark chocolate, roasted malt complexity, a hint of coffee. A touch of alcohol with dark ripened fruits blended in really a very smooth big dark beer can't tell that it would be 9% abv. Mouthfeel is medium bodied mellow carbonation this beer works well, I'm glad it wasn't aged in whiskey barrels I've had enough of their beers aged in whiskey. They need to send more of their standard and seasonal lineups stateside, seems like they know how to brew a really good beer. Overall my kind of big dark beer roasted malts big flavors with almost no harsh qualities, highly enjoyable definitely grab some. Only 4.99 a bottle really worth it for the abv and flavor quality.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 20:17:39 | More by WVbeergeek

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.5/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Aroma has notes of chocolate, roast coffee and caramel. It pours a deep sable with a thick tan head. Scrumptious flavor has chocolate, quality coffee and malt notes plus hints of licorice and caramel. Lip smacking! Thick, smooth mouthfeel has a good amount of fizz and leaves a smoky, slightly sweet finish. You don’t have to be an engineer to appreciate this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 02:19:55 | More by Cyberkedi

pkalix

California

4.49/5  rDev +5.9%
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

jmaharaj

Maryland

4.48/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Doesn't seem pour as thick as I expected ut it is a deep deep black. A thin off-white head leaves a ring around the beer thnat lingers.
Smells lovely. Deep bitter coffee, burnt grains and a toffe scent that,despite the thickness of the aroma, doesnt feel sickeningly sweet. A sharp sting of alcohol sits on the top. I didnt expect much hops presence at all, but im getting some earthy and peppery hops. nothing huge, but something is certainly there.
Very tasty. A long beer with all the notes from the nose showing up well on the tongue. The toffee malts melt on the tongue, whirling with the coffe and a light chocolate flavor. Nothing here seems artificial. the hops dont show up with flavor, but they do dry up the beer pleasingly on the end. Wen everything else had had its say, the 9%alcohol kicks in with a comforting warmth.
Low carbonation, but that was expected. Sometimes even in thick stouts where its expected the low carbonation seems to produce a sappy beer, that isnt the case here. The beer feels thicker than it looks. Wonderfully viscous as it rolls over the tongue. Its a genuine sort of thickness, not tacky or oily. Thats what impresses me most about this beer. Its pretty big and flavorful, but it seems so well brewed, nothing seems added or out of place. Solid in every way.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 01:02:27 | More by jmaharaj

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours rich and velvetty and lusious. Didn't get much of a foam cap even when vigorously poured into my glass.Basically just a strong collar.
The color is a super deep brown.
Very aromatic. smells along the line of a coffee stout. One can also pick up sutle nuiances of vanilla and oak. But overall the aroma is richly roasted malts.
Taste is fantastic, lots of roasted malts candied toffee, chocolate and rippening dark fruits. A tich of alcohol come through at the end.
Flows thick and smooth over the palette.
Easily one of the best beers I've had to date.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 16:59:32 | More by micromaniac129

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +5%
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

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.43/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Guldan Draak flute. Pours a very dark red brown, appearing pitch black in the glass. Nice half finger fine light brown head slowly dissipates into a film and ring with little lacing. Pleasant aroma of roasted and dark malt, molasses with hints of chocolate and coffee. Taste is dominated by roasted malt with light dark fruit, coffee and chocolate. Finishes roasty with a moderate suggestion of smoked meat that similar to Rauchbiers, but with more of a burnt quality. Not very complex, but flavors are well integrated and very pleasant. Medium to heavy bodied with creaminess. Light on carbonation, but enough to contribute to a good mouth feel. Alcohol is well hidden. A very nice smokey porter that is a pleasure to drink and savor.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 04:54:47 | More by LiquidAmber

hosehead83

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +4.5%
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

mt24turner

New York

4.4/5  rDev +3.8%
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

champ103

Texas

4.4/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Very glad to come across this. I am a huge fan of everything Old Engine Oil.

A: Pours an impenetrable, opaque black color. A two finger tan head rises with good retention and lace. Looks awesome.
S: Earthy and slightly slick hops up front. Quickly followed by milk chocolate, smoke, and roast.
T: Follows the nose. Light hops up front. Though a great balance of chocolate, roast, and peat/smoke. I love it.
M/D: A medium to full body. Moderate carbonation. So smooth and velvety. Like silk. Incredibly easy and enjoyable to drink.

After falling in love with everything that Harviestoun puts out, it is no surprise that I love this as well. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 01:51:10 | More by champ103

HamGlade10

Oklahoma

4.4/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours pitch black, nice tan head that lingers. This is a very drinkable brew. Very smooth, silky, not overly thick. Roasted malts, coffee, chocolate flavors, slight bitterness that lingers. This is a brew meant for a cask. Overall, a great beer, not overpowering, alcohol is very well hidden.

Serving type: cask

04-20-2012 18:24:01 | More by HamGlade10

mooseo

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle into goblet.

A - Pours midnight black with a very thick, almost syrup-like consistency. Tan head quickly dwindles down to a thin film.

S - Dark chocolate, burnt roasted malt, coffee, sweet caramel.

T - Sweet dark chocolate, oak, caramel, light coffee notes. Mildly bitter, short finish with hints of dark fruit and wood. Good balance and complexity.

M - Silky smooth, medium-full body, just the right amount of carbonation. Warming alcohol.

O - Despite it's high alcohol content, this still tastes and feels like an English porter. The alcohol is masked, making this beer very drinkable. This is a well crafted, delicious porter. In comparison, this is definitely better than the regular 'Old Engine Oil' beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 19:31:18 | More by mooseo

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.39/5  rDev +3.5%
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

MadScientist

New York

4.39/5  rDev +3.5%
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

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle purchased as part of a mixed six for $5.50.

Poured into my trusty Southampton pint glass.

Looked molasses brown from the bottleneck, looks black as night in the glass. Tight crema for head that's tan in color. Really wants to stick to the inner wall of the glass, but only does in little tangles. 4.0

Robust English porter aroma carries a rich and complex maltiness that is dark in roast and large in size. Hints of cocoa powder and dried fruits peek out at me through the nose. The ever slightest nuances of hops. Some ground coffee notes fill it out. 4.0

Fully roasted malts with a ton of grain, measuring out ample servings of peat, dark fruits, and bitter char. Coffee and chocolate flavors are darker still than in the aroma. More bitterness in the finish from an earthy English hop, but it's pretty subdued and blended with some mild sweetness from the grain bill. Detectable heat on the tail-end, as well, but balances out nicely. 4.5

Impressively smooth and velvety. Medium-full bodied with expressions of alcohol that, all in all, are decently masked. Carbonated to style and to my preference. In essence, dangerously drinkable. 4.5

I had the regular version of Old Engine Oil awhile back and really wanted to try this when I saw it hit shelves in my area. Only passed over it once before finally submitting to picking it up. Decent price. Better than decent beer. An English porter that I adore. 4.5

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 20:15:31 | More by thecheapies

Falcon91Wolvrn03

California

4.38/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance – A black color overall, with a red accent on the edge. Slightly darker than the regular Old Engine Oil. A creamy head that retains a ring around the very edge of the glass. Good lacing.

Smell – Chocolate, roasted malt, and molasses. Smell is very similar to the regular Old Engine Oil, but not quite as sweet.

Taste – Taste is similar to the smell; chocolate with a subtle sweetness. Similar to the regular Old Engine Oil, with a touch more booziness to it. However, it certainly doesn’t taste 50% stronger (9% abv vs 6% abv).

Mouthfeel – Smooth and velvety. Lightly carbonated. A slight booziness.

Drinkability – Very drinkable. This went down too easy. I think this is another underrated porter from Harvieston.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 05:48:06 | More by Falcon91Wolvrn03

mick303

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Vertical tasting, from notes.
A - much more creamy tan lacing than the original, excellent film and lacing, black body, looks amazing. 4.75
S - oily resin, warming, florals, honey, roasty malt, thick liquorice, dry herbal notes, wonderful. 4.5
T - more dry espresso, alcohol spice, some lemon, leather, very dry finish with some liquorice. 4.25
M - thick, creamy, very full, smooth mocha, very tasty and balanced. 4.25
O - a bit of the alcohol spiciness, good burnt toastiness character, some leafy spiciness, overall an excellent beer. 4.5

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 17:13:45 | More by mick303

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.3/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a wooden keg at TJ's 9th anniversary event.

The beer pours a darkish brown color with fairly good lacing and decent head retention. The nose is quite complex in this beer, as I pick up licorice, sherry, light coffee, vanilla and smoke. The flavor profile replicates the nose in this fairly sweet beer, and it seemed to be dominated by vanilla, licorice and smoke. The smoke flavor really adds an interesting note to this excellent beer, and as the beer warms, there's considerable dark chocolate as well. There's a hint of bitterness on the finish that helps to keep the sweetness in check, and I'm impressed by how drinkable this beer is (the beer is fairly sweet, but not overly so). Mouthfeel is medium bodied, but with a long, smooth, licorice and vanilla infused finish. Alcohohl is very well integrated into the flavor profile. This is a big beer, obviously, but I really don't get much sense of the 9% abv.

Just an altogether excellent beer, and an absolute treat to see out of a wooden cask. Very nice...

Serving type: cask

12-09-2012 00:42:56 | More by johnmichaelsen

flagmantho

Washington

4.28/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 330mL bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: rich black hue whose edges suggest an extremely dark brown. Head is a thick finger of frothy dark tan foam. Quite nice.

Smell: rich, smooth aroma of creamy chocolate with a hint of vegetal hops. Not terribly complex, but well-crafted and enticing.

Taste: much deeper and more complex than the aroma. Chocolatey malt flavors provide a backdrop against which earthy and vegetal hops play; fruitier alcohol compounds provide good complexity. Bitterness is relatively high. There is plenty of sweetness here, but it is well-balanced almost to the point of being hidden by the bitterness and alcohol. Very tasty.

Mouthfeel: big body with a good level of carbonation. The body and ABV make this a very silky drink, and the creaminess adds even more luscious texture. I love it.

Overall: this is a really tasty and chewy beer, although I must admit I would like a little bit less of the vegetal hop character present. Still, it's very good.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 21:28:07 | More by flagmantho

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours an opaque black in color with hints of dark brown when held up to the light and moderate amounts of carbonation near the surface of the beer. The beer has a half finger tall beige head that reduces to a very thin patch covering the majority of the surface of the beer, a small thick patch, and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of dark roasted malts and burnt malts along with notes of chocolate, coffee, and caramel.

T: Similar to the smell, this beer has a strong body of dark roasted malts and burnt malts. There are notes of dark fruit, chocolate, coffee, licorice, and just a hint of caramel sweetness.

M: Just shy of full bodied with light to moderate amounts of carbonation. Silky smooth.

O: For such a strong porter, the alcohol is surprisingly well hidden. I found this beer to be enjoyable but very much a sipping beer and not a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 00:16:51 | More by dbrauneis