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

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.9/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap at The Brick Store Pub 9/2/2012. Reviewed from notes.

(Appearance) deep brown body, big chocolate cream brown head with above average retention. 4

(Smell) Aromas of sour dark fruits, licorice, oak, and cocoa. Aroma is dry, mildly sweet and certainly complex. Overall pretty nice. 3.5

(Taste) Bready sourdough malt, sweet chocolate and lactose like that of a milk stout, followed through by a mildly smoky, black malt finish with a lasting licorice impression. Very complex although I found the finish more pleasant than the rest of the brew. 4

(Mouthfeel) Slick, mildly creamy, low carbonation, quite dry. Alcohol presence is medium, body is medium/heavy. Nice pairing, could be a bit thicker and creamier. 4

(Overall) Second time around, I found this a pretty good beer but not as unbelievably good as the first time around. While the flavors were all well developed, I feel a little more time to mellow out this brew would do it some good. 4

Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.'s
Old Engine Oil Engineer's Reserve Blackest Ale
3.9/5.00

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2012 23:19:03 | More by Jadjunk

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.18/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Prime 16, served in a 3/4 pint glass.

A: Totally opaque black body under a finger of creamy, frothy dark tan head. Great retention, sticky lace. Lovely.

S: Rich, dark, and intense. Huge dark chocolate, licorice, coffee, and cocoa powder. A hint of herbal character, too. Terrific.

T: Follows the nose, with a bit of caramel sweetness following all the intense roastiness to balance everything out. A bit of booze, bitterness, and licorice on the finish - ends a bit harshly. The dark chocolate is great, the aftertaste isn't. Quite good overall, though.

M: Frothy, lively, and creamy. Too bubbly, but fun.

O: This one is simply huge for the style, being much closer to the average RIS than the average English Porter. I'm not complaining, as it was delicious.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2012 23:36:08 | More by woosterbill

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

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -4.5%
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

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

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

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

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

UCLABrewN84

California

4.23/5  rDev -0.2%
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

bashiba

Iowa

4.18/5  rDev -1.4%
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

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

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

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

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

MasterSki

Illinois

4/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from Puerto Rico Food & Liquors. Served in a taster pint glass.

A - A thin tan foam settles to a collar, wisps, and a few specks of lace. Dark brown and fairly opaque body.

S - Chocolate, smoke, fruity yeast, slightly vinous, with some mild floral hopping. Biscuit and butter toffee sweetness, with some raisin and other dark fruits. Smells like more of a cross between an English porter and an old ale. There's a bit of sherry-esque oxidation, although this is pretty new so perhaps it's deliberate?

T - The taste is smokey, with some meaty glazed ham flavors, as well as caramel, toffee, fruity yeast notes, buttermilk, chocolate, and a hint of tobacco leaf. Alcohol is very well-hidden.

M - A tad thin for a 9% beer, but there's no alcohol heat and it's quite easy to drink. Lightly grainy texture, medium body, with a fairly dry and crisp finish.

D - Solid stuff, particularly if you like fruity English ales. Might not have been worth the somewhat steep price tag ($7.99 for an 11.2oz bottle) bit it was easy to drink, with a rich and complex flavor profile.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 23:17:58 | More by MasterSki

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

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

Bung

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2 oz. very dark brown/mohoghanny pour, just a ring and a few wisps light tan.

Aroma, heavy earthy chocolates. Lighter malt and anise.

Taste, Some earthy malt and dark chocolate. Mostly do instead by a heavy roast and anise however. Actually works pretty well, just more RIS, as others have pointed out.

Heavier than mid bodied, but enough carbonation. Just about creamy. Only a little warming. Good, definetely worth a try, though I prefer the regular as well.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 02:18:52 | More by Bung

superspak

Michigan

4/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330 ml bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours dense pitch black color with a nice 1 finger dense tan head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of dark chocolate, char, roasted malt, coffee, caramel, toffee, earth, and light herbal hops. Very nice aromas with good balance and strength. Taste of dark chocolate, coffee, char, roasted malt, toffee, molasses, earth, and herbal hops. Light spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, char, coffee, toffee, molasses, and herbal on the finish for a bit. Nice balance of flavors; with minimal cloying flavors. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a fairly creamy and slick mouthfeel that is nice. Not as dense feeling as the original version though. Alcohol is well hidden with a small warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice imperial porter. Nice robust and balanced flavors; very smooth to sip on. The original version still tops this one, but I enjoyed this quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 03:27:30 | More by superspak

metter98

New York

4.23/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is jet black in color. It poured with a quarter finger high beige head that quickly died down, leaving a collar of large bubbles and some wispy lacing on the surface.
S: There are light aromas of roasted malts and smoke in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of dark roasted malts and is accompanied by a very slight amount of bitterness and some hints of chocolate and smoked peat.
M: It feels medium-bodied and somewhat smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is incredibly drinkable—no traces of the alcohol whatsoever are present in the taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 05:31:30 | More by metter98

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

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

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

popery

California

4/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours black with just a hint of dark coffee brown along the edges. Small tan head. The aroma is molasses, dark stone fruit, chocolate and roast. It's sort of a beery bittersweet chocolate flavor, sweet but with a good dose of dark malt backing it up. Mild herbaceous hops. The taste is luxurious dark malt. Sweet, rich chocolate leading into a gently bitter finish, roasty and hoppy. Thick, velvety feel. Fills the mouth. Relatively low carbonation. It's a very nice beer full of dark malt flavor. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 04:16:20 | More by popery

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

ours jet black with a brown-ish head. In the aroma, a light roasted malt and sweet chocolate. In the taste, a quite rich chocolate taste, and a small alcohol in the end. Quite smooth and a medium to bigger bodied mouthfeel, with a note of alcohol and chocolate in the aftertaste. Quite nice, with rich chocolate and note of alcohol, yet smooth and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 17:33:09 | More by OWSLEY069