Old Viscosity - Port Brewing Company / Pizza Port

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled April. 2011

Nearly jet black, one finger of tan head, with a bit of lace as well. Smell is quite roasty with a big dose of liquorice, dark chocolate and vanilla, oak comes across in a big way, bourbon? or some sort of whisky as well. Taste is roasty with lots of oak present, bourbon, vanilla, milk and bakers chocolate and even a small bit of coffee as well. Lightly carbonated, medium-full body with some thinner points, thought the mouthfeel could have been a bit bigger here. Solid stuff here, really enjoyable and something I would love to have again many times over.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 13:59:27 | More by peensteen

FosterJM

California

3.55/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

1570th Review on BA
Bottle to Snifter
22oz

10/19/11 Bottling Date
Purchased at Party House Liquor, Chino Hills, CA

App- Pours out at 1st with way too much head. Even at cellar temp, I think it was due to being laid down vs. standing. It was a good brown color bordering on black with some ruby edges. The head was a good 3 fingers and clung well. Nice density.

Smell- I was suprised at how dry and roasty this was. The 10% is hidden but the oak really adds a depth to the nose on this one. Needed a bit more malty richness behind it. Maybe a year didnt serve this one well.

Taste- When I 1st took a sip of this one it was very dry and prickly. I was thinking this wouldve been a smaller version of Older but it wasnt. It had more of the dry roasted stout character and the oak was a afterthought I think. Hell, it could be a blend of styles which didnt all come together or came apart after a year.

Mouth- A bit of a lighter medium with a fairly high carbonation on this one. Residual flavors were a bit of dry, roasted, maybe some peanut shell dust and a little cocoa powder.

Drink- It was nice, just thought it would be a whole lot better. Thats okay. Always have older to fall back on if I want to go the Port stout route.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 15:46:18 | More by FosterJM

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared by Pino, 650ml into a tulip. April 2010 dating.

Black with dark red at the edges. Light brown head with good lace and some retention. Nose of chocolate, oak, caramels, dark fruits are there but peripheral. Lots of chocolate in the flavour, light roast, sweet dark malts and molasses. Full bodied, smooth low carbonation. An excellent imperial stout, all qualities of this are well executed.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 21:32:31 | More by liamt07

beesy

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a standard pint glass.

A - pours a deep brown with deep mahogany hue. Looks a lot like Dragons Milk. A medium brown colored head two fingers deep builds and maintains some foam for the entire drink.

S - roasty, barrel, woody, slight aroma of vanilla, German chocolate. More barrel characters are expressed as it warms.

T - roasty upfront that leads into a touch a sweetness as the roast mintains and picks up dry dark chocolate flavors. Slightly hot. Wow - the ending is a big dose of dark chocolate paired with a medium-light bitterness that appears to be mainly derived from the roast malts. Whiskey barrel and vanilla are most apparent on the front end.

M - medium bodied. Very dry for a beer of this abv.

D - while easy to sip down because of the dryness it's surprisingly filling for me.

Overall a pretty nice stout/old ale. Reminds me of Dragons Milk a bit. The barrel profiles are there but not overwhelming, letting the malts do the heavy lifting. It opens up quite a bit as it warms too so it was fun to follow the profile through the entire drink. I was surprised how dry and light the beer appeared, but it did sit heavier than it drinked.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 02:00:07 | More by beesy

Jmamay22

New York

3.9/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer pours out a deep, dark black with a tan colored head. Smells of a hint of vanilla and chocolate. Here a little bit of an alcohol burn as well that is a little off putting.

Tastes of molasses, chocolate and a hint of vanilla bourbon on the finish. The partial aging has surely helped soften the edges and take away some of the alcohol burn found in the nose. There's a bit of fruity espresso lingering as well, but this could be imagination. I doubt any coffee bean was actually used. I've always enjoyed barrel aged beers and this is no exception. The mouthfeel is fairly thick and as expected, viscous.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 00:40:25 | More by Jmamay22

Piper

4.38/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured black with a light brown head and fine bubbles with great lacing. Nose; malty dark fruit aromas with a subtle hoppyness. Mouth; hoppy citrus with malty bitterness, fig, cherry, coffee and chocolate notes. The Finish; good rounded beer, there is a bitterness that helps tame the sweet undertones. Full bodied big beer, very enjoyable, more subtle flavors come out as out warms up.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 01:39:19 | More by Piper

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

3.15/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours a very dark brown with a half finger light tan head that quickly recedes to a film.

S: Molasses, licorice, and bourbon mix together equally. I don't get much roast or chocolate.

T: Quite different than the aroma. I get roast and bourbon mixed together with a bit of dark chocolate in the background.

M: Very thin with adequate carbonation.

O: Very, very thin which takes away from the flavor. A bit weak, but not bad. Nothing about the flavor is bad, but the mouthfeel takes a lot away.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 02:02:16 | More by coreyfmcdonald

51mmz0rz

New Jersey

4.4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a Guinness glass.

A: Massive cascading very fine dark mocha head. Body is pitch black as far as I can tell. Retention and lacing are both great.

S: Dominated by coffee and chocolate aromas. Slight hop aroma.

T: Dark, malts blend with a fair amount of bitterness, with whiskey and aged beer flavors in he background. Finish is a long, with hot alcohol falling into dark malt and hope bitterness.

M: Rich, thick mouth feel with a surprisingly clean finish. This impressed me. Could be slightly more carbonated, but I poured it hard, so that might be on me.

O: Delicious, though not quite as full on stout as I expected. Their description seems to be accurate, as it feels a bit in between styles (but mostly stout).

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 03:55:10 | More by 51mmz0rz

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Masterski for this one.

Poured from a 1pint 6oz. bottle.

Appearance: Pours a real thick body, intensely brown with a good 3 finger head the color of dark milk chocolate. Good retention.

Smell: Very strong oak mixed with light bourbon notes and dried plums.

Taste: Roasted coffee, bit bitter, with oak, dark chocolate shavings, dried fruits (plums and raisins mostly), toffee and charred wood.

Mouthfeel: Wears its name well as it is viscous and creamy but thins out a bit as warms and not quite robust.

Overall: Age seems to have mellowed this beer. It's good but i found it lacked a little something to push it over the top.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 11:49:48 | More by papat444

cvm4

Mississippi

3.83/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Opaque brown to almost black. Nice tan head than dissipates to a ring around the glass.

S - Coffee bean, dark chocolate and a hint of vanilla.

T - Roasted malt and coffee bean. Dark chocolate and a slight hint of licorice hide beneath the dominant flavors.

M - Medium bodied, not thick and chewy like I'm used to with an imperial. It has medium carbonation.

O - It's not an ultra rare or hard to get beer. Clearly, it delivers as a solid imperial stout.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 23:03:59 | More by cvm4

julian89

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle to pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a thick, opaque, black body that’s light brown around the rim and head. The 1/2” cream colored head has great retention.

Smell: A strong, roasted coffee, chocolate (dark of course), and subtle fruit scent, cherries and dark grape maybe.

Taste: Dark sugars and great mix of roasted coffee and chocolate. The alcohol taste is well masked. Its main notes are very pronounced and could use a little settling. It could age a bit as well.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and carbonated well.
Drinkability: Well mixed and very well pronounced flavors. Honestly I feel you could buy this in a bomber at $8 and age it yourself and in 1-2 years have older viscosity (twice the volume and half the price).

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 16:29:36 | More by julian89

divineaudio

Michigan

4/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

bomber split with my gf, poured into my founders snifter. purchased in summer '11, consumed 3/12. from notes.

a - pours dark brown with a finger of tan head that calme quick. leaves a thin film and leggy lacing.

s - chocolate, roast, cola, faint dark fruitiness.

t - big milk chocolate flavor with faint raisin notes. has a pronounced piney bitterness that comes in at the end and hangs on the tongue. kinda lacking in depth but what's here is good.

m - thick with lighter carbonation, finer co2 profile, slight alcohol warming.

o - my first thought is that this is a highly hopped porter. enjoyable, but a bit of a chore to drink. nothing amazing here, but i'm glad i got to try it. would buy another bottle if i ever come across it again.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 05:14:56 | More by divineaudio

BigH75

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Not giving a classic review. Just wanted to note to cigar smokers that old viscosity is the best beer that I have had to accompany a rich Maduro cigar. The big rich flavor and mouthfeel hold up well and do not get overwhelmed by an equally big rich cigar. I suggest buying a 22oz and share with a friend over cigars.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 01:01:33 | More by BigH75

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a St. Bernardus goblet. Bottled 19 December 2011.

A: Two fingers of dense, mocha head. The beer is brown-black utterly opaque. Heavy lacing. Damn.

S: Roasted coffee beans from a foot away. Up close, it's more nuanced, with the burnt bitterness balanced by vanillaesque scent I associate with bourbon barrels. Marred by a touch of metal.

T: I can see this as an excellent example of the imperial stout. Excellent balance. Nutty coffee and deep roasted malts. An engaging flavor with exceptional bitterness that manages to originate in hops, malt, coffee, and dark chocolate. The hop balance is never lost -- thank gods! -- amid the swirling excellence of deep, dark malts and bitter roast.

M: Thick, heavy, and rewarding. Light and biting. An superlatively interesting and sippable beer.

O: According to BuckeyeNation, 20% bourbon barrel aged. I can see it, but suspect I would find Older Viscosity less rewarding, because the hoppiness and vitality of this particular beer really make for an excellent experience. An absolute steal for the price ($7.99) and highly recommended to any lover of stouts or excellently bitter-dark better.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 07:44:18 | More by AgentMunky

BostonHops

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours a dark brown tone, sits an opaque black in the glass; nice, frothy finger and a half mocha colored head showing considerable retention. outstanding lace.

bold nose is headlined by a combination of roasted malt and chocolate. a touch of vanilla, maybe oak. big chocolate presence in the flavor, more so than i'd have guessed going off the aroma. coffee and roasted malt in there as well. really, really tasty. some booziness but not enough to be a real detriment to the beer. forced to choose, i appreciate the big bourbon presence in older viscosity, but this is a hands down top notch brew as well - and at about half the cost of older.

medium bodied mouthfeel with medium carbonation. one glass will be enough for me tonight, but i am absolutely revisting this in the future.

originally reviewed: 01-31-2011

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 22:24:41 | More by BostonHops

jjanega08

Minnesota

2.65/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

No indicated vintage on the bottle.

A= The pour is thinner than I expected with the name. It looks a deep brown color coming from the bottle into the glass and in the glass it's a nice solid black. The head rises to about a quarter finger and falls fast into a ring around the glass without too much lacing on the glass.

S= The smell is a mix of roast and intense sweetness that leads to a slight soy sauce smell. Nothing like the triple bock but a bit soy saucy.

T= The taste is again a nice roast and a lot less sweetness than the nose reveiled. There is very little bourbon in the taste and very little of the flavors that go with bourbon barrel beers. Not much oak or vanilla. The wood is probably the most dominate character in the bourbon portion of this beer.

M= The mouth isn't as thick as I thought it would be despite the name. It is a nice smooth drink however.

O= A little bit of a let down. The bourbon barrel isn't well represented and the flavors aren't filled with enough punch. It's not a total let down but it's a sub par imperial stout when compared to other imperial stouts.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 04:55:38 | More by jjanega08

HopHead84

California

4.2/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

5/13/2012

On tap at Lost Abbey.

A: Near black with a slight reddish tinge near the bottom of the glass. Big frothy light brown head.

S: Earthy and very roasty with expressive dark chocolate notes. Light licorice presence with a touch of blackstrap molasses.

T: Pronounced roasted grain presence with bittersweet dark chocolate. A little licorice with an upper low earthy bitterness. Well hidden alcohol throughout but it rears its head in the finish.

M: Full body with upper moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is full, silky, and chewy.

Overall: It's unfortunate for Old Viscosity that Older Viscosity is such a phenomenal beer because sometimes this gets overlooked. Old Viscosity is a fantastic beer, though, and one I should enjoy more often.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2012 05:10:53 | More by HopHead84

RonfromJersey

New Jersey

4.08/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Almost perfect black body, with a laser of ruby along the base of he glass. Four fingers of supr dense medium tan foam. Minimal lacing.

Aroma of coffee backed by dark fruits. Inviting and assertive, but does not carry far. Faint whiff of vanilla.

Taste follows nose. Strong deep roasted coffee. Chocolate undercurrent. Subtle oak and vanilla. Dark fruits along the edges.

Thick rich mouthfeel lives up to the name.

A fine example of an imperial stout, well worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 04:26:09 | More by RonfromJersey

TK5150

Maine

4.38/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours very dark brown/blackish with a large beige/light brown head. Excellent lacing on the glass.

S- Smells like coffee, creamer, toffee, and maybe some juniper berry.

T- Like a MASSIVE cup of great coffee with the vanilla creamer. Lots of berry fruitiness. Dark bitter chocolate on the finish. Light heat going down the esophagus. A very nice Black Barleywine as Tomme Arthur calls it. I would say this is much more like a unique Imperial Porter.

M- Full bodied but not very thick at all. Higher carbonation makes it feel a bit lighter. A bit airy. Very smooth.

O- LET THIS BEER WARM! It is best when warm. I can't believe this isn't made with coffee, it has some of the most coffee flavor I have ever had in a beer, even more than many of the most highly regarded coffee stouts. Great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 20:29:43 | More by TK5150

brystmar

New York

2.68/5  rDev -35.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Loved Older, let's see how the base compares.

About what you'd expect from a stout, great retention. Smells oxidized, a little fruity, some booze, and honestly smells like it's over-carbonated if that makes sense.

Taste disappoints. Boozy with dark fruits first, then strongly roasted malts dominate for some reason. Transition between flavors isn't smooth or logical. Oxidized. This isn't for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 01:25:12 | More by brystmar

LiquidAmber

Washington

4/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Review from 12/2010 notes. Poured into a Nostradamus flute glass. Pours pitch black. Virtually no carbonation with a thin film of tiny bubbles that disappears quickly. Aroma of dark and toasted malt. Taste follows aroma, dark and toasted malt, light smoke, chocolate and dark fruits. Thick bodied. Somewhat subdued; only a little oak flavor comes through. An understated, but pleasant and well integrated stout.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 03:30:07 | More by LiquidAmber

Holland

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: dark black with brown highlights and a big tan head. Beautiful stout look, but not quite thick enough.

S: roasted malt, bitter hops, earthiness, and malt sweetness.

T: very nice balance between malty and bitter along with an emphasis on roasted malt. Chocolate and coffee are slight but evident in the roasted character.

M: not thick enough still, but great carbonation and around a medium body. Maybe medium-heavy if I'm being nice to it.

O: Excellent beer overall. On par with Stone's RIS easily, though I'd love to do a side by side comparison. I would drink this again, and it would be great to age some of this.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 03:50:06 | More by Holland

hopfacebrew

Colorado

4.3/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from undated bomber to pint glass the beer arrives an opaque deep rich black with black edges and appears quite viscous. The head is a nice 2 finger mocha brown that actually lightens as it fades with superb retention and lacing. Looks great. The nose is roast dominated with tones of oak, vanilla, bourbon, and cream. You can smell the smooth character of the beer, if that makes sense. The flavor very much follows suit and is enjoyable. None of the characteristics are overpowering and actually work well together. Roast is most dominant with hints of vanilla, molasses, oak, and a kiss of bourbon. The beer finishes smooth and creamy with a lingering mild roast sweetness. Well carbonated and full bodied. Another great beer from Port. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 01:56:07 | More by hopfacebrew

B33R501

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I dont know. Tried this 2 years ago, never went back (until tonite). Considering its made by one of my favorite breweries, I'm not dissapointed, not a bad purchase for $6.50 bomber, but in this category i prefer Storm King or Brooklyn BCS for <$2 bottle.

Beautiful, thick, black beer that thins out as it warms due to the oak aging im sure. Great thick chocolate mocha head. Big aroma of milk chocolate on open. Pretty complex taste, chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, notes of dark fruit, vinous character.

I think my complaint with this beer is the sour aftertaste that lingers forever on the palate. Definitely a tongue bruiser but not in a good way for me. I wonder what this beer would be like without the oak aging. Another kinda similar beer I prefer would be Weyerbacher Tiny.

Not bad, but won't get this one again. Its a competitive business.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 21:13:38 | More by B33R501

GONZALOYANNA

Spain

4.23/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 fl. Oz. bottle. Snifter glass. Enjoyed on dec´11. Ebony color. Beige, small bubbled, froth. Creamy crown with nice retention & collars on sides. Notes of cocoa & biscuit to the nose. Incredible smooth sensation in mouth. Bitterness is quickly substituted by toasted malts leaving such a sweet palate rounded by underliying ripe dark fruits. Full body, soft carbonation. Dry bitter finish followed by notes of aged brandy. High ABV profile is well balanced in this flavorful beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 18:07:12 | More by GONZALOYANNA