Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Black Ale

Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Black Ale:

If you don't know my routine by now, I always start off a beer tasting my shoving my nose right in the bottle.  And they say that finding an honest ad man is like finding sober Irishman (very rare indeed), but just like the bottle clearly states, this beer is "chocolately" and "roasty," at least in odor, and there's still "viscous" to judge with this beer, so let's not waste any more time.

Wow, that is good.  Right out of the bottle for the first couple of sips, and the chocolate definitely takes a back seat to the roastedness.  Viscous?  It leaves a bit of a welcome bitterness in the aftertaste, so yeah, let's say viscous.  I don't have mirror to check to see if my teeth are stained, and it is hot, very hot actually, so we might see some thermal viscosity breakdown, but let's continue.

A fizzly effervescence to the head as I pour it into a mini pint glass, and holding it up to the light, Man, that is opaque!  Instead of the flavors and bouquet opening up when poured into the glass, they seem to settle down into a nice even idle (that's a lame attempt at making a car reference).  Halfway through and I am liking this beer.  This beer is from Scotland, and I am kind of bummed I didn't review this for our Beers of Scotland newsletter and video we did for Robert Burns Week.  I am a fan of dark beers, and I think Williams Brothers had a black ale I reviewed and really enjoyed (Williams Brothers Brewing Company Elderberry Black Ale).  Perhaps I am settling in on a favorite style? This beer has what I like: roasty, toasty nose and body with a good all-around taste.  At 6% abv, I can have a bunch and not be too worried about falling down on the heath.  There are some stouts and porters that should taste this good, but don't, so this scores high in representation and style, even though I don't have many black ales in mind for comparison.  Accessible? I think a fan of dark roasted beers will really like this, but not an average lager or pilsner drinker.  This also scores high in my personal preference, which should be no surprise.  This beer should not be trunked, it rides shotgun all the way.  Beep, beep!

Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Black Ale:

Representation: .90
Accessibility: .75
Style: .85
Personal Preference: .95

Total: 3.45 Flags