Old Viscosity
Port Brewing

 

Pours black with a nice, yeasty three finger head with lingering qualities. Aroma is roasted malt and coffee, with a touch of chocolate. Taste is immediately coffee, so much so that it likely overwhelms everything else. Some chocolate notes appear at the end, however, the overall effect is a coffee profile. This unbalance is the undoing of this brew, which is otherwise, tasty moderately bodied and visually appealing.

 

 

 

i got vaccinated today, figured i may as well have a brew, picked a nice one too, beer is black as night, tan coloured head which quickly dissipates, lovely aroma on this, deep rich malt, dark chocolate, tobacco, vanilla, dark fruits, caramel, flavours much the same, nice balance between dark malt flavours, sweet milk chocolate and vanilla, and bitter espresso, oaky, lightly nutty, high levels of bitterness on the finish, smokey malt flavours and sweet caramel flavours linger, full bodied and light carbonation, heavy, really quite boozy, lot of warming, all in all very nice stuff, just the beer i wanted really, proper nice imperial stout

A - Pitch black pour with light caramel head floating on top and dense lacing.

S - Deep chocolate roast, char, and light smoke.

T - Chocolate roast and chocolate char from start to finish. Ends with a nice lingering chocolate roast bitterness.

M - Thick and velvety with a tad bit of thin around the edges, dry on the back of the tongue with a slight chalky residue coating the mouth.

O - An easy drinking Imperial Stout where the alcohol pokes through somewhat at the beginning but quickly subsides.

 

Bottle. I think it’s a 2015, but the date is smudged.

Tan head. Lace. Black color.

Roasted malts, bitter dark chocolate, coffee, caramel. Not super thick, but it’s a big stout. Lots of oak. Lots of bitterness from the chocolate and hops.

 

1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle, courtesy of Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 10.0%. Black colour (dark ruby when held to the light), huge tan head. Lovely aroma of moderately roasted malts, mild coffee, chocolate, oak and leather. Full and rich flavour, malty predominance with much the same elements as the aroma, moderate but sufficient hops in the finish. Well balanced, immensely pleasant to drink. Warming mouthfeel, but the alcohol is otherwise well hidden in the flavour.

 

 

this is one of the beers that started my cellar, maybe not the very first bottle, but near it, and not because i adored it and wanted to see how it aged, indeed i had never even had it before, but because i was loving port at the time and never had the occasion to break it out over the years, that or i forgot, and its been collecting dust ever since. ive been doing one random cellar dark beer every thursday during quarantine for my own entertainment, and i feel thankful to have pulled this one yesterday. i cant find a date on the bottle, but this has to be approaching ten years old, its no newer than maybe seven years, i do not totally recall its origin story, lots has happened since then, but suffice it to say it should be called ancient viscosity! i dont always love how stouts age, they often taste oxidized and thin to me, especially ones that spent time in oak, sometimes its just better to drink them close to fresh, but i was rewarded for my patience with this one, that is certain, and the quality and refinement overall here is additional testament to how amazing port is with quality and attention to detail, its immaculate. close to jet black with a surprisingly high head, mocha colored and frothy, with great retention and even some lace, unexpected in a beer this old, and some obvious bottle conditioning has taken place, this is velvet to drink. i get notes of dark chocolate, black licorice, and unlit cigar in the nose and taste here, with subtle bready yeast character, earthy spice, wet hearty oak, and rich molasses. just a bit of oxidation to the nose, but absent from the flavor, shocking for how old this is. there is a nice decadence to this with it being quite dry for the style, but i do get an almost belgian dark candy sugar taste in here, all very well grounded and balanced, nice roast, smooth as anything, and really seemingly pretty bulletproof in the cellar, like even after about a decade, its still nowhere near the end of its delicious trajectory, i almost cant believe it. i love older viscosity too, but this is darn near just as good, especially with all this age on it, a stunning specimen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bitter and creamy. Chocolate and coffee. Roasty and a touch of vanilla. These are some of the qualities that make good stouts, and these are all qualities for this one. Very good, what a stout should be, but not quite at the level of Fremont Dark Star to hold my interest over the long haul.

Black and opaque body; thick, dense, and creamy light tan head. Huge roasted and charred grain aroma; suggestions of dark chocolate. Big cocoa and roasted grain flavor; chocolate sweetness offset with medium-strength hop bitterness. Heavy body; thick and velvety; some grain husk astringency; fine blend of chocolate sweetness and dark grain and alcohol dryness.

This beer exudes stout goodness at all levels. It is very rich and satisfying with a robust character and complex and well-balanced depth. Awesome...coats the palate with thick and satisfying goodness throughout the tasting experience.

Can into pint glass. Pours a very dark brown with a coarse light tan head. Initial impression is thick milk chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, vanilla, and oak. Mouthfeel is thick and creamy-smooth; carbonation is just enough to showcase the flavors. Alcohol is well hidden. Finish is more coffee, dark chocolate, oak and a slight lingering bitterness. This would not be something that you would open more than one of, but the one you open will prove thoroughly enjoyable.

A: Black with nice tan foamy head and abundant lacing that remain thru entire beer.
N: Lots of coffee, dark chocolate, malt, barley and minor vanilla.
T: Follows the nose, thick creamy coffee goodness with dark chocolate bitterness, some light malt and vanilla.
M: Thick, creamy and easy to drink.
O: Loved it, very drinkable, loads of flavor, and very well balanced.

 

 

Of course, for old times sake I had to try the newly released 19.2 can. But back in the day this was questionable quality at $6 per bomber. Not much has changed except it's more expensive now.

Looks ok. Smells and taste big chocolate, roasted, hoppy, full flavored beer I question the categorization now of Imperial Stout as this used to be Strong Ale, wasn't it? My issue with this beer and it has always been that it becomes increasingly annoying as you go. Would be much better marketed in 12 oz 4 paks at a reasonable price.

Bottom line, one and done. Port Brewing needs to step up their game, and this used to be one of my favorite breweries.

 

 

Beautifully carbonated blend of fresh and barrel aged black ale that nicely coats the glass.
The subtly sweet vanilla almond scent of the barrel melds with the initial taste of dried figs to balance out a drying finish of oak, cacao, and bitter hops.
Ive had it fresh and a couple years old, excellent staying power... the beer jumps off the line a bright barleywine-ish dark ale and matures into a smooth Imperial Stout with some time - Win/win.
CAUTION to those that disparage cellaring, welcome to your gateway beer.

 

Call me Stupid for not having bought a few cases of Old Viscosity. Port Brewing does just about all their ales right, but Ol' Vis was incredible. Bring it back, boys/girls!!