Old Viscosity
Port Brewing

Old ViscosityOld Viscosity
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From:
Port Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #1,320
ABV:
10%
Score:
92
Ranked #4,290
Avg:
4.15 | pDev: 8.67%
Reviews:
902
Ratings:
2,026
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 26, 2023
Added:
Aug 11, 2004
Wants:
  172
Gots:
  302
This is definitely not your Dad’s 30 weight!

An enormously rich and satisfying beer, Old Viscosity begins with a malty nose with caramel and chocolate overtones. An incredibly rich beer with substantial malty notes, Old Viscosity finishes with a dry, sweet Dark Chocolate bitterness.

HopsGerman Magnum

Original Gravity1.091

AvailabilityYear Round
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by dukedevil0:
Photo of dukedevil0
Reviewed by dukedevil0 from Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Picked up this bomber from Binny's Lakeview in Chicago, IL.

A: Pours a DARK black. No light getting through. Khaki colored head, but not much of it and lots of lacing on the glass from the head that is there.

S: Coffee, Chocolate, and Roast with some alcohol being picked up too.

T: Just like the smell...coffee, chocolate, and roast...and boy is it tasty! Very slight bite from the alcohol/possibly from the bourbon barrel aging, but it's well balanced.

M: Lower carbonation and thus the brew has some creaminess.

D: I'd say very drinkable for a beer of this type. I could drink this a lot on a cold night until I either got full or passed out!

Reminds me of Founder's Breakfast Stout....might have to try them both side by side to see which I prefer. But this a beer that I wouldn't mind having one around...
Dec 08, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by Nyoder

Nov 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.18 by not2quick from Missouri

May 04, 2023
Photo of DarkLordScott
Reviewed by DarkLordScott from Wisconsin

3.84/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
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.
Mar 03, 2023
 
Rated: 4.31 by Dsimenson from California

May 07, 2022
 
Rated: 4.05 by QuintusHorace from California

Jan 20, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by thewimperoo from Illinois

Oct 20, 2021
Photo of misteil
Reviewed by misteil from Ireland

4.3/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
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
Aug 19, 2021
Photo of jzeilinger
Reviewed by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
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.
May 31, 2021
 
Rated: 4.34 by Tcsox from Massachusetts

Apr 12, 2021
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
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.
Mar 27, 2021
 
Rated: 4.47 by BMBCLT from South Carolina

Mar 24, 2021
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

4.32/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
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.
Mar 20, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by smartassboiler from Illinois

Jan 23, 2021
 
Rated: 4.52 by GC2020 from New Hampshire

Jun 03, 2020
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.44/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
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!
May 29, 2020
 
Rated: 5 by sillyhed8 from California

Apr 09, 2020
 
Rated: 4.09 by jmbeerdude91 from Arizona

Mar 27, 2020
 
Rated: 4.09 by psweendogg from Connecticut

Mar 22, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by brandoneast from Texas

Feb 04, 2020
Old Viscosity from Port Brewing
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 2026 ratings