Imperial Extra Double Stout
Harvey's Brewery

 

 

Drinking out of a small goblet.
Pours a somewhat reddish clear black with minimal tan head.
Smells of licorice.
Smooth,slick mouth feel.
Doesn’t taste like a typical imperial stout.
Lighter. Reminiscent of motor oil.
Dry. Dark tones, maybe of black licorice, but weird overall.

Aroma is strong dark malts and hints of dark chocolate/vinous. The flavor is fruit, dark malts, chocolate/dark chocolate and an acidic/slight scotch/vinous alcohol/medium sweet finish.

9.3oz bottle with ADL printed on cap and no obvious date code, 9% ABV per label. The beer pours very dark brown with minimal light penetration on the edges and little head. Directly after the pour there's a pencil thin ring, a few micro bubbles and no lacing. The aroma is mild with molasses, bakers chocolate and soy sauce. The taste is bittersweet and barely tart, remesent of a traditional stock ale. There's roasted malt, but it's in the background along with some dark fruit, soy sauce, wine soaked oak and barely perceptible cardboard...
Mild bitterness. The feel is thin to medium bodied with very low carbonation and a semi dry finish. Overall, interesting stout. Nothing like we expect an RIS to be, yet a direct descendant of an original brewed under license of A. Le Coq and the Tartu Brewery Estonia.

Syrupy midnight black with a smattering of tan froth + a few trailers of foam; cinnamon, cellar, and peat on the nose; tar, smoke, sandalwood, treacle, black grape, and herbal anise; smooth, rich, flat.

4 3.5 4 3.75 4

2018 expiry.
None more black.
Nose tells a story of being stored too long, but this has just been marinating in its own darkness.
It’s so old that it’s shed even the roastiness of a stout. So where there should be coffee or chocolate is just earthy, slight tart dried fruit with botanical highlights. It’s fitting that Tartu in Estonia advised on this, because it plays like one of those Baltic liqueurs in an opaque bottle.
It opens into more raisin + winter spice, so there’s a pastry shop factor here, too. And - again with the Baltic references - bits of plum. Finally, there’s a tart winey edge, like it’s turning or spent time in barrels, which is not entirely unwelcome laid up against all that’s come before.
Lack of carbonation + overall intensity means this is a sipper - takes some time with, but yields dividends.

Heavyweight, though it might need to be fresher.


Spicier, thicker, smokier, not as deep or rich but more complex, and slower sipping than Courage Imperial Russian Stout.

From the 9.3 fl oz bottle in a snifter. This classic imperial pours a
jet black with a moderate head of tan foam that settles to a thick ring,
thin dusty layer, and displays some nice light lacing. Nose of dark
fruits of blackberry, raspberry, cherry, dark cocoa, dark roasted
malts, and subtle soy. Flavors follow the nose with soy dashed
dark fruits of blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, and tart cherry
dashed with bakers cocoa, vinous wine barrel, subtle rum, and
dark roasted malts. Mouth feel is medium full leaning towards full,
smooth, rich, very coating, subtly warming, faint carbonation, and a
bitter malt and dark fruit / soy finish.

Overall, not what I remember, but a welcome return to a great brew
from a great brewery!

Cheers

 

Bottle conditioned. 2016 vintage. Bought from the brewery in 2017 and cellared at 14C. The pour appears quite viscous. Ebony in colour with a bubbly tan head.
Wow. A rich aroma of dark autumn and stoned fruits soaked in rum. Toffee caramel, toasted bread and leather present
Initial sweet taste of soy is then overcome by a burnt bitter completion.
Very full bodied with little carbonation. Syrupy feel.
The bouquet was quite gorgeous. At 5 years the ageing has done it's job well.

9.3 oz bottle, no date that I can find anywhere - there was a few lines of ink on the cap but unclear what it may have previously read.

pours an inky jet black, dark brown colored head that fades to a thin ring. aroma is pretty tart, dominated by vinous dark fruits on top of figs and dark chocolate. similar flavors, also a good bit of smokey char and a little soy sauce. A bit acidic in the middle, long but dry finish. thick sticky mouthfeel.

overall very intense and complex but not sure I like the sour aspect.

2001 - bottle pour into a taster glass.
Dark brown with limited tan head.
Notes of raisin, leather, tobacco, and prune.
Moderate to light mouthfeel with minimal carbonation, likely due to its age.

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, as "Harvey’s Double Extra Russian Stout". ABV was 9.5%. Gravity dispense. Pitch black colour, low head. LOVELY complex aroma, surprisingly fruity: Plums, cherries, oranges. Roastiness, oak and cigars too. Flavour is extremely roasty and bitter, but also elements of oak and dark fruits. Warming mouthfeel, as expected from a 9.5% ABV beer. The roasty and bitter aftertaste lasts "forever", making it difficult to move on to another beer. Belongs in the top division of beers.

275ml bottle from Beerhawk online shop (£3.49):
Dark & thick looking with a 0.5cm head that's tan coloured & holds well. The nose is strong & boozy with dark fruits, cherries & a sugar sweetness followed by some slightly sour, funky notes at the end. The taste was stronger than the nose with a lot of sourness initially with some boozy, brandy-like flavours. The balance wasn't a particularly great one but it was pleasantly warming at the end whilst not being your typical imperial stout.

L- This beer is BLACK-black, not even a photon gets through it even when held touching a halogen bulb. Pours with 3mm very dark caramel brown head. Ring+lacing remain even 20mins later.
S- 'Deep molasses, toffee, with just a hint of coffee'. No need to hunt for the Smell, it's prominent.
T- Boof! Coffee, deep intriguing molasses and hefty roasted/toasted notes which also brings a touch of smoke. Almost wine-like notes when occasional hints of sour/dry/bitter fight their way through.
F- Heavy Feel (as well as ^Taste), from it's richness mostly as it's 9% ABV is well veiled. Serious winter-warmer.
O- Heavy, charry, deep, pungent, very roasty. I haven't read the lable/other reviews this is blind, if the latter say it's aged in wine barrels it'll make more sense. Interesting to try and perfectly drinkable but maaahn it's a bit intense to make a regular of it.
ps. Nearing the last swig or two, DAMN this beer is PUNGENT!!
275ml bottle (what is this, Australia?). Bought from Beerhawl/UK for home delivery (UK!). BB: Feb-2021.

This bottle cap is stamped "2009". I remember picking this up a few years back at Belmont Party Supply in Dayton, OH. There is little head but some random pockets of bubbles. The nose is heavy on the dark fruit, smoked wood, and brown sugar.

Plenty of dark chocolate and wood and leather flavors, with notes favoring both wine and whisky. This is dry and complex, with late roast coffee notes in the aftertaste . The carbonation has not totally dissipated and provides a fine platform for the plethora of flavors. I would be curious to find one of more recent vintage because I have nothing to compare this to.

A 275ml bottle with a BB of Dec 2018. Purchased last year from the Harvey's brewery shop in Lewes. The label states that this is based on an original recipe for RIS and has won many awards in recent years.

A: Poured into a Duvel tulip. Bottle conditioned. An exceptionally dark brown hue that appears pitch black in the glass. Produces a small head of creamy brown foam that lasts for a minute or two before reducing to a patchy surface layer.

S: Aroma of rich dark malt with hints of roasted grain, prunes, dried fruit, fruitcake, molasses, mild coffee, ale yeast, faint leafiness, a touch of soy sauce and a twinge of acidity. The booze is well hidden. Wonderfully complex.

T: Tastes of roasted grain with notes of sweet dark malt, molasses, prunes, dried fruit, subtle coffee, a hint of chocolate, ale yeast, earthiness, mild soy sauce, vague leafiness and a whisper of sourness in the background. Quite sweet, followed by a substantial malt-driven bitterness upon swallowing.

M: Mouthfeel is smooth and lightly tingly, with soft carbonation and lovely body for the style. Creamy but not overly so. Somewhat astringent. Aftertaste of bitter roasted malt, burnt grain, coffee, chocolate, molasses, dried fruit, ale yeast, leafiness and soy sauce.

O: A big, roasty brew with a rich character. Looks the part, while the aroma and flavour are stuffed with intense dark malt and complex fruitiness. Nice body. A sipping ale that makes for the perfect finish to a session. Well worth sampling if you have the chance.

Bottle poured into Spiegelau stout glass

Really interesting to read fellow advocates’ reviews after trying this as I wondered if I had a dud bottle. Pours a standard RIS appearance. Dark chocolate and loads of dark fruits; blackberries and sour cherries on the nose and palate. Slight savoury note courtesy of soy sauce. Bizarrely, this immediately reminds me, flavour wise, of a big Italian red wine, perhaps a Chianti or an Amarone. Very odd. Not unpleasant but completely unexpected. Mouthfeel is near perfect for a RIS. Weird but enjoyable. Cheers.

Nose sour dark fruit, chocolate, wood, molasses, roasted malt, soy, nice head retention. Taste wood, plums, raisins, tobacco, licorice, molasses, leather, vanilla, soy, cocoa, slight coffee, full bodied.