Old Engine Oil Engineer's Reserve
Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.

Old Engine Oil Engineer's ReserveOld Engine Oil Engineer's Reserve
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From:
Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.
 
Scotland, United Kingdom
Style:
English Stout
Ranked #4
ABV:
9%
Score:
94
Ranked #2,643
Avg:
4.22 | pDev: 8.53%
Reviews:
118
Ratings:
362
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 25, 2023
Added:
Jan 04, 2012
Wants:
  59
Gots:
  69
The intensely flavoured but incredibly smooth Engineer's Reserve is our fabulous Old Engine Oil brewed up to 9% alc./vol. Three hop varieties - grassy Fuggles, spicy East Kent Goldings and fruity Galena - are combined with roast barley providing a slightly burnt, toasted coffee character. Enjoy a bottle after dinner and take time to savour the earthy, hop fruity flavours of this spectacularly dark, rich beer.
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Ratings by WillCarrera:
Photo of WillCarrera
Reviewed by WillCarrera from Ohio

4.05/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12 oz bottle, no bottled-on date, poured into a snifter.

A- Pours black with an inch of creamy brown head, leaves some nice lacing.

S- Chocolate, dark fruit and a lot of smoky, roasted grain.

T- Lots of roast and some subtle hops with a center of chocolate, caramel, and some dark fruit. Has a dry, smoky finish.

M- Medium-bodied, smooth feel, dry finish.

O- A solid porter, very drinkable stuff and with some great flavors.
May 13, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of jzeilinger
Reviewed by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

4.19/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottle Date: ?????

A - Pitch black pour with a dense layer toffee colored cream resting on top.

S - Roasty malt base and light coffee dominate the nose.

T - Nicely balanced across the board starting with a roasted chocolate malt base, some light coffee and char, a slight bit of earthiness, and dark fruit mixed in. Leaves a lingering earthy char bitterness on the palate.

M - Viscous body that's silky and free of carbonation and finishing pretty dry.

O - This is an outstanding beer, could be going back for more of this one. Recommended.
Jan 25, 2023
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

4.11/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
July 2013: 330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9%. Black colour, large brown head. Nice roasty aroma, burnt malts, tar, coffee, ashes, wood, hints of dark chocolate and liquorice. Rich and creamy mouthfeel. Medium sweet flavour, roast malts, coffee, burnt sugar, dark chocolate, wood. A distinct hoppy bitterness in the finish, some salty notes too. Burnt aftertaste. More of an Imperial Porter than an Old Ale. By any rate very enjoyable.
Sep 10, 2022
Photo of Dinglehacker
Reviewed by Dinglehacker from Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured into snifter. Solid black with a khaki head that turns to a thin ring and lace in the shape of the number 2.

Nose is mildly sweet, with an underlying roast and a scent like dry jerky.

Taste is as promised, malt chocolately and roasty. The roast comes in more on the finish. Up front: dark chocolate, chocolate milk, and a dark malty sweetness.

Really smooth for the most part, bitter on the finish.

Haven't had any Harviestoun in a minute, so this was welcome. Great Brit stout.
Mar 16, 2022
 
Rated: 3.82 by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

Feb 16, 2022
Photo of SABERG
Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 11.2oz bottle (undated) into the test glass
A - Dark indeed, Chalkboard black, gently carbonated. A thin offwhite cap quickly exits.
S - Roast malt on the darker end, a bit of char, dark chocolate. There is some dark fruit, fig as well.
T - A narrow band of Dark malts, a bit of bakers chocolate, and again the slightest hint of burnt sugar, char.
M - medium in texture, a bit slick, carbonation is not up to the challenge of cleaning up. The start is semi sweet with a really delightful dry finish
O - A good stout, sweet yes, maybe a stout masked as a Scottish ale more the way I see it, The malt attributes are outstanding. An offering worth the effort to find and enjoy
Jan 02, 2022
 
Rated: 3.98 by Private_Biscuit from Alabama

Jan 01, 2022
Photo of cheeseheadinMinneapolis
Reviewed by cheeseheadinMinneapolis from Wisconsin

4.34/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
11.2oz bottle, bottle code is 204/18 ?? three years old? The code is printed on the bottle about 1 inch from the bottom. Not easy to find.

Look: black body, not much of a head but it did persist and left some lacing.
Smell: roasted malt, dark dry chocolate, dark fruit.
Taste: Heavy roasted slightly burnt malt, deep dark fruit, dark slighty dry chocolate. A hint of smoke or peat. This one needs to warm up some to showcase it's depth. Smooth, ABV is very well hidden, not all that sweet, Has bitter and sweet elements.

A good beer, I only bought a single bottle, Might have to a get a few more bottles this winter.
Oct 25, 2021
Photo of mntlover
Reviewed by mntlover from Tennessee

4.24/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a old oil black with small tan head that falls fast with only sparse lace.

Aroma is roasted malts , light burnt oil notes, some bakers chocolate, good earthy/herbal hop hints. Very nice smooth and complex like the light smoke burnt hints plays well with the malts.

Taste is roasted malts, some charred bits, dark fruit hints, bakers chocolate and enough hops in the finish to round it out. Smooth and complex not overly sweet or American milk like anyway, what it is is enjoyable nice change.

Mouthfeel big medium with mellow carbonation.

Overall an enjoyable nice big little stout. Would have again might need tot ry something else form these guys too.
Sep 14, 2021
Photo of backblast
Reviewed by backblast from Alaska

3.83/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours almost black with a thick tan head but almost no lacing.

Tastes nicely of roasted malts with some creaminess and some dark fruit, licorice, tad smoke, light leather, mild hop finish. Has wonderful flavors but seems to be lacking complexity - disjointed if you will. I suppose I was hoping more from it.
Aug 23, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by Shenk87 from Pennsylvania

Jan 16, 2021
 
Rated: 4.23 by Bunuelian from Minnesota

Jul 19, 2020
Photo of vinicole
Reviewed by vinicole from England

4.4/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Bottle. Almost black. Tan head which dissipates to a thin effervescing layer. Wispy lacing.
Tingling aroma of molasses, prune juice and lightly charred brown bread.
The peaty flavour opens alongside heavily roasted malt, liquorice and hints of dark chocolate.
Silky smooth on the palate finishing with a medium bitter notes. Viscous.
Wonderful and no hint of the ABV.
Jun 21, 2020
Photo of BKotch
Reviewed by BKotch from Texas

4.23/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Amazingly, either a 2012 or a 2013, and here it is 2020. I can't believe it's held up so well, far better than either of its barrel-aged cousins, Ola Dubh 12 and 16 of the same vintage.
Apr 19, 2020
 
Rated: 4.59 by RochefortChris from North Carolina

Mar 14, 2020
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

4/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle from Boise Co-op. Pours out black with a nice brown head, fades to thin coating. Roasty, smoky aroma, woody notes. Taste brings some molasses notes, mild bitterness, ashy. Smooth as can be. Classic.
Jan 06, 2020
 
Rated: 4.28 by bottmfeedr from Texas

Jul 07, 2019
 
Rated: 3.64 by nmann08 from Virginia

May 15, 2019
Photo of darktronica
Reviewed by darktronica from Indiana

4.07/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
On cask, this is a totally different animal. A delightful real ale, with thick waves of dark roasted grains fairly oozing from the smooth black liquid. Dry, lightly dark chocolate and with a touch of iodine more reminiscent of a Baltic.
Mar 18, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by PaleAleWalt from New York

Mar 02, 2019
Old Engine Oil Engineer's Reserve from Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 362 ratings