Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30 (aged)

Bottle conditioned with dull carbonation

Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30 (aged) [baron rating 5/5] - 11.3% black ale,vineous dark choc smell,oily bitter choc taste,fruity warm boozy finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it

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Thank you to @HarviestounBrew from Harviestoun for handing this over for a baron rating!

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Harviestoun IPA

Not bottle conditioned

Harviestoun IPA [baron rating 2/5] - 5.8% gold ale,savoury herbal smell,pepper savoury herbal bitter taste,sweet caramel finish Baron Orm

Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30

Bottle conditioned with flat carbonation

Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30 [baron rating 5/5] - 11.3% black ale,boozy choc coffee smell,oily sweet rich choc coffee taste,bittersweet finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to @HarviestounBrew from Harviestoun for handing this over for a baron rating!

Buy Harviestoun ales direct

Harviestoun Ola Dubh 12

Not bottle conditioned

Harviestoun Ola Dubh 12 [baron rating 5/5] - 8% black ale,choc sweet vanilla smell,fresh choc sweet vanilla syrup taste,zingy peppery finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to Gemma (@SlurpBeer) from Slurp for sending this through for a baron rating!

Buy Harviestoun ales from Slurp

Harviestoun Ola Dubh 18

Not bottle conditioned

Harviestoun Ola Dubh 18 [baron rating 5/5] - 8% black ale,vanilla mild whisky smell,smooth rich choc truffle taste,warming long choc finish Baron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it

Subscribe in iTunes

Thank you to Gemma (@SlurpBeer) from Slurp for sending this through for a baron rating!

Buy Harviestoun ales from Slurp

Looking forward to baron rating these EBBC13 ales

A couple of weeks ago I attended the European beer bloggers conference this year hosted in Edinburgh. I had a fantastic weekend of all things beer plus made loads of new friends and caught up with old ones - I had an absolute hoot!

One aspect that I love is the bottle swap/grab/giveaway that occurs, here are the beers that I'm looking forward to baron rating with Chris over the next few tasting sessions:

• Badger The Roaming Roy Dog - 7.5% 2013 limited edition ale, a dark porter with a complex malt character derived from a combination of aromatic, crystal & chocolate malt. Bramling Cross and Galaxy hops add a subtle blackcurrant and mango aroma - cheers Anna from Badger
• Fyne Sanda Black - 5.5% black IPA, a forward thinking, distintive black IPA packed with New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops. Bold flavours with aromas of passion fruit and gooseberry burst onto your taste buds before being balanced by roasted chocolate smoothness
• Fyne Zombier - 6.9% deep black porter with a caramel tan head. Big aromas and flavours of treacle, toffee and liquorice with hints of chocolate and coffee. A lingering roasted malt bitterness returns from the dead with bite - thank you Fyne Ales for handing these over

• Harviestoun 30th Anniversary Ola Dubh - 11.3% We make Ola Dubh 30 by taking our Old Engine Oil (amped up to 10.5%) and aging it for up to 6 months in casks that previously held Highland Park’s phenomenal 30 Year Old single malt whisky - thank you Harviestoun
• Tempest Old Parochial - 10% barrel aged imperial scotch ale - massive thank you to @stravale for this)
• BrewDog Hello My Name Is Mette Marit Censored - 8.2% lingonberry double IPA - thanks to the BrewDog brewer for this very special pre-release bottle of this beer

• Weird Beard Mariana Trench - 5.3% transpacific pale ale, Pacific Northwest meets Pacific Southwest as the best of American and NZ hops meld together with just enough malt backbone to allow them to sing. A riot of mango and passion fruit on the nose but balanced enough to drink by the bucketful. Dive in and grab another bottle but don't get the bends
• Weird Beard/Elusive Brewing Nelson Saison - 6.9% The second in their single hop series, showcasing the Nelson Sauvin hop so expect elderflower and gooseberries blended with Saison yeast character - thanks to @tabamatu for handing over his colab beer (as well as the other Weird Beard one)
• Williams Bros Impale IPA - 5.5% impishly hoppy golden ale - "a fantastic beer created by one of Heriot Watt University's students - Ed Young" - thanks to Chris from Williams Brothers for handing over this ale

Look out for a 'baron rating' for all these beers soon!

Live beer blogging at #ebbc13

A number of breweries running around tables of beer bloggers - pouring, introducing and explaining their beer in just a few minutes whilst the bloggers frantically write up their findings? What could possibly go wrong...

Birra Toccalmatto Surfing Hop

@Toccalmatto

8.5% American double IPA but using Belguim malt and US hops, syrupy fleshy fruit smell, rich resinous taste like a hoppy barley wine, rich long finish, really really good [baron rating 5/5]

Inveralmond Blackfriar

@InveralmondBeer

7% dark amber ale, plummy dark fruity eatery taste, balanced easy to drink, nice finish [baron rating 4/5]

Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30

@HarviestounBrew

11.3% chocolate dark cherry vinous smell, choc whisky smooth taste, cherry whisky finish [baron rating 5/5]

Shepherd Neame Brilliant Ale

@ShepherdNeame

5.6% golden ale, buttery citrus slight floral smell, balanced drinkable citrus fruity taste, clean finish [baron rating 4/5]

WEST St Mungo

@WestBeer

4.9% gold lager, their only bottled ale. Grassy herbal smell, crisp biscuity with a touch of basil? taste, clean finish [bron rating 4/5]

Ilkley The Mayan

@IlkleyBrewery

6.5% chocolate chipotle stout, very dark brown ale, Bornville chocolate smell, balanced chocolate touch of coffee taste, long choc mild green chilli finish [baron rating 5/5]

Badger The Roaming Roy Dog

@BadgerAles

7.5% bottle conditioned unpasterised ale, vineous berries, dark fruits sweet vinous taste, long fruity warming spicy finish [baron rating 5/5]

Traquair Jacobite Ale

@TraquairHouse

8% dark brown ale, chocolate smell, fruity complex taste [baron rating 5/5]

Innis and Gunn Oloroso Cask

@InnisandGunnUK

7.4% scotch ale, copper/gold ale, sweet fruity vanilla smell, full flavoured sweetish spicy slight herbal taste, short creamy clean finish [baron rating 3/5]

Whiskey Barrel-Aged Beers with Harviestoun

Decided to use Old Emgine Oil as the beer to barrel age in whisky casks. Originally called Old Engine Oil Special Reserve. Highland Park distillery won distiller of the year and so was selected as the casks to use to continue the process. All of it was exported to the states. Most of the Ola Dubh is pre-sold, they are playing catchup.

 

Ola Dubh is a throw back to Ken Brucker (founder of Harveistoun) meaning "black oil". They do a 12, 15 & 18 year old version as well as very limited 30 & 40 year versions.

 

We then got a chance to try number of the different barrel aged beers: Old Engine Oil, Old Engine Oil Engineers Reserve, Ola Dubh 12 years - all stunning but different.

 

The history of the cask makes a big difference on the end result, they now get more information from Highland Park about the previous life of the cask. Issues with customs regarding ABV has taken a long time to figure out, liquoring back helps as it reduces the ABV.

 

 

Looking forward to baron rating Slurp ales

I last reviewed some ales sent through from Slurp back in Febuary 2012 so it was a very pleasant surprise when a year later they got in touch to ask if I would like to review another selection of ales. Delivery was fast and the beers well-packed so they all arrived in perfect condition, this is what was in the box:

 Old Dominion Brewing Co.

• Beach House Golden Pilsner - 5.2% Bohemian Pilsner, brewed with all natural ingredients, is crisp and refreshing, making it a perfect beach companion
• Hop Mountain Pale Ale - 6.6% rich, red ale made in the American Pale Ale style, our Pale Ale has strong hop character, medium, dry finish and floral hop aroma
• Oak Barrel Stout - 6.1% stout brewed using smoked and peated malts to create an intricate malt foundation. Our method of dry hopping with vanilla beans and oak chips pushes the depth of this stout’s flavor spectrum even further

Fordham Brewing Co. 

• Copperhead - 5.2% Düsseldorf style Altbier blends caramelized malted barley with pronounced hop character to create a subtle copper hue. Copperhead Ale is famous for its signature balanced flavor & impeccable smoothness
• Tavern Ale [baron rating 4/5] - 6.1% American Pale Ale’s hop profile is complimented with an ample amount of malt flavor. It’s cold-conditioned on Fresh whole leaf Cascade hops creating an unmistakable citrus-like aroma
• Wisteria Wheat - 5.1% classic unfiltered wheat ale. Wisteria Wheat is a medium body beer with a soft, velvety carbonation and a wheaty finish

• 10 Saints 10 Saints - 4.8% hand crafted Barbados brewed beer aged in rum casks
• Harviestoun Ola Dubh 12 - 8% Old Engine Oil matured in Highland Park 12 whisky casks
• Harviestoun Ola Dubh 18 - 8% Old Engine Oil matured in Highland Park 18 whisky casks

Look out for 'baron ratings' for these Slurp ales soon, and a big thank you to Gemma (@SlurpBeer) for sending them through to me!

Buy all these ales from Slurp

Tesco Finest Traditional Porter

Tesco Finest Traditional Porter [baron rating 5/5] - 6% black ale,roasted fruit smell,smooth sweet roasted taste,long roasted bitter finish Baron Orm

Note: This is basically Harviestoun Old Engine Oil [baron rating 5/5] with a Tesco Finest label on it.

Waitrose October ale & beer offers (22nd September - 12th October 2010)

It's October's new beer & ale offers time in Waitrose, their PR staff informed me ahead of time what this month's ale offers are:

• Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted [baron rating 4/5]
£1.56 instead of £1.95

Harviestoun Number Of The Beast

Harviestoun Number Of The Beast [baron rating 4/5] - 6.66% gold ale,spiced slight yeasty smell,spicy sweet taste,lasting tart bitter finishBaron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Thank you to Chris from Harviestoun for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Harviestoun ales here

Harviestoun Old Engine Oil

Harviestoun Old Engine Oil [baron rating 5/5] - 6% black porter,roasted fruit smell,smooth sweet roasted taste,lasting roasted bitter finishBaron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Thank you to Chris from Harviestoun for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Harviestoun ales here

Looking forward to 'baron rating' Harviestoun's Number of the Beast very soon!

I found out about this Sweden-only export beer from reading Harviestoun's newsletter and was very intrigued to see what it tasted like.

This beer has been brewed for a Swedish rock festival this summer and so the beer has an excellent heavy metal theme. The beer is called "Number of the Beast", it's ABV is 6.66% and it has a label around the neck with the words "metal edition" - oh and the Harviestoun mouse has a leather jacket and a guitar as well!

It's a "light coloured but strong tasting beer, intense blend of hops from around the world".

Look out for 'baron ratings' of this Harviestoun beerssoon, and a big thank you to Chris from Harviestoun for sending it through to me!

Buy Harviestoun ales here

Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted

Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted [baron rating 4/5] - 4.2% pale gold ale,spicy smell,smooth bitter lemon taste,balanced bittersweet zesty finishBaron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Thank you to Chris from Harviestoun for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Harviestoun ales here

Harviestoun Schiehallion

Harviestoun Schiehallion [baron rating 5/5] - 4.8% gold ale,floral citrus smell,crisp frothy zesty bitter grapefruit taste,zesty dry finishBaron Orm

Listen to what Chris and the Baron have to say about it.

Download flash to hear the audio review

Thank you to Chris from Harviestoun for sending this through for a 'baron rating'!

Buy Harviestoun ales here

Waitrose July ale & beer offers (7th June - 27th July 2010)

It's July's new beer & ale offers time in Waitrose, their PR staff have informed me ahead of time what this month's ale offers are:

• Wells Bombardier [baron rating 4/5]
4x275ml bottles: £3.99 instead of £4.99

• Wychwood Hobgoblin [baron rating 4/5]
£1.24 instead of £1.66

• Innis & Gunn Oak Aged [baron rating 1/5]
2x750ml bottles: £5 instead of £6.90

• Marston's Classic Ales
12x500ml bottles: £15.19 instead of £18.99

• Marston's Pedigree [baron rating 3/5]
8x500ml cans: £8.70 instead of £7

• Badger Sett
4x500ml bottles: £5.51 instead of £6.89

• Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted
£1.56 instead of £1.95

• Greene King Abbot Ale [baron rating 5/5]
£1.43 instead of £1.79

• Greene King Ruddles County [baron rating 4/5]
£1.35 instead of £1.69

• Morland Old Speckled Hen [baron rating 4/5]
£1.45 instead of £1.82

• Greene King IPA [baron rating 3/5]
660ml bottle: £1.38 instead of £1.73

• Greene King IPA Export [baron rating 4/5]
£1.54 instead of £1.93

• Greene King Very Special IPA
355ml bottle: £1.59 instead of £1.99

Looking forward to 'baron rating' Harviestoun ales very soon!

I think the local couriers are starting to get to know The Ormskirk Baron these days, as a wonderful parcel of ale arrived on Wednesday from Harviestoun Brewery.

Harviestoun Brewery

• Bitter & Twisted 

4.2% - delightfully refreshing blond beer with a finish that is like a twist of lemon

• Old Engine Oil

6% - strong and dark but wickedly smooth

• Schiehallion

4.8% - crisp cask conditioned lager with a beautifully fresh taste of grapefruit


Look out for 'baron ratings' of these Harviestoun beers soon, and a big thank you to Chris from Harviestoun for sending these through to me!

Buy Harviestoun ales here