Tag Archives: barrel aged

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Harviestoun Brewery, Old Ale, Scotland

Harviestoun Ola Dubh Special Reserve 16

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Brewery: Harviestoun Brewery
Country: Scotland
ABV: 8%
Style: Old Ale
Other Notes: Aged in Highland Park Wings of the Eagle Single Malt Scotch Whisky casks

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Aged in selected oak casks, formerly used to mature Highland Park’s beautifully balanced Wings of the Eagle Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

(from tag) Ola Dubh (meaning ‘Black Oil’ in gaelic) is a real labour of love for our brew team. We take our Old Engine Oil and mature it in whisky casks from the award winning Orkney distillery & our good friends, Highland Park. The process is far from simple but the end result is a beautiful brew with complementary whisky notes and a chocolate, roasty and bittersweet aftertaste.

The Wings of the Eagle barrels provide an ale that strikes a sensational balance of fruity sweetness with a complex bitter hop background.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.08
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml black foiled and capped bottle, bottle no. 15872, bottled in March 2022, and a best before end date of March 2025. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a half finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, chocolate, sweet dark fruit, whisky, caramel, and maybe a touch of smoke.
Taste: Dark fruit sweetness, light roast, chocolate, brown sugar, caramel, whisky, toasted wood, with a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Clean, balanced, aroma and flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, USA, Wild Ale - Dark

Crooked Stave Blackberry Dark Origins

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Brewery: Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
Country: USA
ABV: 9.666%
Style: Wild Ale – Dark
Other Notes: Cellar Reserve 2014

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Dark Sour Ale aged in whiskey barrels with blackberries.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.34
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 375ml dark purple waxed bottle, bottled in February 2014, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown in colour, with a half finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving only sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Caramel, oak, and whiskey sweetness, with a support of blackberries and blackcurrant.
Taste: Sour, tart, blackberry, dark berries, blackcurrant, oak, chocolate, caramel, whiskey.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: A good enjoyable sipper with nice aroma and flavours supported well by the blackberries.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, USA, Wild Ale - Dark

Crooked Stave Nightmare on Brett Port

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Brewery: Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
Country: USA
ABV: 9.666%
Style: Wild Ale – Dark
Other Notes: Cellar Reserve 2014

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Dark Sour Ale aged in port barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.3
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 375ml purple waxed bottle, bottled in July 2014, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: Pretty much black in colour with a thin beige head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, mixed berries, oak, raisin, port, and a splash of caramel.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, mixed berries, blackcurrant, oak, port, raisin, with light notes of chocolate and caramel.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Good aroma and flavours with the port barrel contributing nicely and it was just enjoyable.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, USA, Wild Ale - Dark

Crooked Stave Nightmare on Brett Blueberry

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Brewery: Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
Country: USA
ABV: 9.666%
Style: Wild Ale – Dark

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Dark Sour Ale aged in Leopold Bros whiskey barrels with blueberries.

My rating: 4-
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.11
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottled in January 2016, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a half finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, dark berries, a touch vinous, wood, and light notes of chocolate and whiskey.
Taste: Sour, tart, dark berries, light roast, chocolate, caramel, oak, vinegar, along with a splash of whiskey.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Possibly because of the age, while there wasn’t any obvious blueberry notes, there was a mix of dark berries that worked pretty well. Lost in my cellar, it would have been great to have tried this much earlier.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, USA, Wild Ale - Dark

Crooked Stave Nightmare on Brett Raspberry

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Brewery: Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
Country: USA
ABV: 9.666%
Style: Wild Ale – Dark

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Dark Sour Ale aged in Leopold Bros whiskey barrels with raspberries.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.15
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottled in December 2015, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a one finger beige head that had pretty good retention and settled to a ring around the glass while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, raspberry, raspberry seeds, jammy, wood, with a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Taste: Sour, tart, raspberry, oak, vinegar, with light caramel and whiskey notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Good aroma and flavours, and while the vinegar was perhaps on the edge, there was just enough sweetness to balance it out.