While Nicci, Maryn, Nate and Louise catch up on this week’s episode of “The Biggest Loser,” I’m drinking a bottle of Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30. It’s one of the most complex beers I’ve ever consumed. The commercial description reads:
Ola Dubh (or ‘Black Oil’) is a collaboration between Harviestoun Brewery and Highland Park, Distiller of the Year*. It is based on Harviestoun’s award-winning Old Engine Oil. With more than a stylistic nod to the classic Imperial Porters (and Stouts) of the nineteenth century, this deliciously rich, dark, 8% a.b.v. beer is the first ale to be aged in malt whisky casks from a named distillery and, with traceable casks and numbered bottles, the rest with genuine provenance. Ola Dubh will initially be available in three different expressions; the initial release will be of small batches aged in casks formerly used to mature Highland Park 12 Year Old, Highland Park 16 Year Old and Highland Park 30 Year Old. Further variants are planned for the future. Ola Dubh is, in the words of beer afficionado Owen D.L. Barstow: “The most interesting new British beer I have tried in years.â€
The aroma contains strong notes of vanilla and wood with some roasted malts and a hint of scotch. Some claim a whiff of tobacco is present, but my nose isn’t that refined. It poured oil black with a very thin, tan head. Very light carbonation. The flavor is smokey and sweet. It seems to embody all those elements of the aroma plus a few more. I’ve tasted many, many beers aged in oak or bourbon barrels, but this is by far the strongest wood taste I have experienced. Full bodied. Long, smooth finish with a hint of bitterness.
Before this, I was drinking a bottle of Rochefort 6. It was only the second trappist brew I’d ever consumed. Last week I tried Westmalle double. I’m trying to expand my horizons a bit, because there are only a finite number of imperial stouts or Pizza Port beers I can consume. At some point, I needed to stop looking for American microbrews and begin searching overseas for interesting new tastes. 6 is the one with the red cap. It’s a brown beer with a 7.5% ABV. The aroma is spicy and contains hints of caramel malts. Again, complex, with a flavor of caramel, spices, nuts and a hint of tartness (figs? berries? I don’t know). Apparently it’s only brewed once per year, and is very hard to find, but they seem to have it in abundance at that 711 in Eagle Rock…
Before that, I introduced everybody here to the wonders of Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock. Ian introduced me to this beer when we were getting wasted before the Extreme Beer Festival in Boston a few years ago. The beer is aged on a bed of Scharfeen Berger dark chocolate. It’s like Yoohoo that gets you drunk. Reddish brown in color with a very thin tan-colored head. Aroma is sweet, full of chocolate and roasted malts. Smooth, easy to drink, and immense chocolate flavor. If you can find Chocolate Bock…you’ve just found a golden ticket to getting a chick drunk enough to have sex with you.
Earlier this month I consumed AleSmith My Bloody Valentine (on tap at Pure Luck), and Avery Mephistopheles Stout, which has somehow eluded me since my introduction to Avery oh so many years ago. Both were good. AleSmith is still one of my favorite breweries in the country. I still have wet dreams about their Nautical Nut Brown ale.
Drinking makes me feel good. Does that mean something bad?
What are you drinking? Recommendations?
