Harviestoun is a relatively young brewery (founded in 1985) located in Scotland which features amongst their portfolio of beers a series named Ola Dubh, which translates “Black Oil”. From the Harviestoun website itself:

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 first with genuine provenance.

Ola Dubh is currently available in five variants based on the age of the whisky previously stored in each cask: 12 yr., 16 yr., 18 yr., 30 yr. and 40 yr. As we already carry the 12 yr. and 18 yr. versions of Highland Park, I picked the Ola Dubh Special Reserve 12 and 18 and will be reviewing both in this post.

Ola Dubh Special Reserve 12 pours nearly black, with a very thin, almost non-existent head. The aroma is nutty, and that carries over to the taste as well. Aside from being nutty, there is a light hoppiness and an oily texture with a hint of peat smoke in the finish. Overall, not a session brew, or even an everyday brew, but definitely something to be savored and enjoyed when looking for something different.

Ola Dubh Special Reserve 18 is a slightly different animal. While it also pours nearly black with a thin head, that is the end of the similarities. The aroma is slightly astringent, with a hint of peat smoke. The taste is significantly less oily and viscous than the 12, with a warmer feel. There is nothing resembling hops in the taste, but there is plenty of peat smoke, and a slight sweetness in the finish – I’m not sure if that’s from residual Scotch in the cask wood or from the roasted malt used in the beer. Again, much like the 12, this isn’t something I would drink daily, but rather, something of a treat.

Considering these are the first whisky cask-aged beers I’ve tried, I am a novice when it comes to this type of beer (which has recently grown in popularity amongst American brewers as well). That said, I enjoyed both beers and won’t hesitate to buy them again.

I’m skipping ahead of myself a bit, as I still have a couple beers from my first mix & match six-pack, but after trying Fuller’s ESB and London Pride (which are bitters/pale ale), I’ve been craving an India Pale Ale, or IPA. So I grabbed the three brews from Mikkeller we ordered.

Mikkeller is a Danish brewer that is known around the world for their pale ales and IPA’s, especially their single hop series (of which I have a few brews). But today I’m giving their Green Gold IPA a try. Green Gold is one of Mikkeller’s traditional IPA’s, meaning that it is brewed with a blend of hops – in this case simcoe, cascade and amarillo hops, and has a higher alcohol content than a typical pale ale or lager, coming in at 7% ABV. Seeing as Green Gold utilizes a blend of three American-grown hops, I was expecting this to be similar to American IPA’s, and Mikkeller did not disappoint. When poured, the beer produces a thick, foamy head and has a light, floral aroma (hops), with a hint of sweetness (malt). As the head subsided, the beer itself was a deep, golden amber and the floral scent had actually grown in strength a bit. Much like an IPA from Stone or Sierra Nevada, the taste was very hop-forward, with a strong bitterness which subsides to reveal a malty sweetness, which is almost as quickly replaced by a citrusy-piney finish, reminding me this is an IPA.

I do feel the need to explain something though; contrary to Keystone ads, bitterness in beer is not necessarily a bad thing. When done properly, it can be a great thing. Much like good coffee has a certain bitter quality to it (unless you enjoy your cream and sugar with a dash of coffee), good beer will always have at least a hint of bitterness. It’s what reminds us we’re drinking beer, not fizzy, yellow water. Of course, when done improperly, bitter beer is just bad, much like McDonald’s coffee. McDonald’s coffee isn’t bad because it’s bitter; it’s bad because it’s cheap, burnt and stale.

All said, Mikkeller’s Green Gold IPA is an excellent IPA, and a great example to other breweries of what an IPA should be. While it isn’t cheap (it is an import after all), if you like India Pale Ale and can get your hands on this, go for it. You won’t be disappointed. Green Gold is a very refreshing and satisfying brew from Mikkeller and I am actually excited to try the other beers from them I’ve purchased.

If you read my last review, you already know I took a few beers to a party this past weekend. In addition to the Wasatch Pumpkin Ale, I took along one each of Fuller’s London Pride, ESB and London Porter. Rather than doing three separate reviews, I figured it would be easier (and less time consuming) to do one review, in three parts.

Established in 1845, Fuller’s is one of the U.K.’s most famous breweries, and their flagship beer is London Pride, which is a mahogany-colored bitter (the English term for pale ale). The nose is very bread-like, but not too yeasty, with a hint of hops. As for the taste, it is very smooth, with a mix of caramel, toffee and butterscotch, while still maintaining a refreshing quality (reminding me that this is still a pale ale at heart) about it. Adding to that is a trace of hops in the finish. Compared to what I’ve been drinking lately, this is a relatively low alcohol beer, coming in at 4.7% ABV. One of Fuller’s oldest brews, London Pride has won many awards over the years and as far as my tastebuds are concerned, it deserves every one of those awards.

Next up is Fuller’s ESB, or Extra Special Bitter. ESB has been around since 1971 and has a reputation as one of the best British beers available. While one would think having the bestselling bitter in the world in London Pride would be enough, Fuller’s decided to see what would happen if they played around with the original formula. Thus, ESB was born. It is a bit stronger than London Pride in both flavor and alcohol, coming in at 5.9% ABV, and as such, it pours a bit darker than London Pride, and the citrusy-spiciness of the hops are a bit more noticeable in the aroma. The taste is reminiscent of caramel and butterscotch, and really made me think I was drinking London Pride again, until the spiciness from the hops kicked in. Like any good pale ale, the finish is crisp and clean. The hops are more noticeable throughout ESB, whereas they only reveal themselves in the finish of London Pride. Much like London Pride, ESB has won numerous awards over the years and is deserving of each.

Last, but certainly not least, is Fuller’s London Porter. Having just won the titles of Europe’s Best Porter and World’s Best Porter for 2011, I was more than excited to try this. It also doesn’t hurt that I am partial to stouts and porters. That said, this pours a dark brown, nearly black, with a foamy head that lasted for several minutes. The aroma was dominated by roasted malt, with hints of coffee and chocolate. The flavor was very malty and strong, but not overwhelming, with notes of coffee and roasted nuts and a dry, earthy finish. Much like ESB and London Pride, this too was a little lower on the alcohol scale than the recent offerings from Belgium I’ve enjoyed, coming in at 5.4% ABV. Stouts and porters can be very easy to screw up – if you don’t roast the malt long enough, you don’t get the complex flavors and dark color you want; roast too long and it all just tastes burnt. Fuller’s definitely got this one right.

There you have it – three excellent beers from Fuller’s Brewery, which I will be purchasing more of (and sharing with others) in the future.

The beginning of fall signals one thing for many breweries – time to release an Octoberfest beer! Now, seeing as how fall began over a month ago, I am a bit late, but in my defense, the weather just started cooling off here in north Louisiana. Less than a week ago we had a high of 88 degrees, so things are just now starting to cool off. Anyways, the folks over at the Schirf Brewing Company (Wasatch Beers) in Utah have taken the Octoberfest theme and jumped in head first with their Pumpkin Ale. I went to a Halloween party Saturday night and took along a few beers from work to enjoy. One of those was Wasatch Pumpkin Ale. The beer itself pours a cloudy amber, with very little head and a strong aroma of pumpkin and spice – it’s very similar to a cooled pumpkin pie. The taste, however, is very different from what I expected. I’ve had several Octoberfest and/or Marzen style beers, but this was different. It actually tasted as if someone took the ingredients for pumpkin bread, put them together, forgot to bake, but instead let it all ferment. I’m still not sure how to react – it was good, but not in a way that makes me want to buy a whole six pack. Kind of like egg nog – it’s great during November and December, but I don’t want a whole lot of it, nor do I want it year round; it’s good in doses. And that’s how I would best describe Wasatch Pumpkin Ale – it’s good, but not something I want to drink everyday.

My last review featured the Huyghe Family Brewery’s Delirium Tremens; today is all about it’s darker brother, Delirium Nocturnum. Much like Delirium Tremens, the packaging of Delirium Nocturnum is highly distinctive, featuring a powder-coated bottle and a bright label which has a pink elephant on it. The beer itself pours a deep reddish-amber hue with a thick head that lasts for several minutes. Also like Delirium Tremens, Delirium Nocturnum is a Belgian strong ale. This comes through most in the nose, as there is a strong smell of yeast coming from the beer. I don’t know if this is a bottle conditioned beer, but with this strong of a yeast smell, it wouldn’t shock me. Thanks to the roasted malt the taste is rather smooth, with a strong nutty flavor and hints of coffee bean, while the hops are revealed in the finish, making it very crisp and light. Most shocking of all, at no time is there any indication in the taste or smell that this is a beer with 9% alcohol content. It isn’t often I can call a dark beer “refreshing”, but Delirium Nocturnum is just that. I can see this brew pairing well with any meal, or even as just a session beer.

Tonight’s beer is the very intriguing Delirium Tremens from the Huyghe Family Brewery in Belgium, which, outside of the three Chimay beers, is the most recognizable Belgian beer available in the United States. While the reputation of this brew is the reason I chose it for our store, it’s distinctive packaging has garnered a good deal of attention from curious customers and employees alike. Delirium Tremens is a blonde triple (AKA Belgian strong ale), and is named for a violent sickness induced by withdrawal from alcohol abuse. That fact aside, this is a beer which has garnered several medals and awards worldwide, even being declared the best beer in the world at the 1998 World Beer Championships in Chicago. When poured it produces a thick head which lasts for several minutes and has a very light aroma of yeast and sweet malt. The beer itself is a pale yellow, similar in appearance to a typical American pale lager. The initial taste is nutty and reminiscent of candy, but as the beer warms the hops are revealed, as is the alcohol, although neither are overwhelming or unpleasant in taste. Unlike many beers I’ve tried, this one becomes more drinkable the longer it sits in the glass. So far I’m 4 for 4 on my choices (actually better if I include the beers on the wall I chose due to previously trying and enjoying). I can only hope the Delirium Nocturnum is just as good.

Next up in my quest to taste all the beers from our Beer of the World section at work is Fuller’s Vintage Ale. This is an English Strong Ale that comes in at 8.5% alcohol, and like many other beers in this section is bottle conditioned. It pours a golden amber with a head that lasts about five minutes. The smell is light and sweet, with hints of malt and fruit – maybe fried apples? Initially the taste is bright and sweet with a warming, liquor finish, but the longer it sits in the glass the more it balances out. This isn’t as smooth as Struise Pannepot, but I definitely recommend it. Smooth enough to enjoy, yet bitter enough to remind you this is beer, not fizzy, yellow water.

P.S. - Here’s a teaser of what’s to come in future reviews:

Brewed by De Struise Brouwers in Belgium, Pannepot is a fine example of a Belgian strong ale. It’s no wonder that it received a RateBeer.com score of 100 and made their list of the world’s top 50 beers. It’s name is derived from the fishing boats of early 1900′s De Panne and is brewed in honor of the unique dark ale those fishermen drank. Pannepot pours a very dark amber and once settled is nearly black with a frothy head that dissipates after a few minutes. While it looks more like a stout or porter, Pannepot is most definitely an ale in smell and taste. The nose is rather light, with hints of roasted malt and spices, and for such a dark beer it tastes exceptionally smooth and is very easy drinking, with notes of coriander, coffee and chocolate. It does not feel heavy or oily at all, nor is there any hint of alcohol, which is surprising for a beer that is 10% alcohol. This will definitely be a regular for me, and has the makings of a session beer, even with the 10% alcohol rating. I only hope other Belgian strong ales are close to being this good, as there are a few on the new beer wall at work.