Few beer names are as deliciously evocative as Harviestoun’s Old Engine Oil. Even before cracking open a can or prying the cap from the bottle, you expect a pint glass full of an opaque and viscous liquid, perhaps decadently rich. And you’d be right, mostly.
But Old Engine Oil doesn’t drink as chewy as it looks: The mouth feel is surprisingly slick and creamy, and the thin body tastes of bittersweet chocolate and toasted biscuit. There’s one more trick in store: Old Engine Oil finishes with a noticeable heat akin to a high-test barley wine, and yet it’s only 6 percent alcohol by volume.
Harviestoun, a 30-year-old brewery in Clackmannanshire, in the Scottish lowlands, first brewed Old Engine Oil in 2000. It has been variously marketed as a porter and a black ale over the years. In any case, you’ll be glad you took a chance on the Scottish beer with the curious name.
— Fritz Hahn
Harviestoun Old Engine Oil. harviestoun.com. About $4.50 per 11.2-ounce can or bottle; $17 per four-pack of cans; $24 per six-back of bottles.
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