Thomas Hardy's Ale (2025)
(Batch of Thomas Hardy's Ale (2024 - ))
Interbrau in Villafranca Padovana (PD), Veneto, Italy 🇮🇹
Brewed at/by: Hepworth & CoBarley Wine - Barley Regular
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Score
7.97
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Amber coloured Barley Wine laden with bronze glints.
On the nose, straight away the bouquet has impact, intensity and complexity with notes of both candied and alcohol-soaked fruit, dried figs, fresh tobacco and chocolate, while a caramel sensation is perceived but remains in the background.
In the mouth, the initial sensation is of incredible density and softness, a silky warmth accompanying memories of bitter orange marmalade, dried fruit and chestnut honey. The finale provides a refreshing, slightly sharp hint that adds harmony and balance.
It can also be stored in the wine cellar to taste its evolution over time.
On the nose, straight away the bouquet has impact, intensity and complexity with notes of both candied and alcohol-soaked fruit, dried figs, fresh tobacco and chocolate, while a caramel sensation is perceived but remains in the background.
In the mouth, the initial sensation is of incredible density and softness, a silky warmth accompanying memories of bitter orange marmalade, dried fruit and chestnut honey. The finale provides a refreshing, slightly sharp hint that adds harmony and balance.
It can also be stored in the wine cellar to taste its evolution over time.
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7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
250ml bottle, #03148. Clear amber with a small beige head. Aroma of very sweet caramel and dried/candied fruits, raisins, figs. Taste is also extremely sweet, cloying, but very nice flavours of dried fruits, figs, raisins, caramel, honey, a bit of spice, gentle warming boozy finish. Medium bodied, very smooth.
Very nice but the sweetness is so cloying, to me it felt worse than a lot of modern pastry stouts. A shame as aside from that it's actually a lovely beer.
Very nice but the sweetness is so cloying, to me it felt worse than a lot of modern pastry stouts. A shame as aside from that it's actually a lovely beer.
Tried
from Bottle
from
Favourite Beers
on 09 Mar 2026
at 02:30
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle 03035 from The House of Trembling Madness. An amber/brown coloured pour with a thinnish off white head on top. Sweetish, boozy, caramel, fig, raisin, dark fruit taste/aroma. This was very good indeed and it will obviously improve over time.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Jan 2026
at 08:17
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8.5
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle 00685 shared with McCash. Pours clear amber to brown with no real head. Aromas of raisins, figs, toffee, mixed peel. Light spice. Taste is more of the same, perhaps a honey note, more spice. Thought this might be sweeter, but cleans up nicely on the finish.
Tried
on 13 Jan 2026
at 14:41
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 9
Overall 8.5
Bottle thanks to allmyvinyl.
Appearance - deep amber to brown with not much head.
Nose - raisins and figs. Mixed peel, possiby some spice. Chewy toffee and honey.
Taste - luscious figs and raisins immersed in honey and caramel.
Palate - medium to full bodied, sweet and luscious. Sweet finish.
Overall -
Appearance - deep amber to brown with not much head.
Nose - raisins and figs. Mixed peel, possiby some spice. Chewy toffee and honey.
Taste - luscious figs and raisins immersed in honey and caramel.
Palate - medium to full bodied, sweet and luscious. Sweet finish.
Overall -
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Dec 2025
at 13:43
8.6/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 9
Overall 8.5
275ml bottle from The Hop Shop, Aberdeen - clear copper body with no head. Lots of boozy fruit cake and malt loaf vibes, really solid dried stone fruit taste, prunes, dates. Warming and fun.
Tried
from Bottle
from
Westhill Service Station (Hop Shop Aberdeen)
on 24 Dec 2025
at 20:41
9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 10
Texture 10
Overall 9
cask at the Jolly Judge ...deep amber ...thin white lacing soft sweet caramel crystal toffee nose ..big juicy sweet fruit ...soft sweet caramel toffee fruit nose
Tried
on 21 Dec 2025
at 14:57
9.1/10
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Appearance 9
Aroma 9
Flavor 9.5
Texture 9
Overall 9
Bottle no #00916. Nose is sherry, hint of blasamic which quickly fades, stewed fruit, raisins, spice, fruit cake. Taste is honey, spice, hint of summer fruits, caramel, leading to stewed fruits, pear drops, almond, faintest hint of marzipan, more caramel, hint of dough in the finish, touch of fudge and then a slight balsamic / sherry note in the finish which stops it being cloying.
This is even better than I remember the 2024 edition. Genuinely brilliant beer, best I've had in a very long time. Subtle well balanced, bursting with complex flavours. Exceptional.
This is even better than I remember the 2024 edition. Genuinely brilliant beer, best I've had in a very long time. Subtle well balanced, bursting with complex flavours. Exceptional.
Tried
on 13 Dec 2025
at 21:47
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 10
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Cask at Hops, Crewe. Pours a bright ruby with a sizable (but transient) off-white head. The aroma has a complex mix of honey, treacle, chocolate and alcoholic strength. In the mouth it is sweet and cloying with a boozy feel. Overall flavour is a cross between balsamic cough mixture and red wine with tannins from the latter dominating eventually. Plenty of ginger, spice, cherries and figs as well. Finish is decidedly boozy and slightly dry. This is awesome ! But you still get the feeling it’s a bit “green” and will mature over time.
Tried
from Cask
at
Hops
on 05 Dec 2025
at 14:34