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
7.92
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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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7/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
250ml, vintage 2025, bottle No. 13102. Crystal clear mahogany coloured body, covering beige head, shattered lacing. Promising smell of dried fruits and mid-sweet malts. Well balanced taste of raisin, honeyed malts and caramel. Rounded, lingering dried fruity finish. Well bodied. Great sipper qualities (Tromsø, 27.06.2026).
Tried
from Bottle
from
Vinmonopolet Tromsø, Langnes
on 27 Jun 2026
at 14:58
7.5/10
Tried
on 24 Apr 2026
at 21:17
8.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Cask at the jolly judge. Pours clear golden amber, nose is raisin, caramel, toffee, prune, vanilla, taste is sherry, toffee, sweet, fruity, creamy. 8/9/9/8/8
Tried
on 24 Apr 2026
at 14:19
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
—
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
—
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
—
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
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle, 250 ml, shared with MiroB, Luka, kajser27. Amber dark orange with small white head. Malty, caramel, light fruity notes, moderate sweetness, medium bodied.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Dec 2025
at 23:00