Thomas Hardy's Ale (1968-1999)
Eldridge Pope in Dorchester, Dorset, England 🏴
Traditional Beer - Old Ale Regular Out of Production|
Score
7.74
|
|
Creamy butterscotch notes flood the taste buds, laced with subtle complex fruit...and a subtle suggestion of vintage port. Elegant and seamless, this beer was a waltz on the palate.
In ’The Trumpet Major’ Hardy wrote of Dorchester strong beer "It was of the most beautiful colour that the eye of an artist in beer could desire; full in body, yet brisk as a volcano; piquant, yet without a twang; luminous as an autumn sunset;..."
In ’The Trumpet Major’ Hardy wrote of Dorchester strong beer "It was of the most beautiful colour that the eye of an artist in beer could desire; full in body, yet brisk as a volcano; piquant, yet without a twang; luminous as an autumn sunset;..."
Sign up to add a tick or review
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle courtesy of Thomat. 1993 vintage. Pours tiny murky chestnut brown with no head worth mentioning. Smell is malty, fruity and leathery with caramel, toffee, prunes, raisins, dates, noble rot grapes, leather, murky wood, minerals and alcohol. Taste is tiny sweet, sour, slightly bitter, malty and fruity. Mouthfeel is dry, slightly tart, slightly astringent, tiny boozy, tiny oily and medium bodied. Finish is tiny sour with caramel malts, bread, grapes, dried cherries, leather, cardboard and alcohol. Surprisingly dry and tart. Not what I expected. Will revisit if given the chance.
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Aug 2016
at 11:53
8.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Old rating transferred to Ratebeer. bottle from 1983 tasted in 2016. Really cool to try this old beer. Still really nice.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Jul 2016
at 06:30
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
180ml bottle from Wessex Homebrew. Bottle F 4969 July, 1977. Pours a dark brown coppery amber colour with no head. Nose is dark malt, toffee, caramel, molasses, boozy, port. Flavour is malt, toffee, caramel, sweet, with brown sugar, molasses, plum and lingering dried fruits, nutty, leather & earthy notes. Thick oily mouthfeel, medium to full bodied, low carbonation, lasting dry malty earthy finish. Nice complexity after the initial sweetness. Enjoyable and very drinkable.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Jan 2016
at 13:38
7.4/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Rating notes over 10 years old from a 92 vintage of the ale. "Smells like aged Sherry. No head and no carbonation. Taste is something like overripe plums mixed with sherry and a dollop of sugar. Warming." Certainly an experience, but not something for casual imbibing. Sad that this legend is no longer made.
Tried
on 03 Jan 2016
at 09:06
8.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle. 1989 - need label - pours dark caramel - nose and taste of caramel, vanilla, toffee and maple syrup - medium body
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Nov 2015
at 14:59
8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 7
Bottle. Deep maroon color, pretty much flat. Aroma of sherry, licorice, burnt caramel. Taste has port wine, overripe plums. Very tasty.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Oct 2015
at 11:16
8.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 6
Overall 9
1999 vintage (the year I graduated high school) had this evening to celebrate my sons first birthday, big thanks to Tom for hooking me up with this. Pour ruby brown. Lovely nose of dark fruits and butterscotch. Tastes of butterscotch, port wine, cherry, tobacco, cola, and plums. Lingering finish that is semi sweet. Smooth soft mouthfeel no harsh alcohol edges.
Tried
on 12 Mar 2015
at 22:21
8.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Clear red brown colour, dissipating white head. Aroma of caramel, Madeira, chocolate milk and mushrooms. Sweet flavour, umami, shi-take, orange zest, light sour note, caramel, cassonade sugar, raisins, molasses, nuts and soy sauce. Finish soy sauce, chocolate, malts, caramel, Madeira. Lingering sweet. Complex, warm beer and relatively mild. Unbelievably well preserved for a 1980 beer (1 Sept), and only a 25cL bottle even. Great beer.
(from 25cL bottle @ Tim’s place. Vintage 1980. Thanks for sharing jc1762, and his wife! Much appreciated)
(from 25cL bottle @ Tim’s place. Vintage 1980. Thanks for sharing jc1762, and his wife! Much appreciated)
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Feb 2015
at 14:33
7.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Bottle - Vintage 1994 - Toffee and raisin, plum, some musty mushroom notes and cocoa. Deep cloudy brown with no head. Incredibly complex raisin, mushroom and woody notes with some tannin. Finish is long, dark fruit and vinous. The mushroom notes are a bit off putting and I think without those notes this would have a home run. Otherwise still a great beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Jan 2015
at 23:40
8.9/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 7.5
Vintage 1980 - bought from a private sale. Caramel brown, translucent rims and center. The bottle pours clean with thick proteins all around the bottle. The nose shows a lot of port and madeirization - carmelized raisins, dried fruit along with very faint hints of chocolate. The palate is medium and completely still - a slight tartness appears but the port flavors are the most apparent. Some slight caramel tones also appear but otherwise excellent.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Jan 2015
at 16:31