Harvest Ale
(has 20 batches)
J.W. Lees in Middleton, Greater Manchester, England 🏴
Barley Wine - Barley Regular|
Score
7.61
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This fully fermented strong ale has been brewed by J.W. Lees as a celebration of the brewers art since 1985. Harvest Ale can be enjoyed now or laid down like a vintage wine for enjoyment in years to come.
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9.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 10
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9.5
1996 vintage Total Score: 4.7 26/9/2020. Bottle shared with SHIG. 1996 vintage. Bought this for £1 at Chelmsford Winter Beer Festival around 2012/13, it was being sold as an 'out of date' not for drinking collectible beer bottle alongside many other beers which you'd have certainly not wanted to ever open up and taste. But this little gem has been quietly maturing for 24 years and was opened and tasted as a follow on from the 2017 and 2014 versions which I'd recently bought from Cloudwater. And wow this was just so good. It opened with an encouraging slight hiss of carbonation and poured dark brown with an off-white to beige head. Delicious aroma, dried fruits, dark fruits, treacle, toffee and malt fruit loaf. Medium sweet and light bitterness. Full body, slight sticky texture, very soft carbonation. Sweet dried fruits, slightly woody and touch boozy to finish. Incredibly good, super stuff.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Sep 2020
at 19:15
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
26/9/2020. Bottle shared with SHIG, bought at Cloudwater online store. Pours clear amber with a small bubbly/frothy white head. Aroma is woody, brown sugar, golden syrup, caramel, stone fruit. Medium plus sweetness and light bitterness. Full body, sticky texture, soft carbonation. Boozy, tingling mouthfeel to finish. Quite different to the 2017 with the woody side, and not quite as good.
Tried
from Bottle
at
Cloudwater Brew Co
on 26 Sep 2020
at 14:00
8.3/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8.5
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 8
26/9/2020. Bottle shared with SHIG, bought at Cloudwater online store. Pours clear dark gold with a small bubbly/frothy white head. Aroma of golden syrup, malted bread, soreen, dried fruit, biscuit, boozy notes. Medium sweetness and moderate bitterness. Medium to full body, sticky texture, soft carbonation. Warming alcohol, fruity finish. Good stuff.
Tried
from Bottle
at
Cloudwater Brew Co
on 26 Sep 2020
at 13:00
7.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle from a pop-up stall at the Manchester Christmas Markets some years back. Amber-brown with very little head. Rich, mildly sweet, with its strength apparent but with a decent mouthfeel. Earthy and woody sugars are evident in both aroma and taste. Lots of the advertised sherry flavouring.
Earlier Rating: 3/29/2017 Total Score: 2.6
Manchester Beer Festival 2017. Extremely strong, very sweet, and not overly palatable in this respect.
Earlier Rating: 7/1/2015 Total Score: 2.7
Bottle from Manchester Xmas markets. Orange-bronze with next to no head. Extremely strong tasting, although you’ll notice this first in its nose. Has a sticky sweetness with a lingering alcohol aftertaste.
Earlier Rating: 5/30/2020 Total Score: 3.2
Bottle from a one-off stall at the Manchester Christmas Markets. Twelve years old and absolutely fine. Lots of alcohol here in aroma and taste, not as sticky-sweet as expected with some caramel malts coming across sweet, and to a lesser extent rich. It's a slow sipper but interesting. 2008 edition.
Earlier Rating: 3/29/2017 Total Score: 2.6
Manchester Beer Festival 2017. Extremely strong, very sweet, and not overly palatable in this respect.
Earlier Rating: 7/1/2015 Total Score: 2.7
Bottle from Manchester Xmas markets. Orange-bronze with next to no head. Extremely strong tasting, although you’ll notice this first in its nose. Has a sticky sweetness with a lingering alcohol aftertaste.
Earlier Rating: 5/30/2020 Total Score: 3.2
Bottle from a one-off stall at the Manchester Christmas Markets. Twelve years old and absolutely fine. Lots of alcohol here in aroma and taste, not as sticky-sweet as expected with some caramel malts coming across sweet, and to a lesser extent rich. It's a slow sipper but interesting. 2008 edition.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Aug 2020
at 19:19
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle. RAD Beer. Dropped it and breached the cap, so had to get it drunk. Deep copper colour. Fine ring of off white head. Nose has rich and sweet malt. Ripe pear. Toffee apple. Chocolate and vanilla. Taste is the ripe side of fruit bitterness. Plenty sticky on the lips. Smooth and slick. Some dryness, too. Soft carbonation. Dry and light bitter finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Aug 2020
at 21:59
8.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
275ml bottle, online from Cloudwater. Pours opaque amber brown with a small beige head. Aroma: Rich, with raisins, dates, figs, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, sherry barrel vibes. Taste: moderate sweet & light bitter, rich marmalade, dried fruits, caramel, toffee, molasses. Medium body, light carb, sweet warming finish. Beautifully complex, no oxidation here thankfully. Just stunning depth of flavour
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Jul 2020
at 20:48