Thomas Hardy's Ale (2003 - 2008)
Hanlons Brewery in Exeter, Devon, England 🏴
Traditional Beer - Old Ale Regular Out of Production|
Score
7.93
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Scarce, subtle and complex, Thomas Hardy’s Ale is the beer enthusiast’s equivalent of rare cognac. Bottle-conditioned to mature in the bottle like fine wine, this old ale/barley wine will improve with age for at least 26 years (and we’re still counting!). Not for the faint of palate, especially when young and brash, maturity brings an elegance of flavors unmatched by any other beer—if you have the patience to cellar it for at least a decade.
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7.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
250ml Bottle (2005 Vintage) - Copper/amber in colour. Malty and vinous aroma with hints of leather, mince pies, fruit cake and raisins. The taste is rich, warming and malty with spicy malt, raisins, dates, caramel and a hint of whisky in the finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Dec 2010
at 14:54
7.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
250ml bottle @ Malja, Kuopio
2006 vintage, bottle no. 29815 - Great, proper English barley wine. Taste is slick, smooth and malty but not overly sweet. Has hints of raisin and caramel. Alcohol warms nicely.
2006 vintage, bottle no. 29815 - Great, proper English barley wine. Taste is slick, smooth and malty but not overly sweet. Has hints of raisin and caramel. Alcohol warms nicely.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Dec 2010
at 11:12
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
25 cl bottle from 2008 tasted 2010. Muddy copper with small head. Flavour is malt, sweet, dark fruit, caramel, sweet and wood. 25 cl bottle from 2006 tasted 2010. Muddy copper with no head. . Flavour is malt, dark fruit, caramel, sweet and vinous.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Sep 2010
at 10:26
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle. Deept amber body with ruby highlights. Minimal head, most bubbles along the sides, rapidly diminishing. Strong, enticing malty aroma. Sweet with notes of caramel, prune, molasses, black cherry, raisin, orange, alcohol, sherry. Hint of fig and plum. The flavor is heavily sweet and lightly bitter. It finishes moderately to heavily sweet and lightly to moderately bitter. Light acidity throughout. Full body, syrupy texture, little to no carbonation. A sipper and more like drinking a lherry than a beer. Nicely complex with a variety of malty, fruity tastes, especially the dark fruits of prune and raisin. A bit medicinal because of the alcohol. But very enjoyable in small quantities.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Sep 2010
at 20:08
6.9/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Cask at Rake, London. Colour; mahoganny, slightly murky, no head whatsoever. Nose; dried fruit, sweet malt, smokey. Taste; syrupy, dried figs, plums, wood, caramelised bananas, slight varnish, obvious alcohol, long finish. Complex, but sip slowly with caution.
Tried
from Cask
on 14 Aug 2010
at 12:27
8.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
275ml bottle, 2007 vintage. Pours a hazy dark brown, with nice legs down the side of the glass. Aroma is sweet malt, alcohol, raisin and dried fruit. Sweet malts and fruit to start, warming, boozy finish. No carbonation but really full in the mouth.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Jul 2010
at 13:04
8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Was surprise to find this one at the LCBO. Expensive at $4.65 CAN a small bottle, but probably worth it for an English Barleywine. 2007 edition, written No. Q 11134 on the front label (rated March 2008 originally). Pours a very cloudy orange-brown colour with red-purple highlights, and hardly no head. Just a little surface of bubbles, that disappear fairly slow and no lace is seen. The nose is quite nutty, with notes of caramel, raisin and plum. Smooth oily texture for the mouthfeel with a little fine coffee grain touch to it in the end. Wow... the taste goes everywhere. Starts on sweet syrupy flavour of the fruits mentioned in the aroma. The middle has the caramel and chocolat which is a good passage from the sweetness of the fruits. The end is where the hop appears, a little bitter, with the coffee and burnt malt finish. A really, really nice barleywine experience... that is worth the price.
Tried
from Can
on 23 Jun 2010
at 22:02
7.5/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 10
Overall 7
Dark brown pour with little head. Nose is very sweet fermented fruit, brown sugar and molasses. Taste is similar. Pleasant drinking experience. Rated 5/13/04
Tried
on 07 May 2010
at 07:15
6.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
(2004 bottle) Pours a dark brown/red color with a small head. It has a very sweet aroma, dried fruits, sugars. Flavor is incredibly sweet, no grain/hop flavor to speak of (very subtle) and touches of caramel, dried fruits, etc. IT was okay, but not exactly something I’d want to have often. I have a few of the younger vintages, so I’ll see how those are in a little bit.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 May 2010
at 22:13
8.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
250mL bottle, pours cloudy brown with no head. Aroma of toffee, caramel, raisins and other dark fruits, brown sugar and lots of sweetness. Flavour of raisins, black currant, toffee, caramel and a lots of alcohol. Remarkable barley wine.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Apr 2010
at 22:03