Thomas Hardy's Ale (2003 - 2008)
(has 6 batches)
Hanlons Brewery in Exeter, Devon, England 🏴
Traditional Beer - Old Ale Regular Out of Production|
Score
7.92
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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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7.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Vintage 2004, 250 ml bottle, bought at Vinens Verden, Odense, Denmark. Bottle No. P 08270. I know I should have cellared this beer for 25 years, but I just couldn’t wait. 25 years from now - I might have been dead a long time by then. Reddish brown colour, slightly hazy. No head, minimal carbonation. Intense sweet aroma of raisins, also notes of molasses, oak and leather. VERY sweet flavour, oak, molasses and raisins again, alcoholic and "raw" in the edges, notes of pipe tobacco. Not nearly as good as the 1990 vintage I sampled at the RBESG 2005, which proves that this beer really NEEDS to be cellared for at least a decade. Its "old sherry or port"-like qualities are not there yet. The brewers are not just teasing you when they recommend cellaring - they actually mean it. But even at this "raw" and unfinished stage it is clear that this beer has capabilities. Be prepared for a substantial sweetness even after many years of cellaring, though.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Sep 2005
at 14:40
8.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 10
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
2004 bottle in September 2005: Dark red/brown with no head. Complex aroma with dates, plums, cherry, malt, port and cognac. Overwhelming flavour initially: Sweet, fruity and port-like at first, then the alcohol hits and finally a strong hop bitterness with a bit of tobacco. It?s very full bodied, but it feels odd that there is no carbonation at all.2003 bottle in May 2008: Aroma even better. The alcohol has mellowed to more port and red wine, and the hops have mellowed a lot. Rated 4.32005 bottle in 2009: Aroma slightly more orgasmic, vineous. Outstanding flavour, whoa, plus woww! Caramel, vineous, milk chocolate....
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Sep 2005
at 17:17
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Bottle. 2004 Vintage P81847. Brown color with a bit of amber - absolutely no head. Big fruity (plum, date, fig) aroma with some sweetness and alcohol. Sweet flavor with lots of candied fruit, molasses, and a nice alcohol warming. Syrupy. Very little carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Sep 2005
at 21:45
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottled 2004, No P03687. Dark, muddy coloured beer with a strong head. The aroma is very strong with a fruity finish, and the flavour is very syrupy with a burn’t edge and very, very (too) strong. Overall the beer is very strong which takes away the drinkability.
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 May 2005
at 08:26
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
2004 Vintage. This pours an average sized, frothy head that diminishes quickly. Tha aroma is one of molasses, pepper and a bit tobacco like. Sweet from start to finish, but it needs a bit more hop dryness to balance a cloying sweetness. I’ve got another one of these begining it’s cellar time which shoud do it well.
Tried
on 19 Jan 2005
at 05:55
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
2004 bottling - Impressive pour, cloudy amber, kicking up a decent lacing for something with such a high alcohol content - appearance and nose of a much more matured barleywine - aroma of bourbon, brandy, rum, raisins, chocolate, must, earthiness, freshly baked christmas cookies - extremely complex for such a young sample - the sweet and bitter/tart flavors strike a decent balance (which I’m sure will improve much more with aging) - silky mouthfeel - flavors of sweet digestives (y’know, after dinner booze, like daddy used to call it) - ripe figs, cranberries - caramel and toffee - a hint of rolled oats - a touch of hops wash cleanly on the palate in the finish, but seem to clash somewhat with the remaining caramel and chocolate left on the tongue - not completely in balance, but quite complex and tasty, and, since this is clearly a beer designed specifically for aging, this is sure to be amazing a few years down the road.
Tried
on 30 Oct 2004
at 21:35
6/10
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Appearance 2
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
2004 vintage bottle 44849. Muddy colour with no head....ugly as sin, or as a typical barley wine depending on how you want to phrase it. Light fruits (apricot, pear) dance with heavy but gentle sweets...Lyle’s Golden Syrup sort of malts, softly sugar not at all oppressive. A bit of heat late as well as dark chocolate and wood notes. Very simplistic as of yet. This, unlike the 2003 version, tastes very young after a year. The potential is obvious - this may very well be a great one, but it’s going to take a good 5 years before we’ll see where the potential in this brew leads.
2003 version tasted end July ’04: A little bit of haze, fiery amber-brown colour. Caramel and molasses in the aroma. Very heavy, sweet, sugary. Some excellent toffee and peach notes. Doesn’t taste particularly young, and seems more immediately drinkable than its predecessor, but let’s see what happens when we convert some of those sugars. Ar 7 Ap 4 F 7 P 4 O 16 = 3.6
2003 version tasted end July ’04: A little bit of haze, fiery amber-brown colour. Caramel and molasses in the aroma. Very heavy, sweet, sugary. Some excellent toffee and peach notes. Doesn’t taste particularly young, and seems more immediately drinkable than its predecessor, but let’s see what happens when we convert some of those sugars. Ar 7 Ap 4 F 7 P 4 O 16 = 3.6
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Aug 2004
at 01:20