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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9.8/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 10
Texture 10
Overall 10
2005 Vintage. Obtained in a trade with Dedollewaitor. Thx! Personal contribution @ "I cannot believe that you brought your own beer to a beer festival" @ Modeste 2013. 25 cl. bottle split by 2. #43437. Dark raspberry, brown, hazy, no head. Incredible oxidation notes nose, lots of nuts,hazlenuts, sherry, walnuts, sweet malts, sugar, very interesting wild herbs which I cannot specify. Huge warming taste, cane sugar, very thick toffe, candy, almost Brazilian rum, complex bark & leaves notes, quite warming, lots of things going on, touch cobwebs, medicinal tea, hop oil, hazlenuts, walnuts & even more, which is hard to note. Thick, warming, oily & almost zero carb. Very impressive & very complex. Reputation confirmed.
Tried
from Can
on 06 Oct 2013
at 15:12
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Thnx to 77ships Pours redbrown , no real foam Smell is sweet , apple based Sweet , boozy ( a bit ) Taste is sweet , malty , sugary . Bit caramel , . Very nice
Tried
on 06 Oct 2013
at 14:53
7.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
Bottle - Vintage 2006 - Dark sugar, caramel, toffee, plum and a bit of raisin. Deep cloudy amber with no head. Molasses, toffee, raisin, chocolate and a caramel and booze finish. Very complex, no carbonation and very nice. Even in the small bottle, share it as it is a big beer. Vintage 2008 - Much more vibrant than 2006 with vinous notes and alcohol present. Different, but not better. Coloring is slightly lighter. Much like the nose the edges are more pronounced as is the alcohol. Again different but not better or worse. This is a great vertical as it shows how age mellows without really changing the taste profile.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Sep 2013
at 12:50
7.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle 250ml #20550 vintage 2006@ Home
Trade by Dedollewaitor Pours clear dark amber with a few off-white bubbles. Aroma has notes of malt, caramel, oxidization, alcohol, vinous, dried fruits, Taste is medium sweet and light bitter with a long warm, caramel, fruity, vinous and light oxidized finish. Body is full, texture is oily, carbonation is flat.
Trade by Dedollewaitor Pours clear dark amber with a few off-white bubbles. Aroma has notes of malt, caramel, oxidization, alcohol, vinous, dried fruits, Taste is medium sweet and light bitter with a long warm, caramel, fruity, vinous and light oxidized finish. Body is full, texture is oily, carbonation is flat.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Jul 2013
at 13:05
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle at Bishops Arms Bellmansgatan. 2005, 2006, 2007 vintages. Amber brown colour, with the 2005 being the darkest, with a minimal head. Aroma is dark fruits, plum, caramel, malt, alcohol. Flavour is sweet, fruity, plum, berries, alcohol, caramel. The older versions are better, but all three are very good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 May 2013
at 13:11
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle at Bishops Arms Bellmansgatan. 2005, 2006, 2007 vintages. Amber brown colour, with the 2005 being the darkest, with a minimal head. Aroma is dark fruits, plum, caramel, malt, alcohol. Flavour is sweet, fruity, plum, berries, alcohol, caramel. The older versions are better, but all three are very good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 May 2013
at 13:09
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle at Bishops Arms Bellmansgatan. 2005, 2006, 2007 vintages. Amber brown colour, with the 2005 being the darkest, with a minimal head. Aroma is dark fruits, plum, caramel, malt, alcohol. Flavour is sweet, fruity, plum, berries, alcohol, caramel. The older versions are better, but all three are very good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 May 2013
at 13:07
5.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Sehr süßer Antrunk mit angenehmen Malznoten. Minimale Herbe, zuckrig, alkoholisch, dennoch weich. Zu süß, nicht ausgewogen. 8/9/8/9/12/9
Tried
on 20 Apr 2013
at 10:36
8/10
This is like a fine port.
Tried
on 10 Mar 2013
at 15:24
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
25 cl bottle vintage 2007 @ Kaisla, Helsinki. Rated on 31.08.2009
Aroma is very sweet with lots and lots of raisins. Also some dried fruits, caramel and sugary notes. Flavour is a total sweetness overdose with shitloads of raisins, lots of caramel, some sugar and fruity notes. Warming alcohol in the finish. Did I already mention that this is too sweet?
Aroma is very sweet with lots and lots of raisins. Also some dried fruits, caramel and sugary notes. Flavour is a total sweetness overdose with shitloads of raisins, lots of caramel, some sugar and fruity notes. Warming alcohol in the finish. Did I already mention that this is too sweet?
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Feb 2013
at 23:55