Eldridge Pope Thomas Hardys Ale (all vintages to 1999)

I’ve had a few. 1994,1995,1996,1997,1998. All at varied stages of age. My favorite was the 96’. I bought a case with the last three years in there, All 120 bucks worth! This was in 2002. The pinnacle of brewing? Why not! My only problem is, I wish I was drinking them now.

Have had several vintages, 1983, 1986, 1990, 1999, etc. This review is for the 1986 vintage, which I am consuming as I type this. This is the classic beer for the beer collector, such nectar. The best beer ever produced, quite possibly? Pours very dark, nearly black, the darkest Hardy’s I’ve ever seen. Flat, but it’s 22 years old. Aromatics of caramel, chocolate and sherry, just amazing. Flavor goes beyond amazing, with amazing chocolate, nougat and caramel. Nearly 120 second finish, which can’t be put into words. The 1986 is incredible. While each vintage is different, as a whole, it can’t be argued that Eldridge Pope’s Hardy’s is the most collectible and age worthy beer ever produced.

1995 - from a cellar collection purchased in 1996. A 6.33 oz. bottle where approximately 5 - 5.5 oz were poured into 2 small sherry tasting glasses yielding 2 - 2.5 oz. servings. Aroma: Intense black walnut and slightly musky, mushroom-y with a heady aroma. Appearance: Beautiful garnet color, clear due to sediment being left behind during the pour. No head. Viscous and extremely thick/syrupy. Flavor: Black walnuts predominate with fruity, forward prune/raisin/molasses tones that lasted on the paletter FOREVER - we literally waited 10 minutes between sips and consistantly tasted the beer throught the waiting period. Palate: Silky, smooth with a persistent coating that could be detected for what seemed like ’hours’ between sips. Slightly bitter and somewhat tannic/drying. Overall impression: If you’re a fan of raisiny dessert sherries (but without the sweetness) then this will pique your curiosity. Amazingly long finish will satisfy! Legs ooze down the walls of the glass forever - creating "another puddle" just when you thought you got out of the rain!

1986 vintage, bottle # 06366. Pours an extremely dark, inky black color with the faintest possible hints of mahogany at the edges. The body looks thick and syrupy in the glass, with virtually zero head or lacing despite a vigorous pour. The nose is as sweet as I’ve ever encountered in a beer. Pure, unadulterated, burnt cane sugar, caramel, and molasses. Dark fruits lurk in the background, but it is so damn sugary I can’t really decipher what they are. The nose is alcoholic, with just the faintest possible touch of hop bitterness making a futile attempt to add balance. Flavors follow suit, and are nearly enough to send one into a diabetic shock. This beer should be titled "Thomas Hardys Molasses". I thought that a 22 year old example certainly would have dried out a bit, but somehow this is even sweeter than the 2005 vintage that I recently sampled, a dubious distinction that I thought to be impossible to achieve. The body is thick, syrupy, and cloying. I wouldn’t purposely drink more than an ounce of this brutal concoction. I hate to go so far against the grain on this one, but to me, this beer is absolutely horrible.

1993 vinatage from Chester’s in Hamilton. Poured a deep red-amber, with absolutely no head, film or carbonation. Aroma was oak and chocolate, with almost a bit of an odd chlorine smell (but surprisingly not out of place). Flavour was very robust, with stong notes of cocoa, brown sugar, cherries and alcohol. Mouth feel was syrupy and even heavier and full than expected from the alcohol %. Great the whole way around.