OHanlons Thomas Hardys Ale (vintage 2003 and later)

Brewed by OHanlons
Style: Barley Wine
Whimple, England

2008 Bottle from Systembolaget. It pours dark red with a tiny head which looks like wash detergent foam. Smells a lot like sparkling wine with some grapefruit notes. Surprisingly easy to drink. Ill cellar some and look forward to taste them in a few years!

Bottle at the Headkeeper (Greensburg). Pours a murky orange/brown, no head to speak of. Aroma is fruit past due, touch of whiskey ?!? Flavor is a very smooth malt, sweet, but subdued caramel and again with the over-ripe fruit. Very well balanced, delicious.

07 bottle. Pours a beautiful glowing light tawny color with nice legs and almost no head. Nose is caramel, bread, and yeast with some fruit. Taste is like caramel syrup in the mouth with a warming finish that comes off pretty well balanced. Great again potential, and a delicious sipper.

Strong and zippy. Pours falt and creamy, thick stuff. Flavor is very tangy and strong, nice but a very big sipper.

2006 ~ No. P 4952
So just what the heck is that I just made sure to note above? Well, since we are talking Thomas Hardy’s Ale here, it is a rare and small craft English Ale which borders on being a fine vintage wine or single malt. Aging anywhere up to 25 years, Thomas Hardy’s Ale is a beer gourmand’s wet dream, for lack of a more subtle way to put it. Brewed and created in small batches, each bottle is labeled and numbered, and each year only so many are released. A divinely unique experience, each batch is slightly different, and if one so desired, he or she could do a lateral tasting of Thomas Hardy in years to further appreciate its complexity. Each tasting would yield spectacularly delicious and different results. Don’t believe me? Try for yourself. The hardest part is holding onto that bottle for multiple years and resisting the urge to drink it.
A rich earthen brown with hints of burnt amber and ruby glinting along the edges of my glass. A small head peeks out at me before fading to a slim ring. Caramel. Massive amounts of fresh, warm, and spiced caramel notes in her nose along with brown sugar, fig, and dates. Already my nose is embraced in an orgy of olfactory pleasure. Faint traces of lace adorn as I raise my glass for the first quaff. A full, honeyish mouthfeel and body which coats my mouth, tongue, and cheeks. Nay, there is nary an untouched surface in my mouth which my Thomas Hardy’s Ale hasn’t seduced. A lingering essence of honey and figs, brown sugar, and a sharp bitter bite to ensure my attention has not wavered. Malty and rich and decadent, time and time again my senses are wrapped in a warm blanket of figs, dates, dark sugars, with a sweet underbelly of caramel and toffee notes. A crisp hop finish cleanses and brings me back for my next quaff. As my Thomas Hardy’s warms, much like a fine wine or scotch, notes of old leather and smoke make their way into her already varied and yet perfectly balanced palate. My body sta

Bottle (2003), 8.5 fl. oz. Pours dark and viscous, with no head, but some lacing. Very potent on the nose, of treacle, molasses and cherries. Syrupy on the palate, with some notes of yeast surfacing, and somewhat weird, medicinal, mouthfeel. Not one of my favourites, though will appeal greatly to some.

Barly wine is definately not my favorite style, never the less, this is the one to try in this categori.

The most amazing and tasty bee I have yet to taste lots of dark fruits old ale flavors very intense and wonderfully smooth. wish I could drink it every day