OHanlons Thomas Hardys Ale (vintage 2003 and later)

Brewed by OHanlons
Style: Barley Wine
Whimple, England

2004 bottle - In honor of my imminent departure for London and elsewhere in western Europe, I just had my bottle of Thomas Hardy’s Ale. It pours murky dark brown. There’s no head, but it definitely has legs. The aroma is a lovely malt and dark fruit with some mild alcohol. The flavor is sweet and strong with lots of malt, oak, and dark fruit. There’s just the slightest touch of carbonation in this almost syrupy beer. It’s certainly a good brew and will likely get better if aged a few more years so it’s not quite so overpowering.

2006 – n° 32777 Shine cooper color, almost no head. Aroma: Prunes, figs, sweet, alcohol (just a little). Palate: Licorice, caramel, toffee, hops, dark fruits, alcohol. Warming finish. Very Complex. Excelente and peculiar beer!

Bottled. Rich, fruity, cherry like aroma. Pours with a dark copper hue and no head. There is hardly any carbonation whatsoever. Rich, syrupy and fruity with toffee apple notes. Has a texture very similar to a good port. A nice warming finish. Very good.

2007 Vintage.I’ll begin by saying that I realize this beer was consumed way too young and needs to mature. I have three bottles that I am going to cellar and I will update this rating when I next sample this year’s vintage, probably in 2009. Pours a muddy, dark rust with no head. Very aromatic with caramel being the dominant quality along with notes of orange, dates and alcohol. These same qualities exist in the flavor as well, but lack depth. In addition, the alcohol burn is significant and eventually masks over the other flavors. Brash is a word used in the description of this beer, and I believe that accurately sums up this barley wine. I will be curious to see how this year’s vinatge matures.

2005 Edition. Pours a dark, opaque chestnut brown with a tinge of burnished amber-gold and a fine, creamy, tan head. The aroma is powerfully sweet with ripe fruity malt, caramel, toffee, molasses, dried fruits, and alcohol. The flavor is quite sweet, though not cloying, with tons of dried fruit--figs, prunes, and raisins--along with plump, ripe fruit flavors and caramel and molasses malt flavors with excellent light madeirized characteristics. The body is so delicate and balanced the alcohol is only tasted as an extension of the other flavors and nowhere near its 11.7% is detedtable. It is light on the tongue with a deep, long finish that unfolds completely over more than a minute. This beer is hugely complex and highly satisfying--exquisite.

2005 vintage. I had this sitting in the cellar for a while when I decided that the winter was receeding and I needed to consume this before the hotter months. So on a cool night I poured this into a Duvel snifterand was impressed with the deep copper hue. the head was fleeting but with a barley wine you accept this as the norm. Beautiful dried fruits and toffee nose with the ABV well represented in the aroma. Sweet toffee nuttiness in the flavour and an expected large mouthfeel. This is a treat to consume and I hope to find some more in the future.

25 cL bottle (2004 no 9292). Pours hazy amber with a copper colour and a minimal lacing head. Roasted fruity and malty sweet flavour, somewhat sweaty/herbal. Quite wellbalanced yet somewhat woody. Quite caramel sweet. Ends a slight bitter wrapped is mellow sweet malty flavour.

2005 vintage. Pours a dark reddish amber with little wispy white head that disappears quickly. Aroma features big dark toffee, a vinous character (mainly port, a touch of brandy) and nutty malt. On the palate there is a big sweet malt, a nutty water biscuit note, toffee as is on the nose, fortified wine notes, port, tangy earthy hops, and a firm bitter finish. this vintage is starting to soften. Over all impression is of a mellow warming incredibly complex ale.