OHanlons Thomas Hardys Ale (vintage 2003 and later)

Brewed by OHanlons
Style: Barley Wine
Whimple, England

Thin tan head that quickly goes to naught. Deep amber color. Smells of sugar, molasses and dark dried fruit. Smooth syrupy on the palate with flavors of malty sweetness and biting alcohol. Good long finish and aging appears quite necessary.

Bottle. Pours deep mahogany with no head whatsoever. The beer is more or less uncarbonated. Aroma of sweet malts and heat from the alcohol. Flavor is sweet, and bready. Reminds me of really good bread pudding with lots of fruit and rum. Mouthfeel is as satisfying as I could expect in any beer. What hop character there is is overshadowed by the enormous malt profile and tremendous gravity of this beer - not necessarily a bad thing. The finish is velvety and smooth with loads of dark fruit, a hint of oaky nuttiness and brandy. I’ve read comments that this beer needs time to age, but the 2005 vintage I tasted certainly had enough time to calm down, though I’m sure it would continue to develop complexities if it was allowed to age further. 8.5 ounces, although I’m sure appropriate for aging, certanly was not enough for me.

Tasted 2007-04-18. 2005 version, 25cl. Semi clear dark red colour. Small off white head. Arom of hops, molasses, burned sugar, grass, honney and hay. Dark taste of burned sugar, caramel, hops and cough sirup. It’s very complex and has lotsa nuances. This young, it is not easy to drink though, and I recommend you share the bottle with some friends (plural!). Or better yet: Age it 20 years and enjoy it all by your self!!! (So I’ve been told!)

2004 Vintage
Unremarkable to look at; tan chocolate brown, slightly murky with no head to speak of. Massively sweet and powerful nose of cooked sugary malts, toffee and sweet spices. Palate is absolutely as anticipated. Huge sweet malts, huge sugar kick, some bitterness from the substantial alcohol. The malt impact outweights the abv but I wonder if this will change as the beer develops. Very young and primary as I’m not seeing any secondary development or aged notes. Dark malts and bitter aniseed to finish. All a bit overwhelming for me and I found the beer harder to drink as it warmed up (and subsequently got thicker). If you ever needed to convince a sceptic that beer needs to be aged throw ’em a bottle of this beer - it’s crying out for extended cellaring.

Thanks to Ramenen. 2004 Bottle: A new experience. Extremely complex somewhere between, beer, wine, brandy and cognac. At only 3 years (two less than the recommended waiting time) it was strong herbal, spicey and potent.

Vintage 2004. I really think you need to wait at least five years as recommended. Very different from anything I had tasted yet, so it makes it very hard for me to rate. Very low carbonation and head, but pours into a rich, beautiful amber colour. Very strong and acidic, think it was still too young. Alcohol very present.

2005 bottle. Pours a deep amber to light brown with an ample off-white head. Aroma is sweet with hints of dates and spices. Taste is also sweet and malty with more dark, tarry fruit, light smoke. The sweetness is balanced mainly by alcohol. Dryer palate and finish than I expected.

2006 EDITION: Strong and boozy bite hits the nose. Grape wine, thick molasses, plums, dates, and notes of sour whiskey. Spicy alcoholic taste dominates. I detect some ripe purple grapes and brown sugar. However, I’m afraid, a bit lost in the sea of alcohol. A potent brew for sure. No wonder they want you to sit on it for a decade! Still a world class beer, even though a bit hard to drink.