Thomas Hardys Ale (Vintage 2003 and later)

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

2007 Vintage bottle. Deep amber translucent brown pour, little head not lacing. Toffee, cognac, salty chocolate peanuts, brandy, deep dark honey, alcohol, hint of smoke and leather. Wow. So good to be nearly 7 years old. Lovely smooth sipper. Thanks for sharing some bottles Sam.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 10

Love the lack of carbonation, I believe it is probably party a result of a ridiculously lethargic yeast, which is probably what allows the beer to age for 26 years. Ive opened this after six and a bit (2005 bottle opened in 2011). I may have let a bit of the sediment get away but Im ok with this. Reminds me alot of the Ballards Old Bounder (a much less hyped, but similair english barley wine.... it only has two reviews on here, me and beerchronic). HUGE malts that represent themselves as cherry cough syrup, wood, leather, rotten apple, really overripe partly fermented cherries, old port, and liquorice. That is most of the beer really, just a huge malt profile, though the yeast also makes itself well known on the tounge, with some prickly jumping around and a thick sweetbread dough character. Prunes, dates, bit of honey and a bit of orange make a cameo. This will not pair at all with the jalepeno poppers I just made... two intense things. Very excited about this brew, I will be looking for many many more to age. This has really been the review of brackets.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

2007 P21079 poured copper. Loads of sediment and suspension. Aroma of sweet fruit. Mouthfeel a bit like a tawny port but not sticky. Flavor is sweet alcohol and malty. All around good, reminds me a bit of a harvest ale.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

So..my former boss gave me a couple bottles of the 2005 Thomas Hardy that her fiance was holding onto. We cracked one open the other night at dinner and it was amazing! Definately toned down quite a bit. It's had 5+ years to do so. Alcohol is softer. Fruit is more vibrant and forward on the nose as well as the palate. Pours a bright reddish brown colour. Head is small. Noticeable caramel, fig and raisin underlying the taste. I can imagine it being quite sweet but as of right now, it's just the right amount of body. I anticipate I will beopening up the other bottle pretty soon.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

quite possibly the sweetest beer i've ever had. i love my hops, but this beer is awesome. not the type of beer you can have regularly, but it's a treat. for the price, though, i'll stick with old stock.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

I recently tried the 2007 vintage. The beer pours a dark murky brown with a beige coloured head. The aroma was sweet malt, very alcoholly, and no hops. The flavour is very strong with a powerful malt punch, a sweet alcohol flavour (rum-like), and nice smooth finish.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

2005, bottle # 24246. Pours very syrupy hazy brown color with absolutely no head at all. Aroma is alcoholic with malts, some dark fruit, and winey. The flavor is dark brown sugars, molasses, dark fruits (grapes, plums, prunes and a lot of figs), and some toasty malt. The beer is a little hot but at 11.7% I kind of expected that (especially after the aroma) and all things considering it is hidden well and very smooth. The beer is rich and complex with gentle flavors if that makes sense. In the end it's an expensive but fun experience, at least once, but I didn't think it was amazing party because I thought it was maybe a touch too sweet.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Was surprise to find this one at the LCBO. Expensive at $4.65 CAN a small bottle, but probably worth it for an English Barleywine. 2007 edition, written No. Q 11134 on the front label. Pours a very cloudy orange-brown colour with red-purple highlights, and hardly no head. Just a little surface of bubbles, that disappear fairly slow and no lace is seen. The nose is quite nutty, with notes of caramel, raisin and plum. Smooth oily texture for the mouthfeel with a little fine coffee grain touch to it in the end. Wow... the taste goes everywhere. Starts on sweet syrupy flavour of the fruits mentioned in the aroma. The middle has the caramel and chocolat which is a good passage from the sweetness of the fruits. The end is where the hop appears, a little bitter, with the coffee and burnt malt finish. Really, really nice barleywine experience... that is worth the price.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Aroma is rich, strong, malty with smoky and toffee hints and a touch of saltiness. Color is a pretty mahogany brown, semi-transparent, not much head. Flavor has a strong alcohol bite, but once you get past that it is surprisingly sweet, with hints of molasses and also caramel. It is very smooth, but the sharp edge reminds you that it is a high-gravity beer. This is a good dessert beer, and each sip is to savor.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 5

2006 Vintage
250ml
13.3%
I tried this beer on January 31, 2008 at "Smokeless Joe's" in Toronto. The bottle was a 2006 vintage, and 13.3% ABV. The beer poured a dark reddish brown with am offwhite bubble head. The aroma was very yeasty, with some malt and candy tones. The mouthfeel was full-bodied, creamy with mild carbonation. The flavour was overpowering from an alcohol perspective with some detectable dark fruity tones and a stomach warming presence. Like the Samichlaus, not a beer I'd try again!