OHanlons Thomas Hardys Ale (vintage 2003 and later)

Brewed by OHanlons
Style: Barley Wine
Exeter, England

Bottle pour.Dark reddish brown with a small beige head.Very pleasant aroma,dark fruits,malty.Taste was very sweet,toffee and malt with some hoppy bitterness.Not bad at all,I’ve got one cellared and I’ll give it another try in a few years.

8.5 ounce bottle. 2007 edition. Bottle # P03786. Pours a chunky ugly brown with no head or apparent carbonation. Aroma is of various fruits, id est plums, dates, rotten peaches. Some honey and brown sugar too. Flavor is all malt sweetness, no detectable hoppiness. Sweet dark fruits and brown sugar again, honey. Slight alcohol. Palate is dead, watery. Drinkable, but not outstanding for the catgory. Overall, fair to good.

2004 vinetage: Deep and full aroma. Intensive sweet malt and sugar notes. Complex notes of sherry and port, also raisins and alcohol. Mahagony color, small foamy head. Flavor is intensive, very malty, and sweet. Notes of candies, port and wine. Also complex fruity with hints of tobacco and cacao. Fullbodied. Balanced by light herbal hop bitterness. Great beer.

Vintage 2004, # P 05428, Drank 01/23/2010. Deep brown with a dark head. Sweet malts, dark fruits, light alcohol, some sourness. toast in the aroma. Medium bodies. Lovely flavor. Sweet, bready, deep, ripe fruit, malty. Sweet malt finish with a nice warm alcohol, as well. I really do like this one, but I think it’s a bit young still. Wish I could have kept it around for another five years or so.

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."

Strong malt and hops aroma, nails that barly wine smell very well. No head, quite think and red. no lacing either. Not quite flat, but lots of time would definately improve it a ton. Very heavy flavour, lots of alcohal in there for sure but its well hidden becuase the malt is so thinck tasting. Very nice hop finish, exactly the right amount of hops. A pretty thick ale, this one was brewed especially to be stored.

25cl Bottle from De Bierkoning. Although I paid a premium price for this stuff I didn’t have high expectations, perhaps because I’m not too fond of Barley Wines. But this stuff was goooood. Poured a hazy deep reddish amber-brown, thin off white head. Aroma of loads of sweet malts, dried fruits. Flavour is sweet, very sweet actually, but so smooth and syrupy that it doesn’t become cloying, very malty, fruity, with a very good and especially firm hoppy bitter finish that balances the beer beautifully. Fullbodied. Lovely beer.

AROMA: bread, citrus, vanilla, toast, APPEARANCE: amber, brown, clear, minimal head, TASTE: light sweetness, medium bitterness, medium sourness, strong PALATE: medium body, oily feel, astringent, average carbonation, Bottle from 2008, perhaps opened too early in 2010 as these bottle can last 25 years (accoring to the label): very strong taste and alcohol very noticable. This may mature into something much better. Has a wine quality to it.