J.W. Lees Harvest Ale (Sherry)

Brewed by J.W. Lees
Style: Barley Wine
Middleton Junction, England

Got the very last of a cask at Spuyten Duyvil. Apparently only 4 casks a year get shipped to the USA, so this was definitely a treat - and maybe my tiny glass was full of juicy little particles. A rich, coffee and sherry aroma. Astonishingly fruity, full flavor - coffee, sherry, smoked malt, prunes, citrus, and raisin. Bitter, sour, sweet, and creamy too. Very complex and liquor like. This stuff was like juice from another world - amazing!! It shoots to the top of my charts.

2007 brew. Murky brown pour with thin off-white head. Aroma of dark fruits, sherry. Floaters in the beer. Very nice tasting- smooth. Dark fruits, sweet, woody, sherry- a little dry at the end. I really like these Harvest ales at room temp.

0.275l 2007 - Cloudy apple cider in appearance and color, little carbonation, no head. Tons of particulate. Mild nose, yeast mainly. Mild flavor, dusty and yeasty, with a sherry burn at the end forming the aftertaste. Not for me.

2007 bottle shared at a cigar tasting. I’m not quite sure who brought this, but thanks to whoever it was. Pours hazy amber with a small white head and very small chunks floating in the beer. Aroma is sweet caramel and toffee, spiced apple cider, and sherry. I got a lot of sherry in the flavor, although others there disagreed. It was almost as if the beer were oxidized, but it worked well. Sweet caramel malt and toffee, apples, spice (cinnamon/nutmeg maybe), sherry, apple brandy, and oak barrel. Medium-plus bodied with low carbonation and very slight booziness. Very solid barleywine overall.

2004 bottle. Deep amber-orange brown with lace. Huge, fruity, spicy, alcoholic aroma with sherry. Amazingly sweet!!! Orange, cherry, spice, caramel. NO hops evident. Honey, molasses, vanilla, fried figs and sweet sherry. Big alcohol is left to try to balance it. Very intense sweetness--maybe the sweetest beer I have ever tried. Yet somehow it is absolutely wonderful. It works very well, though 50 ml or so seemed like enough.

"Thick amber brown body with a decent head and little lacing. Bran cereal, cedar, and mild tobacco. Thick and coating to the mouth it’s a very heavy beer. Sweet and calm. Strong woody flavor with caramel, dark fruits, raisins and red wine. "

So far my least favorite of the different versions of this beer. Strong sherry and fruit tends to dominate. Sweeter than the standard issue. Not as balanced as the other barrel aged versions. The Calvados and Lagavulin versions are superior because of their increased complexity. v.2008

Brown body with no head formation and no visible carbonation. Aromas of toffee, soy sauce, sherry, and red licorice. Flavor is overwhelmingly sweet, some sherry, and leather. Incredibly sticky and no carbonation makes this a little unenjoyable.