J.W. Lees Harvest Ale

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

bottiglia harvest ale 08 al ma che siete venuti a fa.... barley wine decisamente estremo! colore ambrato scuro piuttosto torbido schiuma praticamente assente o molto sottile... al naso è un esplosione di caramello cereali tostati frutta secca, sembra quasi un burro d’arachidi.... al palato è mielosa molto dolce densissima carammellata con sentori quasi erbacei ed estremamente cerealosa...

Wow... Dark Gold Brown, Very sweet, complex taste. Smells and tastes of dark fruits, malts, caramels... On tap at Ginger Man in NYC. Very sticky lasting mouthfeel. So delish.

2006 Vintage 3/17/10 Pours without a head so no lace. Deep brown/amber color with a ton of floaties. No carbonation and medium bodied. Alcohol nose. Flavor is sweet alcohol, with some dark fruit; strong alcohol finish. Did not cellar well, good flavor but the carbonation is gone. $10.40 for a 275ml bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, Ma. Other years this rates about 4.5. 1998 Vintage. After ten years this is as fresh as the day it was bottled. Pours a three finger brown head that fades quickly leaving no lace. Deep mahogany color. Light-medium carbonation and heavy bodied. Raisin/plum nose. Flavor is sweet raisin almost like a port. The high ABV comes through but does not overwhelm. Pricey at $6.99 for a 275ml bottle from Tully’s Beer and Wine Wells, ME. 2000 Vintage. Pours a two finger light brown head that fades quickly to a thin layer leaving some lace. Almost clear mahogany color. Light carbonation and heavy bodied. Raisin/rummy nose. Flavor is sweet rum and raisins with alcohol overtones. Pricey - $5.99 for a 11.5oz bottle from John’s Grocery Iowa City, Ia. 1999 Vintage Pours a two finger cream head that fades slowly, leaving some lace. Deep brown color. Good carbonation and medium-heavy bodied. Dark fruit and alcohol nose. Flavor is dark fruit and alcohol with a strong alcohol finish. Cellared very well. $10.40 for a 275ml bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, Ma.

At first taste, this is the worst beer I’ve ever tasted. However, the aftertaste isn’t too bad.

[Bottle] 1986(!) vintage from Blue Max. I’ve been wanting to try at least one beer brewed the year I was born. Popped the cap with basically no hiss. Pours a murky brown with no sign of carbonation. Aroma is thick with sherry-like oxidation, caramel malt sweetness, prunes, and really not a whole lot else. Really a lot of fruit-snack like sweetness in the aroma. First sip... yep, very sweet, unbelievably smooth, only a hint of warming alcohol on the finish along with a touch of cardboard. Otherwise this is like drinking fermented caramel water. Not that it’s bad in any way, just lacking some complexity. There are some prunes and other dark fruits in there, too. Not that I was really expecting there to be, but just a little bit of carbonation would make this a stellar beer for its age, but still, how much can you expect from a 23 years old brew?

Vintage 2008. Clear amber with absolutely no head. Woodish aroma, hay, honey, caramel. Extremely sweet and cloying flavour of honey, caramel, syrup, toffeee and sugar with a bit of bitterness in the end. I am baffled ... but also intrigued. This is really something different, and I think I like it! Very much in fact!!

2002 Vintage First JW Lees Harvest Ale, with just over 7 years in the bottle. Nice pop of carbonation from this well aged bottle, poured into a Brooklyn brewery Snifter. Deep amber to reddish brown hues. No head forms whatsoever. Aromas are incredibly rich maple, honey, faint woody oak like characteristics, but not at all like beer aged in oak, think more of when you cut wood. There are no hops left in this beer, it is all malt. Very reminiscent of port wine character. Faint alcohol, well masked in the nose. The flavor profile is equally rich, very nuanced with layers of maple, vanilla, faint hints of tobacco. Again very similar to quality ports with an obvious differenc being the lack of grape characteristic. But very similar sweetness and texture. The mouthfeel is full bodied, with very faint carbonation and absolutely a bare minimum remaingin bitterness which is slightly detectable before a bit, very small bit of dryign from the alcohol. The latter is beyond well masked at this point. Very sweet from start to finish. A beer worth gathering vintages, cellaring and sampling over the years. Drinkable but it is a night cap, not a beer that is going to mix in with a night of others by any stretch.

Hazy dark brown pour off white head smell of molasses, raisins, dark fruit and sweet malt .... taste of sweet honey, molasses, dark fruits and raisins, nice balanced ..... roasted and syrupy with a light bitter lingering finish ..... ABV hidden well