Eldridge Pope Thomas Hardys Ale (all vintages to 1999)

Formerly brewed at Eldridge Pope
Style: Barley Wine
Dorchester,, England

1975, 1978, and 1990 vintages sampled courtesy dsnowden. It was interesting, to say the least, to be able to try several different years of these. Some, by aroma alone (I smelled a few more years than I tasted), clearly had oxidation working against them, with the sherry aromas and tastes being overpowering. Others, the ’75 and ’90 in particular, had a rich character to them where the overwhelming sweetness of fresher bottles was transformed into a thick rich spice character, complimented by the aforementioned sherry notes. The years appeared to be somewhat hit-and-miss, but the hits were a special treat. Thanks a ton, Dan.

’82 sampled at Kulminator last week. Dark cloudy brown head with a nice tan head, nice to see its still carbonated. Aroma of sour cherries, oak, apple cider, old cellar. Flavvor was like an old vintage port, sour cherries. Excellent smooth and full palate. This is an awesome beer. I was really surprised by how sour it turned out with age.

Bottle 1982-vintage on Kulminator. Hazy orange brown coloured with a small off white head. Sweet aroma of dried fruits, wood and sherry with dusty notes. Sweet flavour of wood, dried fruits, berries and sherry with dusty notes.

Sampled years: 1975, 78, 79, 88, 90, 94. Rating the 1975. Pours a dark brown color with no head. Has strong hints of caramel, dark sweet fruits, brown sugar, spices, oak, molasses. Has a very strong alcohol presence, that was masked by the fine aging of this brew. Finishes with a thick sweet syrupy texture on the tongue. This inspires me to start my own collection of these brews. This was an amazing beer to share with someone, thanks dsnowden.

Huge thanks to dsnowden for sharing these wonderful treats all of us at the Orlando gathering.

Vintages sampled: ’75, ’78, ’79, ’88, ’90, ’94. Enjoyed the 1975 the most, followed by the 1978, 1990, 1994, 1979 and 1988, in that order. The ’75 was quite a step above the rest, and it’s the one I am rating. Pours a dark brown, liquor looking body with not even a hint of head. Swirls around the glass like the finest dark liquor. Aromas of candied sugars, molasses, caramel, darm fruits. Warming on the palate, with raisins, plums and caramel dominating. Finishes with a very nice warming feel from the alcohol, but no unpleasant bite or hotness. This was the oldest beer I have ever sampled, and it was a masterpiece. Not every day you get to try a beer older than you, and it ends up knocking your socks off. Thanks so much Dan!

First off, huge thanks goes out to dsnowden for supplying many of us with a bunch of older vintage Hardy’s. What a generous guy. I tried numerous old vintages of TH that night but am choosing to rate the one I liked the most which was a 1975 vintage. Pours a clear caramel brown color with no head. This puppy is definitely old. Wonderful aromas of molasses, caramel, and some sweet fruits. The taste is unbelievably smooth and flavorful. Caramel and raisins really stand out to me. Nice oily mouthfeel. Really leaves me wanting more. Unfortuantely they are such small bottles. Just a treat to enjoy this brew which is 7 years older than I am. Thanks again Dan!!

Bottle 1995. Hazy brown, no head. An aroma of blackcurrant and dark fruits, notes of port. A very fruity flavor with notes of port.

Bottle Vintage-1998.Thanks agin to Rickgordon:Deep red colour, flat head. Aroma of Portvine,and green aple,Vine,and and a sweet malty end. Flavor is almost the same, + there is a werry nice sweet balance with the bitternes in finish.This is a complex and innteresetning beer. Maybee a comimg favorit in some year.But in this thime Barley Wine beer is not a favorit.But in the future there is a chance for it will be.