Eldridge Pope Thomas Hardy’s Ale (all vintages to 1999)

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

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle @ Bull & Bush Christmas beer tasting. 1999 vintage. Brown appearance with little head. Spicy, woody, dark fruity, burnt sugary aroma. Very rich red fruity, woody, spicy, brown sugar, caramel flavor that’s actually quite smooth.

330 ml 1993 bottle with my usual Tasting Group in Athens. Deep reddish brown color with no head. Lovely aroma of grapes, oak, sugar, cognac. Very sweet malty taste, a slow sipper f for sure, grapes, cherries, wood, vanilla, alcohol. Gets better and better by every sip and as i warsm even more. Had the pleasure of trying multiple bottles after this (good for my bad for the wallet :D ). When it is well cellared it is amazing even with 20,30 years. I absolutely love it and always try to have plenty in cellar.

Bottle, 1999, courtesy of fiulijn (wow Alex, and thanks!). Shared with heavy and ogivlado. Poured a deep amber/red/brown body with a tiny white head. Sweet malty nose, berries and honey, sweet but not bad, the maltiness is slightly husky. Sweet creamy taste, raisins, doesn’t feel stale at all, light, very light bitterness, despite being sweet, it’s far from being overly so, a great barleywine that might’ve improved with age (if it was better fresh... wow again). So damn glad to have tried this!

Auction winner. This completes the English countryside for me. Dark red /brown pour. A chcolate, meat and bread aroma. A big bread and dark fruit wine flavor. It was good , but odd.

Flasche von 1979. Im Geruch malzlikörartige Züge. Antrunk malzig, firnißartig, oxidiert - jedoch nicht übel. Mitte Noten von Eiche, Holz und Sherry. Sehr malzlastig und leicht muffig abgehend. Erstaunlich gut erhalten.

This is the 1991 bottle. This dumps out of the bottle like your drunk friend falling out of the car after a long night of whiskey and codeine. Color is dishwater caramel, syrupy with virtually no carbonation to be found. The aroma reeks of putrefaction, whisky, sherry, booze, brandy, cedar, you name it. Tastes like Southern Comfort, wood, leather, and old people. Mouthfeel is disgustingly oily. Alcohol burn soars into the nasal passage and induces suicidal thoughts. It’s too fucking sweet, mouthfeel is horrible, tastes like goddamn sherry and crap, this tastes nothing like beer. This is undrinkable. Oh shit, look out... Here comes Thomas Hardy, he’s Dorchester’s local drunk. He’s stumbling down dimly lit streets wearing his bowler and his trousers are stained with blood and brandy. Looks like he’s been out drinking again, and everyone knows how he gets when he drinks. You try to avoid him by walking on the other side of the street, but here he comes... He’s coming towards you. You quicken your pace, and he comes after you even faster. As you glance behind, you gasp in terror and beneath the streetlight you realize that HE HAS NO EYES.

1980 bottle shared at the Sea Bass going away tasting. Very glad to have tried yet another beer from before I was born! Plastic oxidized aroma with a sweet oxidized paper flavor - not as bad as the aroma leads on.

6.33oz bottle. 1992 Vintage (No. G 13577) Alright. Let me start by saying I’m terrified to drink this. This was given to me as a gift, and I fear that it may not have been stored properly over the years. Having said that, I’m going to drink a 19 year old beer which is a first, and most likely a last. Here we go. Pours a slightly hazy chestnut brown with almost no carbonation. There are a few bubbles clinging to the bottom of the glass, but that’s it. The aroma is surprisingly heavy on cocoa, with some dried fruit, alcohol, dark sugars and strangely burnt pie crust. The taste is both sweet and sour, with dark coffee notes, cocoa, molasses, plums, with a strange smokey sour bitterness in the finish that is hard to place, and kind of tastes like the smell of burning plastic. There is also an unpleasant undertone that is difficult to describe (makes me think of rotten fruit). Overall, not bad, but I was expecting more from the ratings. I would never choose to drink this again, but unfortunately as I said, I don’t think this ever saw a cellar, as I’m pretty sure it lived in an apartment cupboard for most of it’s life.

Hur gammal ska en Thomas Hardy vara för att bli optimal? Efter att ha provat en 08’, 05’, 94’, 89’ och en 79’ tillsammans kan jag konstatera att redan 05’ utvecklats väldigt mycket jämfört med 08’-an som var spritig och tunnare i smaken. 94’-an hade tappat något in styrka och fått en mer vinös ton. Intryck som förstärkes av 89-an. Den var platt och sur. Men 79-an var fantastisk, rundare och komplexare än 05-an men inte så långt därifrån. Svårt att dra generella slutsatser. Några kan ha lagrats fel. Glappet mellan 05’ och 94’ var i största laget. Men detta är det ultimata dessertölet. Efter några år i källaren står det sig perfekt till en stark ost eller mörk choklad. Söt, javisst men med smaker och styrka som matchar det.

UPDATED: JUL 19, 2011 6.33 oz bottle, 1995. Murky brown with a few bubbles around the edge. Nose is fudge, caramel, toasted pumpkin seed and hay. Silky and syrupy but not really thick. Taste is chocolate, hazelnut, molasses, raisin and coconut. Yummy and warming with endless complexity of flavor. What more could you want besides more; tiny bottle.