Harveys Elizabethan Ale

Brewed by Harveys
Style: Barley Wine
Lewes, England

Serve in Snifter

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1996 bottle, 275 ml, from Premier Gourmet in Buffalo, NY (2002). No sound as the 10-year-old is popped, and it pours a dark cloudy ruby-caramel color with just a hint of foam clinging to the side of the glass....very much oxidized, the sherry-like aroma is entrancing to me, lightly nutty-salty and aromatic with prunes and vanilla, caramel and grape juice....on the tongue there’s a bit of soy, but quickly overcome by burnt caramel and old grapes, smoothly silky and burnished to a decadent, rummy and transcendant luscious sipping beer....long, slow, woody and mild finish, this is finely tuned like an old racecar, with a far from huge engine but a supple, elegant grace that will still get it around the hairiest of turns...or palates.

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Pours a deep russet with a thin slightly yellow head which lingers and revives with each swill of the glass. The aroma is dominating by the sweetness of caramel, with just a hint of spice and maybe a merest hint of tobacco. Tastewise, sweet toffee and burnt sugar dominate, almost like a creme brulee, however the sweetness is far from cloying and the alcohol is superbly integrated. A lovely beer.

A ruby amber on the pour with a small short lived head. Aroma is very fruity, with a bouquet of dark fruits, plums, dates, some yeast, caramel malt, and sweet alcohol esters are present, almost like a brandy. Taste is caramel malt, yeast, dark fruits, plums, dates and some light bitterness. Palate is a full body with a rich creamy texture and soft carbonation. Finish is sweet caramel malt, dark fruits, dates, plums, maybe some light chocolate notes, ending with some sweet slightly bitterness and a lingering alcohol presence, flavors become more pronounced as it warms up. Overall a good ale to sip on cold winter nights

Bottle. Pours a clear reddish amber with a white head. Smells of dark red fruits and alcohol. Tastes of potent sweet red berries and a mild bitterness. Mostly unrefined sweetness. Finishes dry. Not a fan.

Bottle @ YNWA. Nice head with good duration. Color is dark amber. Aroma and taste are sweet plums, raisins, burnt caramel, malt and hops. Syropy mouthfeel.

Bottle, 9.7oz from two vintages, 2006 and 1996. 2006 rated - Pours opaque mahogany with a thin tan head. Sweet toffee on the nose, buttery and malty, with a touch of heat and a bit of raisin. Taste is lots of raisins, sweet caramel, dark bread malt, cocoa. Bitter roasty, malty bite on the finish, surprisingly, with a smooth toffee long finish. Slick and a bit thin, and very little carbonation. 1996 is way different--nose is a dead ringer for crystallized honey, and the taste is much more cardboardy and plasticy. Definitely liked this one with less age on it.

Bottle. Pours clear amber-brown with a medium, frothy off-white head, medium retention with spotty lacing. Aroma is cedar, fruity esters, cookie and bread malt, and earthy hops. Flavor is cedar, fruity esters, cookie malt, light hops, alcohol spice, and a sweet finish. Full body, medium warmth and carbonation.

Malt sweetness with a bit of alcohol in the finish. Decently complex, a solid barley wine.

Sampled on 6/10/2011.This barley wine pours a medium amber color from a 275ml bottle. Small to medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is fruity and sweet, caramel and bready. A medium bodied barley wine. The malts are fruity and sweet, caramel and bready. The hops are herbal. There is some oxidation, but not too bad. It’s kind of weird how a little oxidation in a Barleywine is NOT a bad thing. Nice carbonation. Fairly smooth tasting, hint of oxidation and alcohol at the finish. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

275ml bottle at 8.1%. Pours a deep orange with a large head. Aroma is molasses and sticky figs. Taste has figs to start and some orange and molasses in the finish. Some alcohol on the finish.