J.W. Lees Harvest Ale (Lagavulin)

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

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle, 27,5 cl, given as a bonus from Doodler - thanks! 2007 vintage. Pours reddish copper with no head, only a small rim of white foam in the edges. A lot of yeasty flakes, though. Aroma starts off with a mix of oxidation, oak and and a subtly peated whisky note. Very port wine, sherry-like character given by the oxidation and oak. Plums, or rather prunes, raisins and figs as well. Very complex nose, but the oxidation and the peat don’t play that well together. The taste is a classic, heavily sweet English barley wine. Loads of caramel, dark fruits, prunes, dates, white raisins. The oxidation is there, but not as much as in the aroma. The barrel is mostly noticeable in the finish and the after taste. The smoke is very subtle, and lies beneath the whole spectrum of the beer, and the peat is incorporated very well. I am not much of a sucker for these thick English barley wines, but the smoke does a proper job of leeching some of the sweetness and giving a bit (a tiny bit) of balance to the sweet side. It could use some more bitterness, not necessarily hop taste, just some bitterness would be nice.

Bottle @ Blindtasting, Odense, July 2011. Pours cloudy golden with a small off white bubbly head. Heavy peated smoked nose and flavor. Sweet and sugary/syrupy with hints of dark fruit. A bit of alcohol warmth. Heavy . .

Cloudy amber with a small off-white head. Strong aroma of peat smoke with a meaty smoke touch, malt and alcohol. sweet, very smoked, malty flavour with plenty alcohol. A bit sugary.

2006 bottle. Pours cloudy copper amber with one finger of sandstone head. Raisiny nose, very dextrinous and caramelly with light peatysmoky notes. Rich peaty flavor with lots of caramelly notes and mild peaty notes. Full rich body with a low carbonation and warming alcohol. Lots of rich fruity notes.

Bottle thanks to Sarah! Pours a cloudy deep amber with no head whatsoever but visible carbonation in the beer. Aroma has a very strong peat note that masks underlying sweet grains, caramel and alcohol. Flavor is a bit different with caramel, sweet grains and sweet bread in the start, but the finish is full of peat, earthy wood and a hint of alcohol. A bit too much peat for my liking, but not bad to sip on.

(275ml bottle-2006 edition). Pours cloudy caramel color with some floaties and no head. Aroma of whisky, caramel malts and some peat. Taste is sweet with a smokiness to it. Dried fruit dipped in sweet alcohol. Medium bodied with slick texture. Smooth finish. While its a sweet beer, its not cloying. The alcohol is well hidden.

2005 bottle from Sam’s, Durham. Been staring at this for so long that it surprised me to consider actually drinking it. Glad I did, as it held up really well. Translucent amber pour, with a hint of carbonation remaining. Strong nutty aroma, with wood and hints of the Lagavulin. Interestingly, the taste was more fruity and sherry-like. Some honey and toffee emerge as it lingers, giving it a very broad but well integrated set of flavors. A very yummy barleywine.

Bottle at trade show tasting. Pours very dark surprise surprise. Immediate notes of smoke, charcoal, campfire, and peat. Plenty of malt and alcohol as well. Tastes very peaty. Very much reminiscent of Lagavulin without a doubt. The only problem is that this characteristic completely overwhelms everything else in the beer. Very peaty and earthy. Compost. Would be interesting to see where time takes this beer.

2008 vintage. The aroma and flavor aren’t so much smoky as charred, like the fire’s already died out. Almost syrupy sweet but not cloying.

Sampled at Slutfest 2.0. Sweet honey bbq sauce. Smokey. Smooth. Not nearly as hot as expected. Good and mellow and well blended. not harsh.