J.W. Lees Harvest Ale (Sherry)

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

Serve in Snifter

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2004 vintage 9.3oz bottle (love how people refer to these as 12oz or 11.2oz bottles...). Served at room temp. Pours a clear but fairly murky and very dark duller brown with a surprisingly large thick dense creamy beige head. Aroma is malty and grassy, sweet and rich with lovely warming alcohol with sweet fruity sherry notes, great nutty notes, prunes, well oxidized with lots of remaining character, not quite completely homogenized. Wooo.... ooo... ooo.... ooo... took me a good 5 seconds to swallow the first sip. First taste is deceptively dull and malty, after being in the mouth a second or two it opens up to immense sweet and fruity earthiness, way more sherry forward than I was expecting, very malty nutty, grassy oxidation notes, the sherry is strong, good, but maybe a bit distracting from the Harvest Ale, not as smooth as some older vintages. I kind of wish I had opened the 2004 Lagavulin instead of this at this time. Finishes with lots of fruity berry seeds, syrupy, sweet, cloying. Medium/full bodied, some lingering spread out medium pops of carbonation, syrupy feeling towards the finish. Some tannins still present. Lots of sweet cherry as I drink it, some of the powdered sugar type cloyingness. I’m absolutely blown away at the amount of sherry that is present in this... strange

Bottle. Clear dark brown pour, very little ring of carbonation and a nice sweet sherry aroma. Flavor is very woody, scotch, sweet cherry and good malty base and just slightly warming on the finish. Well done.

Bottle pours an ruby brown with hardly any head smells and tastes of booze sherry honey sugar molasses caramel. Nice a bit sweet up over all solid. Had a sticky taste but of a burn.

Pours a clear rosy chestnut brown with a thin head. Nose is brown sugar, roasted nuts, pistachio ice cream. High sugars up front in the mouth, sweet roasted nuts, some dark fruits through the mid and finish. Tons of caramelized sugars, but pretty refined. Maraschino cherries and an almost milky quality, hence the pistachio ice cream comparison. Sweet as all get out, but nice.

Strong aroma has fruity, molasses and miso tones, and is a bit on the syrupy sweet side. It pours a dark, somewhat hazy cola brown with an average tan head that does not stick around too long but leaves some generous lacing. Flavor fills the mouth with fruit, honey, molasses, and yes, more than a bit of sherry flavor. It is rather sweet, a tad much for a beer, but at least there is a bit of an alcohol bite. Texture is thick and syrupy, not much fizz. Overall, it’s OK, though more like a sweet wine than a beer.

2010 bottle from Healthy Spirits, SF. It pours clear orange-amber, with a thin off-white head. The nose is vinous, gingerbread, toffee, caramel, tart red fruit and banana bread. The taste is banana bread, ginger, caramel, toffee, spice, sherry, dark red fruit, vinous, wood, tinned fruit and alcohol warmth, with some bitterness in the finish. Full body, moderate carbonation and slightly sticky mouth-feel. Great balance. One of the best in this series.

Hazy amber color; Medium creamy body; Aroma of sweet malt, caramel/toffee, fruit, & some sherry; Flavor of sweet malt, caramel/toffee, syrup, spicy hops, and dark fruit; Nicely balanced; Alcohol is fairly well hidden; Overall, cost aside - this was pretty good.

2006 Edition - Pours hazy brownish orange with no head. Aroma is sherry, sweet malt and caramel, dark fruit, and booze. Flavor is sweet, caramel, earthy leather and tobacco, a little raisin, with a lightly bitter, semi dry finish.

Bottle at a recent tasting... [2009 vintage] Poured hazy orange with a thin head. Big sweetness here. Fruit characters like dates, figs and apricots. Sherry added wine-like grape and booze with hints of raisins and prunes. Earthy with notes of wood too.

I was really looking forward to this one as I am also a fan of sherry but the flavors really did not mesh well for me. Shipped to me by my wife on a trip to Portland. +++ 2007 edition. Sampled from a 9.3 oz brown bottle this beer poured a murky dark brown color with a trace soapy white head that left no lacing. The aroma was sweet toffee and caramel with notes of tart sherry, cherry and wochestershire sauce. The flavor was strong nut, toffee and butterscotch with tart sherry and an earthy undertone with notes of tobacco and smoke. Long finish. Flat but otherwise medium body. Disappointing.

RBAG. Bottle. Man, I guess I just didn’t get this one... Pours hazy tawny, with a copper hue. Nose is caramel popcorn, sherry, and sugar. Just like Rogers Golden Syrup sugar aroma - so sweet, and it smells boozy as well. Flavours of brandy, licorice, and tobacco. Finish is sticky raisin. I can’t get past the sweetness and the alcohol... Just profoundly not my style of beer....