J.W. Lees Harvest Ale

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

Serve in Snifter

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UPDATED: JUL 11, 2003 1998 edition(rated 6/02)- Wafer thin head over a very dark orange, almost brown and ever-so-slightly cloudy ale. First aroma is sour, rubbery, and I clearly get maple syrup notes. Sip lightly...take babysteps, this is thick and syrupy with a consistancy of whole milk. Way too sweet (can I use the word 'syrup' 3 times?)!! A larger sip started my gag reflex. This tastes so close to corn syrup that I poured the rest down the drain. The alcohol was undetectable and the hops was only present after the gritty-sweet taste wore off. ew! 2001 edition is rich and nutty with aromas of bubblegum, playdoh, peach, mixed nuts and warm breads. Rich and smooth palate pleaser, like a rich, sweet pecan pie with carmelized whole pecans. Peach fuzz dryness is quick and masks the alcohol. Very satisfying.

Little carbonation on this alcoholic brew. Fruity yet vinous. Too complex for this simple palate. But a brew I do enjoy.

UPDATED: JAN 17, 2003 2000 varietal sampled in mid-2002. Lovely. Deep opaque red with no red. Very rich, woody nose, with noticeable port, ginger, and brandy. Flavor is akin to a huge butterscotch candy with maybe a bit more butterscotch behind it. Smoky, with some milk chocolate. Alcohol more noticeable as it warms--prefered this one a little cooler than recommended temperature, as it got a mite harsher once it warmed. Good rich, creamy texture. Looking forward to sampling my "97 in four or five years from now. 1/16/2002. 1999, On cask, aged in a single malt scotch barrel. Spectacular. Maple and strong vanilla, like raw vanilla beans. Incredibly rich. Smoky and powerful, the bourbon and scotch are palpatable. Upgrading the rating based on this lovely experience.

UPDATED: JAN 6, 2004 1997 vintage drank in 2003: Big molasses, sherry aroma with a touch of tobacco. Better than younger versions that I have had. +0.3. Caramel, alcohol and brown sugar in the nose. Ends drier than I remember last time. 2001 vintage on cask Boston Beer Summit '02: This was served out of an oak cask that was used to make apple brandy. They said it was also 17%ABV. Intense apple/cider overtones, almost a maple aroma. While it was an intense brew the whole wasn't as good as the some of the parts. First rating: 1998 bottle drank in 2002: Huge alcohol, fig, molasses aroma, big thick sherry, raison taste. The flavors meld well together, but I get the feeling that even 4 years is a little young for this beer. A slow sipper for sure. Rating 3.3

(1998)Plums, wine and figs scent. Hazy peach colour, toffee head. Caramel, raisins, port, butterscotch and molasses taste. Acidic, warming finish. Complex. Wonderful! Thanks Austin Powers.

UPDATED: APR 16, 2012 Bottle (2010 vintage). Head is initially small, frothy, off-white, mostly diminishing. Body is hazy light amber. Aroma is moderately malty (caramel, malt syrup), lightly hoppy (apricot), with notes of alcohol, cardboard, bile, dried mango, paint. Flavor is heavily sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter, very unclean/vegetal/husky. Medium to full body, syrupy texture, soft carbonation, moderately alcoholic. Repulsive. The aroma has some nice elements but has a lot of icky things as well...vomit, paint, etc. Where it really falls off the edge is in the mouth...there’s this dirty, vegetal, sour twang that is truly disgusting...one of the worst aftertastes I’ve experienced in a long time, to be honest. Hard to know if it’s just this vintage or if the brewery has gone to shit.

1987 Vintage is a close to a perfect beer as I’ve ever had. Too many flavors to describe - maple, oak, raisin, plum, chocolate, toffee, on and on...Can’t remember everything...During the hour or so we took to savor this beer, it opened up and changed from great to out-of-this world. 1994 Vintage was a bit thinner, lighter in color and body, but quite impressive in its own right. Maple and oak mostly, with a hint of chocolate and more drinkable than the 1987. I’d give this one about a 17/20.

1997 Vintage: Good barleywine effort from Lees. Not up to the level of an Old Horizontal or Anchor Foghorn, but solid nonetheless.

UPDATED: AUG 30, 2007 2000 vintage: Really odd nose--strong alcohol presence almost gives it the scent of a whisky; something like smelly sox going on in there too. Fortunately, this is not present in the flavor. Extreme sweetness suggests that this could stand a few more years of laying down, but it’s not bad at all right now. In addition to the caramel-like sweetness, there are various cereal notes and tart flavors of black cherries or cranberries. Really nice; wish I had the cellar and the $$ to lay some down. Additional note: Tried a 1986 vintage in 2003. Still extremely sweet, but it has adopted an incredibly complex array of flavors, from toffee, chocolate, and vanilla, to pipe tobacco. Kind of a mindfuck on the palate.
Add’l: 1998 vintage in 2003-- OK, I’m totally convinced now by this beer--complex of nuts, tobacco, Irish whisky, licorice and sooo many other things blend perfectly in this manna.
1988 Bottle, in 2007: Mahogony hued, with only a slight hint of carbonation. Preposterously alluring nose, with almonds, toffee, caramel, red wine, and maple syrup. Soft, sweet flavor, with incredible depth--raisins, caramel, tobacco, hardwood smoke, maple syrup, walnuts, and some slight red wine astringency. This beer has held up magnificently, and could likely go another 20 years.

Addition 2000 bottle sampled in April 2002: Very rich fruity malty aroma, with fig, raisin, and vanilla as primary notes. Cloudy amber-brown with small head and minimal lacing, lightly carb’d. Full rich, sweet malty flavor, full of esters. Alcohol presence is clearly there, but it doesn’t whop you like a 12% might. Med bitterness keeps things in check, but this beer is all about malt, alcohol, and esters. Exceptionally drinkable for what it is, too. 1998 brew (sampled June 2001): Amazing beer. Strong, dark-fruit almost overwhelming aroma made me cautious - but such amazing balance in the flavor was a big surprise! Very flavorful but not overwhelming - excellent hop presence for a classic British barleywine. Exceedingly quaffable for its strength - kinda dangerous. Smooooth. Cloudy (bottle-conditioned) copper-brown, even head with good retention. Thick solid lacing.