J.W. Lees Harvest Ale

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

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle 275ml. [Vintage 2000] @ home.
[ Courtesy of Mes_and_Sim ]. LIght light unclear red orange amber color with a average to large, frothy - creamy, good lacing, fully lasting, light beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, roasted, caramel, raisin, date, wood, alcohol, licorice notes. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a long duration. Body is medium to full, texture is oily - syrupy, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light to moderate alcoholic. (240608)

[Vintage 2003, sampled August 2004] A dark amber beer with a small disappearing orange head. The aroma is very sweet and very complex with notes of alcohol, caramel, flowers, honey, and cinnamon. It is like drinking warm honey or liquid caramel - it gives You a burning sensation on the tongue and a warming sensation in the throat, - but it is not heat that "burns" You, it is the alcohol presence. Wow.

(Bottle 27,5 cl) Vintahe 2004. Beautiful, clear, dark amber with almost no head. Extremely sweet tasting - this is honey and toffee and caramel all the way through. I’d like to believe this is a complex beer, but all I get is sticky syrup. I really like sweet beers, but this was way, way over the top. 120805

27.5 cL bottle, 2008 vintage. Pours al ost clear and golden orange with a small solid white head. Dark malty, deep oveerripe fruity and somewhat earthy aroma. Syurpy thick mouthfeel. Flavour is extremely sweet, sticking and cloying really. Dense malt flavoured with a solid raisin/overripe fruity note. Sweet and mild spiced finish. I found this one utterly cloying.

Bottled (vintage 2000, thanks mes_and_sim!). Deep amber colour, mediumsized beige head. Aroma is wooden, alcoholic, earth, wet cellar, caramel and some vanilla. Flavour is raisins, sugar, dates, caramel malts, very mildly alcohol. Also bigtime wood, butter and spices. nuts, mild syrup. hmm in one word, Licoricebomb! WOW. 9 5 10 5 20
Bottled (2004 vintage, thanks mes_and_sim!). Deep amber colour, mediumsized beige head. Aroma is very much the same as 2000 vintage, but not as thick and full. Flavour is pretty much the same, but quite much sweeter sugary/syrupy than the 2000 one. Still excellent balance and very nice. 8 5 9 5 18
Bottled (2006 vintage, thanks mes_and_sim!). Clear amber colour with mediumsized beige head. Aroma is mainly oak, syrup, sugar and caramel malts with some dates and raisins. Overall very sweet. Flavour is very different. Very papery, roasted and smoked wood along with dates, raisins and quite much alcohol. Either this one has some smokemalts or something added, or then the smoked/roasted notes just disappear with time. Still nice. 8 5 8 5 17
The above vintages blended into the same glass (thanks for the tip mes_and_sim!). Deep ambery brown colour, small beige head. Aroma is roast, dates, plum, alcohol, caramel, vanilla and quite strong notes of oak. Flavour is an extremely wellbalanced mix of the stuff in the aroma along with some sweet spices and syrup. Rather pleasant, but still, the 2000 vintage is the best of these. Alone. 8 5 9 5 18

Bottled, 2002 vintage, thanks rauchbier!
Hazy amber, no head. Deep woody, malty aroma. Superb megadeep, chewy maltiness. Port and wood is very obvious. Alcohol is there, but only enhances the fabulous flavours, and despite it’s size it is hugely drinkable. The sweetness however creeps up on you, butmy overall impression is that this is the best showpiece there is when it comes to malt character. Ultra-superb!

Bottled at RBESG 2005. 2004 edition. Clear orange coloured with an off white head. Acidic aroma with notes of caramel and dried fruits. Sweet flavour with lots of caramel. Too cloying for my liking.

UPDATED: JAN 4, 2006 1999 bottle: Cardboard aroma. Sweet flavour. Thick, syrupy mouthfeel. 2002 bottle: Bready, slightly oxidized aroma. Dark copper colour. Very thick, syrupy mouthfeel. Malty, bready, rugbrødy flavour.

UPDATED: FEB 22, 2009 2009-02-22, vintage 2008, 7-5-8-4-16=40
Clean amber color; medium head; filtered, there is no sediment in the bottle. The aroma is malty, almost fruity, very ripe apples; not common. It has a strong body, full malty flavor, sweet, with an interesting sweet nuts edge; correct bitterness; it hides very well the alcohol. When I saw the new bottle, I was scared they changed also the beer, but it’s still good!

2006-07-09, vintage 2003, 3 years old, 8-4-9-4-17=42
Hazy amber color; thin head. Malt aroma, with ripe fruits, toffee. The body is quite dense, surely oily; malt taste, very good malt, with sweet caramel, sweet nuts, honey, balanced. The final is long, bitter, with sweet nuts, and the alcohol is warming.
But tonight, every beer is honey: we are World Champions !!!

UPDATED: NOV 20, 2011
Date: September 23, 2011
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Vintage: 1987
Appearance: hazy amber, scant head
Aroma: sweet fruity aroma, candy sweetness, touch of hot wine
Flavor: sweet fruity flavor, drying out compared to vintages half this age, light bitterness

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *** /4

Date: January 01, 2010
Mode: Bottle
Source: Cellar Stock
Vintage: 1988
Appearance: clear dark brown, frothy off white head
Aroma: sweet and fruity aroma, brown sugar sweetness, touch of sherry, light oxidized cardboard
Body: big sticky body
Flavor: sweet fruity flavor, caramel candy sweetness, light earthyness, fruity sherry, just a touch of the oxidized character

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.9/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: *** /4

Date: February 24, 1998
Mode: Bottle
Source: Total Beverage, DC
Vintage: 1990
Appearance: hazy rusty amber, whispy head
Aroma: strong malt with strong floral hop aroma
Flavor: strong malt flavor, bitter sweet, lasting bitterness, like a strong scotch ale, warming

Date: November 12, 2004
Vintage: 1990
Score: ii to iiii
Appearance: muddy brown
Aroma: sweet winey malt aroma that gradually gets smokier and smokier and then turns to strong rich ripe figs
Body: big body
Flavor: super rich complex malt flavor, thick sweet brown sugar character, only a slight of alcohol

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 3.9/5.0
Score: **** /4

Date: March 25, 2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brick Store Pub
Vintage: 1995
Appearance: hazy dark amber, fine beige head disappers to leave a sparking clear amber ale
Aroma: sweet fruity aroma with strong ripe fruit and a hint of alcohol that comes off as a rum raison character
Body: body starts off velvet smooth and develops a thick sticky sweetness
Flavor: rich fruity flavor, all fruit with plum and apricot, lots of vanilla sweetness but not too sweet, light bitterness

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 17/20
Rating: 4.1/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: *** /4

Date: May 21, 1999
Mode: Firkin
Source: Taco Mac, Sandy Springs
Vintage: 1998
Appearance: dark amber, headless
Aroma: rich sweet winey aroma
Flavor: rich flavor, very winey, very warming, raspy oak character, touch of bitterness

Date: September 02, 2006
Mode: port cask
Source: summits cumming
Vintage: 1998
Appearance: muddy brown, headless
Aroma: sweet fruity sherry aroma with figs, dates, and soggy raisons
Body: thick creamy body with very little carbonation
Flavor: rich sweet flavor, tons of vanilla character, endless ripe fruit flavor, toffee, touch of sweet butterscotch, candy carmel, only a touch of alcohol, rich chocolate comes through upon warming, a nice hot buttered toffee, residual brown sugar sweetness

Aroma: 10/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 10/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 18/20
Rating: 4.6/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **** /4

Date: November 05, 2004
Mode: Bottle
Source: Harry’s
Vintage: 2003
Appearance: clear dark yellow, headless, lots of visable carbonation
Aroma: sweet fumey aroma
Body: thin body
Flavor: rich sweet flavor, a bit fruity, warming, almost cloying

Date: November 10, 2004
Vintage: 2003
Appearance: muuddy burnt orange, scant head
Aroma: sweet fruity aroma
Flavor: rich malt flavor, a bit sweet and spicy, not cloying in a full size sample

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Score: *** /4

Date: January 22, 2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Blind tasting
Vintage: 2004
Appearance: muddy amber, wispy beige head
Aroma: tich caramel malt aroma with a nice fruity sweetness and light floral hops
Body: huge sticky body
Flavor: big sweet caramel flavor, lots of fruity character, little to no bitterness, quite drinkable in spite of all of the sweetness

Date: March 07, 2008
Mode: bottle
Source: blind tasting
Vintage: 2004
Score: 4.1
Appearance: dark ruby red, fine beige head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet caramel and fruit aroma with lots of earthy hops
Body: big thick sweet sticky body
Flavor: lots of sweet fruity caramel flavor, very candy like, the sweet fruit and caramel complement each other very nicely, touch of hot caramel in the finish

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 10/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: *** /4

Date: April 10, 2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brick Store Pub
Vintage: 2005
Appearance: opaque burnet orange, frothy dirty white head, touch of lace
Aroma: sweet fruity aroma with a very caramelized sugar sweetness
Body: thick sticky body
Flavor: huge sweet fruity flavor, lots of caramel sweetness, not the usual cloying sweetness of a young harvest but not yet the ripening fruit of the mature one, picking up a smokey character in the aroma and flavor that has to be a total figment of my imagination, plenty of butterscotch character from the aroma through the slick body and sweetness in the flavor

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *** /4