OHanlons Thomas Hardys Ale (vintage 2003 and later)

Brewed by OHanlons
Style: Barley Wine
Exeter, England

2005 bottle. Wow, this is a beer with some serious gravity that will definitely warm you up inside. Deep reddish cider like pour. Dark, fruity aroma with little to no head. The aroma deceivingly hides the warming alcohol and strong flavor that sits on the back of the tongue. To me, this beer beats any Belgian I’ve tasted so far because it lacks that bite in the finish. Relish this expensive tasting beer by sipping slowly.

I found myself a 2003 bottle of this stuff, so I am a lucky one as it seems that my version of this beer was slightly older than those of the other recent reviewers. Pours with no head, but with some lacing. Sediment remains stuck to the bottom of the bottle. Deep brownish red color. Looks almost like blood I would say. Rich molasses smell. Beer itself is sweet and syrupy. Has some taste of brandy. A little bit of butterscotch. Coffee and chocolate to some extent are present as well. Hard to take big sips because it is so thick and big. Alcohol is not existent in the taste. Probably the best barley wine I have ever had the honor of drinking. (Even though I bought it only for the name...)

Bottle of the 2005. Quite powerful aroma. Sweet and savory, like stewed fruits and hoisin sauce. Liqueur-like, quite thick and sweet. I can see the potential in this, were it aged for another three years or so.

bottle 2006: pours a dark caramel brown with a thin off white head. aroma of cheryy, caramel, bread, plum like fresh fruit, small amount of dark sugars and dark fruits (raisins). flavour is burnt sugars, figs, raisins, slight bitter finishes that is a little vinous, and dark fruits again inthe finish. slightly chewey and bready.

Initially was chilled so let sit for an hour or so. Poured whole bottle - too much; it requires sips like a liquer. On to the brew; woody, whisky notes. Vinuous with apricot. No head. Thicky caramel cloudy consistency - definitiely an acquired taste. I will re-rate at some point.

28737 Edition. Pours dark molasses-amber with no head. The initial appearance conveys a syrupy consistency akin to American Strongs like DFH’s Raisin D’Extra, although D’Extra is not syrupy in actual taste. Nose is oak, caramel, and woody ash. My first thought when I sipped this...Is this wine masquerading as beer? Very port-like with dark, vinous grapes, oaky timber, more caramel, and a malty, candy sweetness in the finish. The non-existent carbonation aids in the wine-like qualities of this beer. Medium/full body. Definitely the most wine-like beer I’ve ever tasted. A little too sweet, but aging would probably remedy that problem.

Thin tan head that quickly goes to naught. Deep amber color. Smells of sugar, molasses and dark dried fruit. Smooth syrupy on the palate with flavors of malty sweetness and biting alcohol. Good long finish and aging appears quite necessary.

Bottle. Pours deep mahogany with no head whatsoever. The beer is more or less uncarbonated. Aroma of sweet malts and heat from the alcohol. Flavor is sweet, and bready. Reminds me of really good bread pudding with lots of fruit and rum. Mouthfeel is as satisfying as I could expect in any beer. What hop character there is is overshadowed by the enormous malt profile and tremendous gravity of this beer - not necessarily a bad thing. The finish is velvety and smooth with loads of dark fruit, a hint of oaky nuttiness and brandy. I’ve read comments that this beer needs time to age, but the 2005 vintage I tasted certainly had enough time to calm down, though I’m sure it would continue to develop complexities if it was allowed to age further. 8.5 ounces, although I’m sure appropriate for aging, certanly was not enough for me.