(from bartowel.com) The O’Hanlon’s brewery, which had "re-created" the Thomas Hardy Ale over the past six ’vintages’ of 2003-2008, is calling it a day brewing the beer.
The brewer is citing too-great expense due to the slowness, pain and expense of making this relatively rare beer which many beer lovers have called ’the best in the world’. The O’Hanlon’s operation is small and it is too impractical for them to continue making Thomas Hardy, so they wish to focus on their main business.
Looking ahead, O’Hanlon’s are hoping the legacy of Hardys brand and recipe will be bought and continued by another brewing facility.
All previous vintages of Thomas Hardys were made by another company, Eldridge Pope & Co which ceased making the ’original’ Hardys beer in 1999. Eldridge Pope had a much longer run with the brand which began in 1968 and you may read about that original beer here.
Well damn, I’ve got 4 of each of their bottlings 03-08 and I was just looking around the other day because the 09 should have been coming out in a month or so. I’ve not had the original Pope beer, but theirs was just short of phenomenal.
