J.W. Lees Vintage Harvest Ale 25th Anniversary
J.W. Lees & Co (Brewers) Ltd

Poured gently into an Offero oversized wine glass, Harvest Ale is gem-clear, bright copper (SRM 14-16). No head emerged although occasional carbonation can be seen. A thick viscous film clings under a ring of lace. Some sediment came out after the last ounce was poured.

The aroma is rich and malty. Fruits include a strong dose of prunes, followed by figs and raisins. Caramel can be detected above a hint of alcohol while warmth reveals molasses and pumpernickel bread.

The flavor is powerful. It is very sweet with bitterness holding it back from the brink of being cloying. A spicy twang catches the tongue and back of throat. Sherry is pronounced from the beginning to the end. A slight, short finish is filled with raisins and brown sugar.

This beer is silky smooth and full bodied with a hint of carbonation. The texture is soft and the alcohol, while as expected, is a bit warming.

Two bottles were aged. This one was opened for contemplative thought, and the other will wait for a side-by-side comparison with Thomas Hardy’s 2004.

This was vintage 2005 and aged 13 years. This one was far more earthy in comparison to younger bottles that were fruity and sweet.

Anniversary 750ml bottle from 2011. Carefully poured to a snifter with two fingers of head. Smells of figs, apricot, and sultanas, accentuated by yeasty biscuit and a light amount of papery oxidation. More malt on the palate to accompany the fruity sweetness--very nicely balanced. A bit of peppery spice. Floral hop character emerges later on, leading to a dry finish.

750 ml bottle into snifter, bottled on 12/1/2011. Pours very hazy deep orange/copper color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Dense foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of huge raisin, plum, prune, fig, date, cherry, berry, apricot, orange, apple, sherry, caramel, honey, brown sugar, toffee, molasses, toasted oak, brown bread, leather, and tobacco; with lighter notes of vanilla, butterscotch, chocolate, coffee, smoke, herbal, pepper, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Incredible aromas with fantastic complexity and balance of fruity yeast, dark/bready malt, oak, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of huge raisin, plum, prune, fig, date, cherry, berry, apricot, orange, apple, sherry, caramel, honey, brown sugar, toffee, molasses, toasted oak, brown bread, leather, and tobacco; with lighter notes of vanilla, butterscotch, chocolate, coffee, smoke, and herbal, pepper, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/peppery bitterness and oak spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark fruit, cherry, berry, apricot, orange, apple, sherry, caramel, honey, brown sugar, toffee, molasses, toasted oak, brown bread, leather, tobacco, herbal, pepper, light chocolate/coffee, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity yeast, dark/bready malt, oak, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from bitter/spiciness and carbonation as well. High carbonation and full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky, fairly crisp, and lightly slick/sticky/tannic/prickly balanced mouthfeel that is awesome. Alcohol is well hidden with a mild warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is an insane English barelywine! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity yeast, dark/bready malt, oak, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth, crisp, and easy to sip on for the big ABV; thanks to the elevated carbonation. Pretty unique with the champagne yeast and resulting high carbonation; but still extremely rich, complex, and full bodied like the normal harvest ale; with nice added oak presence. A highly amazing offering all around.

 

2011 vintage, fermented with champagne yeast; drank 9/15/14 @ the Yarchives.

Poured from the bottle into a glass.

Murky orange/red rust hue.

HUGE eggnog head (careful pouring!!); minimal lace.

Apple cider & mild strawberry nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel with a champagne bite.

Acorns, dried leaves, apple cider & smoke up front; a dry, yeasty finish. An interesting but failed experiment; hard to improve on perfection!

A huge thanks to Show for sharing a bottle. Regular Harvest Ale is one of my favorites, and this is a great treat. A 2011 bottle with Champagne yeast and partly aged in oak.

A: Pours a dark, nearly opaque copper/orange color. Certainly unfiltered and bottle conditioned. A dense white head forms with excellent retention and lace.
S: The malt character is amazing. Toasted malts, bread, sweet toffee. Just a touch of butterscotch that is very much appropriate. Warming alcohol with a bit of wood in the nose. Dark fruits of plums and figs. Absolutely amazing.
T: Like the nose, toasted malts are wonderful. Baked bread, sweet rum drizzled toffee pudding. The sweetness is very apparent but incredibly well incorporated. Again, just a touch of butterscotch. Wood is very strong as well as dark fruits of plums, raisins and figs. Absolutely beautiful.
M/O: A full body and the Champagne yeast is very apparent. At first prickly carbonation which I can see as being a little bit of a bother. Eventually that evens out, and while the high carbonation never completely goes away. The body is never over barring or to resinous. I am a sucker for the Harvest Ale, and this is no less impressive. An incredibly warming and enjoyable sipper that I want to keep coming back to.

I am not sure why, but I find that this works infinitely better than the Champagne yeast in Black Ops. An incredible treat that I am very glad to try. On top of which, this can hold up even longer. One of the few beers that can truly hold up to many years of aging. Just incredible.

 

 

Poured a copper body with almost no head and lace dies quick. A malty aroma that is strong and gives off notes of caramel, toffee, possible dark fruits (figs and raisins probably) and somehow there is this slight butterscotch aroma (at least reminds me of butterscotch that is heated and drizzled over ice cream). The body is warming thanks to a noticeable but not overpowering alcohol presence. The malts are there with a blend of figs, raisins, possible plums along with a sticky caramel/toffee sweetness (perhaps butterscotch but don't really taste that) and notes of wood. Rather smooth for a heavy bodied sipper and finishes a little hot thanks to ABV. Really enjoyable sipping barleywine.

 

From what I can find online the 2011 vintage was offered in 750 ml bottles and they were re fermented with champagne yeast. The ending result is a more lively and well carbonated beer. A bit more body and mouth feel. Otherwise the same classic J.W. Lees we all love.

Pours medium ambers with a touch of haze, and a nice 2 inches of white head. Very well carbonated though not much body to go with the carbonation, very fizzy and weak retention, expected given the source yeast.

Slight hop character still hangs around with toffee, caramel, bread, figs, herbal tea, and some light citrus esters.

The flavor takes on citrus notes, dark fruits, figs, earthy spices, caramel and toffee malts. These beers are always so complex and difficult to really justly describe.

The mouth feel is really nice. I love the low carbonation English barely wines, but I won't lie I really do enjoy some carbonation. This one has a nice light crisp bite that make this one almost too easy to drink.

A 2011, this one could use some more age, it might actually peak even older than the standard form. Either way it's good now it'll be better later. A really nice beer and worth trying out.

At 19.99 a bottle it's actually not a bad price given the standard beer is about 6-8 for an 11 oz pour.