Harvest Ale (2021) - 1986 Yeast
J.W. Lees & Co (Brewers) Ltd

super cool idea to take some yeast from the original vintage and grow it up for a new batch 35 years later on, i was glad to come across this in the wild, and thankful to have it shared so generously with me. i drink harvest ale few and far between these days, so its a little bit tough to call out how different it is from the normal iterations that come out each year, but this does have a certain ancient and timeless appeal and maturity, not that this beer doesnt always, but im maybe paying more attention to the yeast now than i have before. a lighter than i remember it pale amber to super light brown glow to this though some decent yeasty haze, short head and sparing carbonation, plenty for what this is. bigtime dried fruit in the nose and flavor from raisin to apricot and pipe tobacco, fig, and date, sweet but not overly so, definitely long boiled and enriched on the grain side with toffee and caramel decadence, there is some alcohol pushing through, a bit of oxidation as this has been in the bottle a little while already, and a musty basement sort of dampness about it. notes of fortified wine, cedar, and brown bread. its quite sweet, strong, and intense, but it also unfurls very slowly, drinks long, and patience is really rewarded. im not sure i can tell quite that the yeast is as old as it is, but i can also appreciate it being special and distinctive, old worldy all the way, bready and thoroughly english, a little tired now perhaps but that could just be this bottle, dry cocoa, cardboard, and maple at the end, some bitterness too for an english style barleywine, but without hop personality beyond that. vinous and bold, sweet and old, interesting in all the right ways, and more than just a novelty project, a really wonderful result, great to share with a friend i never see in a celebratory atmosphere!

This one pours a dark-ish golden amber color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells fruity, and port-ish, with caramel, honey, molasses, orange jam, and grape.

I’m not gonna theorize exactly what the use of the harvested 1986 yeast did to this batch, as I don’t have a regular 2021 JW Lee’s Harvest Ale to compare it to. All I know is that I have a super solid and delicious bottle of barleywine in front of me. There’s a sticky, honeyed character to this, with a distinct leathery and port-like note, vinous fruit notes, caramel, and breadiness. I usually like my barleywines barrel aged, but they wouldn’t need to be if they tasted like this.

This is medium bodied, maybe a little less syrupy than this beer can sometimes be, with a warming boozy embrace on the finish.

This was extremely enjoyable – I wish I had more.

(forgot I'd had this... my notes say I'd 'reviewed' it around 29 Jan 2023... bought the bottle at State Line)

"this was very good; seemed like it had more leathery, aged qualities; not high on fruity flavors" - 4.45

that's it?!?... I just saw it at Bella Vista a couple hours ago - I'll get another (2267)

 

Poured into a tulip from a 9.3 oz bottle, burnt orange, slightly hazy, with a half finger of white head and serious alcohol legs. Lighter than most American barleywines I’ve had.

Nose is malt forward with no hops detected. Orange marmalade, caramel, toffee, butterscotch, some stone fruit. Smells absolutely amazing.

Taste is toffee, molasses, butterscotch and brown sugar highlighting the decadent malt characteristics. Sweet in the perfect way. Again, getting an orange and/or apricot marmalade, super unique for a beer.

Full bodied mouthfeel–smooth, thick and syrupy with mild carbonation.

What a great treat. Can only imagine this with some barrel or a little more age on it. May have to seek out more! 10.5% is not detected. Overall an immensely enjoyable beer.

Poured from a 275 mL bottle into a stemmed tulip glass

The beer pours a muddy orange color with about one fingers worth of off white head, that slowly recedes leaving behind a thin cap and very little lacing.

The aroma is sweet and fruity with notes of brown sugar, caramel, orange zest, dark bread and just a hint of toffee.

The flavor is similar to the aroma; brown sugar, vanilla, caramel, pear, dark bread, toffee, and just a hint of honey. Medium bodied, and lightly carbonated. The beer is slick on the tongue, and has a lingering mild booziness

Overall this is a very nice beer, that delivers a punch of flavor with just enough restraint to keep you from getting palate fatigue. I will be on the lookout to pick this one up again.

 

Best by April 2027

When I stopped by OEC this past weekend for a haul and saw this, I knew I had to grab it. When I got up to checkout, the bartender described it as “the best young J.W. Lees I’ve ever had”, which only made me more excited. It’s super cool that they used a nearly 40 year old yeast strain. I wish I had a regular 2021 to compare it to, but I’m fine with this as is. Let’s dive in

Pours a murky brown mish orange with a finger of light beige head that quickly fades to a thin ring and leaves minimal lacing

It’s quite sweet in the nose, led by intense fruity notes. I’m picking up on aromas of apple akin, sweet caramel, brown sugar, poached pear, dates, dark bread, apricot jam, molasses, and candied orange

In taste it’s a lot more of the same, prehaps even a touch sweeter. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting like poached pear, molasses, apple skin, praline pecan, candied orange, brown sugar, dark bread, caramel, light honey, and leather. The swallow brings notes of poached pear, sweet caramel, scotch, candied orange, molasses, brown sugar, dates, dark bread, and light tobacco

A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a slick and boozy beer. Finishes mostly dry yet sweet

While this isn’t my favorite variant by any means, it is quite good. Not one I’d go out of my way to try again, but if I run across some more in the wild I might have to grab it

Sweet caramel and brown sugar malty and hint of dark fruity nose on this one! Taste follows with a sweet, but balanced, toffee-caramel malty finish! No sign whatsoever of the 10.5 ABV. As it warms, a small hit of hoppiness comes out on the backend, but it works to settle and balance out the sweet vibes. This is a well done! Proper English Lyfe!

 

2021 vintage (duh); drank 4/12/23 @ the Yarchives.

Mostly see-through dark orange appearance.

A slow pour yielded a minimal off-white head; nice lacing.

Oak, apple cider & leather notes in the nose.

Medium thick, smooth mouthfeel.

Apple cider, leather, oak & faint red berry flavors.

Easy to drink with a lot of flavor. I'd have another!

 

Poured from a 275 ml bottle into a snifter glass.
L - Pours a murky orange brown color with just a hint of head.
S - Smells sweet and boozy.
T - Tastes slightly sweet of dried fruit and orange peel. Did not taste boozy at all.
F - Full bodied with minimal carbonation.
O - Really delicious barleywine. I need to try more English Barleywines.

Three fingers of foam, dark sunset orange with bright clarity, spotty lace and lasting head retention.

Aroma is very nice, marzipan fruits, toffee, dates, a hint of candied orange peel.

Taste is sweet and rich, sticky caramel sauce, fruitcake, dried dates, earthy hop in the aftertaste. Full bodied, low carb level, sticky on the lips. Fairly sugary with some minor hop bitterness to feebly balance.

Overall this is a nice vintage, interesting use of an old yeast strain.

Poured at fridge temp. Pours a murky orange/brown with almost no head. The nose is bloody amazing. Orange, toffee, yeast, spice, floral note, and a hint of honey.

The taste is outstanding. Wow. Didn't expect this. I think I have had a couple of cans recently and was disappointed. This is absolutely spectacular. Huge malts, sourdough bread, orange, slight hops, vanilla, again the floral note, and a ton of toffee. Apricot jam comes through after a bit, as well as an oaky note. Man, this is just fantastic.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied and mildly sweet on the aftertaste. The ABV isn't really detectable. Overall, one of the best J.W. Lees Harvest Ale's that I have tried.

This is phenomenal. It looks beautiful in a glass, a clear golden amber nectar. The nose has a vanilla trait, aromatic though subtle. The flavor…is amazing. An outstanding symphony of mellow light caramel meets stone fruit and a hint of Medjool date, malty but crisply cut by a surgical hop presence. The 10.5% is evidently a smaller hit than the 12.5% some bottles have, but this is just fine. The 9.3 oz format is annoying considering the price, but the price is justified for the sheer excellence of the drink.