Thomas Hardy's Ale - The Historical 2017
Interbrau S.p.A

Copenhagen 13/8 2021. 25 cl bottle from Vinens Verden, Slotsgade, Odense C. Very historical label. Off-white and with an elderly fellow in profile.

Pours dark, opaque and murky amber with a small, bubbly white head. Disappears fairly fast leaving a brownish substance behind. No lacing.

Aroma is fairly intense with a sweet and boozy odor mingling with some tart, sour notes. Caramel and brown sugar. Plums and raisins. Sharp, whiskey. Notes of alcohol soaked wood. A bit of tart berries peeking in.

Light carbonation. Thick, oily, soft, fat, slightly sticky, flat texture.

Flavor is intense with a strong sweetness followed by a moderately strong sourness. Aftertaste is sweet with a strong, undertone of dark alcohol. Lingering. Finish is sugary with a light boozy burn.

Very much on the sweet side but brings the rather sweet whiskey elegantly into play.

Nip bottle.

Pours clear mahogany with zero head and flat. Boozy toffee, figs, faint whiskey in the nose. Medium bodied with a syrupy, slick mouthfeel. Caramel, plump malt, toffee, and light barrel character on the palate. Finishes sweet and malty with a boozy warmth.

Bottled 4/10/17. Purchased in Zurich Switzerland on 1/2/18. Poured at 55°. Deep amber body with ok clarity verging on thinly opaque; no cap or ring; some small spots of lace and thin legs on swirl. Fruity oaky whiskey nose, almost port-like. Entry is tart fruit/cherry; oaky red wine; undertones of sweet caramel malt and brown sugar; sweet port-like finish. Light to no carbonation; light watery body; totally lacking any heft; a little warmth from 12.7% abv; dry wooden barrel tongue coating. Overall, the body is super thin and the sour fruit took me by surprise, but co-mingled with the base and barrel notes well enough; sour cherries linger; tasted fine, just not what I was expecting.

Appearance: Muddy brown, no head

Aroma: Oak, dark fruit, figs, alcohol barely noticeable

Flavor & aftertaste: Borderline cloyingly sweet. Has bit of sourness to it. Alcohol well hidden.

Mouth-feel: Full bodied, thick. Sticky. Short to medium length finish.

Overall: This was very complex & interesting. The first Barleywine I've had. On first whiff, you note the oak and dark fruit-like aromas. Then you sip it and immediately note the heavy, slick mouth-feel followed by a very sweet malt backbone. It runs right up to cloying without quite getting there. Then there is a hint of a sour tang in the finish. In between, you catch the depth of the malt - some dark fruit, fig and chocolate notes. You really have to pay attention to this one to get all the nuances. The most amazing thing is, I barely noted the 12.7% ABV! I've had numerous Stouts at between 9% and 12% that the alcohol will really jump out at you.

250 mL bottle. No hiss of carbonation and pours totally flat. Smells of oak and vinous acidity with lots of brown sugar and deep earthy malts. Tastes of oak and an oaky twang giving it an unwelcome sourness. Lots of brown sugar malt behind it, but not terribly sweet. Heavy and quite flat. I was looking forward to this, so the sourness is a shame.

 

a bruiser of an english barleywine here, done in tennessee whiskey barrels. not the most whiskey forward brew though, especially compared with what american brewers are doing with the style in these barrels, but i like the old world nature of this, the bit of boozy sweetness, and reckon its a nice festive sipper for holiday time, although even a shared small bottle felt like a lot of this in my glass. its almost still, lightly hazy caramel colored with some redder depth, and a strong nose of fusel alcohol, sweet oak, lightly oxidized long cooked malts, and slight tartness, even a cherry note there, quite interesting, but huge. lots of sugars and dried fruits in the flavor here, along with classic english yeast. its raisin and brown sugar, cherry and fig, even a cranberry astringency for a second. tons of body, bready as can be, hotly alcoholic, and sweet like honey through the finish, a graham cracker or even pie crust vibe to it as well, really layered, but i can only drink a little bit of this. not as strong on the whiskey as i thought it might be, but i am thankful to have the base beer not covered over by it. the right amount of barrel is here, as much wood as spirit, but that works for me in this style. really old worldy and massive, maybe not quite as refined as i hoped for, a bit stale already, but a fun beer to share this time of year. id love to try the vintage they did in scotch whiskey barrels! i could see the smoke and peat adding a lot of complexity to an already interesting beer. fun stuff, but small doses only for me...

 

 

from the lcbo

look: somewhat hazy copper. No head to speak of.
smell: Some whiskey and dark fruit. a slightly sour note, not sure if that's intended?
taste: much like the nose. Not bad, but curious if the sour thing is supposed to be there. Hesitate to use the "I" word.

Decanted from an 8.45 oz (250 ml) bottle into a Kane snifter glass; 2017 release, bottle number 19379.
A: Pours a somewhat hazy, copper color (a bit reminiscent of dark apple cider) with no head or lacing, but limited legging behavior.
S: Aromas of caramel, molasses, bread, vanilla, cherry wood, honey, and white pepper.
T: Sweet. Flavors largely follow the nose, but slightly smokey and lemony. Boozy, but more reminiscent of a lemon liqueur than bourbon. Limited bitterness. Very chewy.
M: Full bodied and virtually no carbonation.
O: Delicious, drinkable, and fairly approachable. Really like the "single serving," i.e 250 ml, bottle, given the 12.7% ABV.

 

250ml bottle - $9.99 at Bullock's Wine & Spirits in Marietta, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a hazed, dark brown body, a little murky with no real head formation beyond a few large, brief bubbles from the pour.

Smell: Slightly tart-scented, sourish fruitiness, predominately dark cherries, perhaps some low-grade orange essence. Vaguely whiskey nose, a touch woody with sweetish notes reminiscent of caramel, brown sugar, and cheapo beepo liquor-infused cake.

Taste: Oh. Oh, dear. That's one very washed out flavor, folks. Muddled, mushy sweetish maltiness, limited whiskey character and sourish fruitiness in the background. A little oak plank hittin' you on the way out.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Very low carbonation. Disatisfyingly thin.

Overall: Well, that was rather embarrassing. Not recommended whatsoever. Uninteresting, unappealing, almost criminally overpriced for what you receive.

 

 

 

12/15/2018; Barley wine brings thoughts of nice madeira style drinking. This seems thin but vanilla and barrel notes are there.