Thomas Hardy's Ale (2003-2008)
Hanlons Brewery

Thomas Hardy's Ale (2003-2008)Thomas Hardy's Ale (2003-2008)
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From:
Hanlons Brewery
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Old Ale
ABV:
11.9%
Score:
92
Avg:
4.13 | pDev: 12.83%
Reviews:
581
Ratings:
761
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 25, 2023
Added:
Mar 05, 2004
Wants:
  86
Gots:
  154
O'Hanlon's took over the brand and revived it in 2003, but discontinued it after the 2008 batch.
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Photo of patre_tim
Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand

4.06/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.75
Deep, dark, hazy, Ruby, Brown. No head and no visible carbonation. It smells of crème brûlée, toffee, and butter. The taste of all of the noodles, but it was also quite sour, and bitter. It also had a decent amount of sweetness. Medium body with no carbonation. My brother gave me this beer several years ago and it’s been cellaring in my parents basement as I have been all over the world. I finally cracked it open today, and Stratford Ontario. July 25, 2023. It was 2008 No T 29908.
Jul 25, 2023
Photo of sulldaddy
Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut

4.12/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
I am sampling a 2004 vintage of this beer that has been in my cellar for most of its life since I purchased it.
Im pouring into my snifter tonight at cellar temp.
The beer pours a rich brown molasses color with a few fizzy bubbles foaming up, but these fade to nothing immediately after the pour.
The beer does have some legs when I swirl the glass.
Aroma is some brown sugar, molasses, some raisins and a bit of a fudge note. No hops on the nose and only a little bit of a general boozy note. definitely malt forward aroma.
First sip reveals a fairly medium body and smooth texture with no carbonation at all. Body does get a little thinner on the swallow. Beer drinks pretty easy on the physical traits. Honestly wish the texture were a little more robust.
Flavor is sweet malt, molasses and raisins and some fig and a bit of a leathery note. Finishes with a bit of a boozy note and some heat kicks up on the finish. Again no hops anywhere.
The sweetness is pretty strong on this one, but its a dark fruity sweetness not sugary. Lingers with a bit of a pipe tobacco note.
This is a sipping beer, so even in this small bottle, I am going to take quite a bit of time to finish this beer. Glad to have had it in my cellar and to open it up and experience it, but also glad to have it off my shelf in the cellar.
Feb 04, 2023
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.86/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Sept. 2005: Vintage 2004, 250 ml bottle, bought at Vinens Verden, Odense, Denmark. Bottle No. P 08270. I know I should have cellared this beer for 25 years, but I just couldn’t wait. 25 years from now - I might have been dead a long time by then. Reddish brown colour, slightly hazy. No head, minimal carbonation. Intense sweet aroma of raisins, also notes of molasses, oak and leather. VERY sweet flavour, oak, molasses and raisins again, alcoholic and "raw" in the edges, notes of pipe tobacco. Not nearly as good as the 1990 vintage I sampled at the RBESG 2005, which proves that this beer really NEEDS to be cellared for at least a decade. Its "old sherry or port"-like qualities are not there yet. The brewers are not just teasing you when they recommend cellaring - they actually mean it. But even at this "raw" and unfinished stage it is clear that this beer has capabilities. Be prepared for a substantial sweetness even after many years of cellaring, though.
Aug 28, 2022
Photo of Rhettroactive
Rated by Rhettroactive from Virginia

1.4/5  rDev -66.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.25
2008 vintage. This beer didn’t make it. No mark on the overall product.
Aug 28, 2022
Photo of StoutSnob40
Reviewed by StoutSnob40 from California

4.42/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
2005 Bottle - Pours a rich, mahogany brown, with red highlights. It’s relatively clear around the edges, with a grayish brown line creepy into it. No head, no carb. Alcohol legs streak down the glass. Looks like a super old tawny port.

As soon as you pop the cap, the aroma jumps out of the bottle. Like, it’s been just itching to get out for all of these years. Port-soaked dates, cedar, tire shop, cigars. Super unique. I feel like I need to sip this in an old library or something.

Flavors of boozy dark fruits, raisins, charred campfire wood, caramelized sugars, honey, hints of anise. No sign of unwanted oxidation. Finish is very long, with subtle syrupy sweetness, maraschino cherries from an Old Fashioned, and umami richness.

Super unique and flavorful. This was cellared flawlessly (not by me). Has held up amazingly well. So glad I got to try this!
Jan 15, 2022
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.63/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Cellared 2006 bottle. Clear brown body, no head. Smells strongly of raisin, fig, sugar plum, caramel, toffee, barley, booze and malt, with accenting tobacco and cocoa. Yeah this aged amazingly well: take the nose but have it all meld into one another seamlessly with a richness that demands you sip and enjoy every drop. Get hints of orange slice and earth, while molasses, prune and oxidation notes rise as you go down the glass. Feel is smooth, warm, light yet not thin, chewy even, with rich and full malt and barley. The wife loved it
Sep 02, 2021
Photo of snaotheus
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington

4.5/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2021-03-09
8.5oz bottle served in a Cantillon globe. 2005 vintage, bottle #P15911, label says 11.7% abv. Bought it as part of a take home Hard Liver Fest package from Brouwer's.

Pours still, dark, clear. Reddish brown. Smells really raisiny, maybe some rum or brandy. Can smell the alcohol.

Taste is TONS of raisin, something almost smoky (maybe that's a meaty/umami flavor?), booze is still there. Sweet, lots of dark fruit, prunes. Wood or bark or something. Cherry skin bitterness. Molasses.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly thin yet chewy.
Mar 10, 2021
Photo of mynie
Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

4.62/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
2004 edition I've been cellaring for well over a decade. Tonight's work got cancelled so let's crack this fucker open at 2:30 on a Tuesday.

The cap comes off without even the slightest hiss and the pour is, predictably, still. Not the slightest remnant of fizz.

The aroma is intense and enticing, wearing its age well. Raisins, figs, caramel, and booze.

The flavor is likewise intense and, surprisingly, quite well composed. Again, it's aged well. Overripe fruit up front, and then a surprisingly delicate middle of bread, biscuits, and toffee--sweet but not overpowering--finishing with vanilla and caramel.

This was no doubt a revelation was it debuted, and even decades later it's still a wonderful experience. Easily one of the best old ales I've ever had.
Mar 02, 2021
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2008 Bottle. Very little head. Caramel brown color.

Caramel, figs, toffee, brown sugar, red apple skins, pears, molasses, and dates.

Low carbonation, not oxidized. Medium bodied. Smooth, complex, easy drinking.
Feb 19, 2021
Photo of LeeryLeprechaun
Reviewed by LeeryLeprechaun from Colorado

4.51/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Very deep ruby red color, great clarity, very little head. Slightly off white head. Very little head. Caramel and toffee aroma. Sweet and toffee flavors, some soy sauce and saltiness. Full bodied, almost chewey, but not cloying. Little to no hop flavor, no hop aroma. Alcohol warming and flavor as the beer warms up.
Jan 03, 2021
Photo of edthehead
Rated by edthehead from Maryland

4.59/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
2003 Vintage
Nov 17, 2020
Photo of chum_husk
Reviewed by chum_husk from Minnesota

2.56/5  rDev -38%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 1 | overall: 2
2008 bottle from the best beer store in Burnsville

Pours up clear, dark, ruby. Pouring out the sediment later, it is dirty dark and cloudy. Still carbonated, not bad. Smells and tastes like a red wine, slightly vinegar-y, lots of oak, dark ripe fruit... much of the flavor has dulled and you can really feel the alcohol inbued into it, overtaking and overwhelming while remaining still near-invisible.

Too much flavor has faded, maybe
Aug 11, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by rodmanfor3 from Vermont

Jan 27, 2020
 
Rated: 4.68 by dannycohen62 from Illinois

Sep 05, 2019
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4.34/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
2006 vintage; drank 8/25/19 @ Hopleaf.

Balanced, smooth flavors of caramel, oak & faint fig. This was holding up very well at the 13 year mark. So glad I finally had a chance to try one!
Aug 25, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by Thorfinn960 from Ohio

Aug 04, 2019
 
Rated: 4.19 by ChicagoNick from Illinois

Jul 12, 2019
Photo of beerthulhu
Reviewed by beerthulhu from New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
-Vintage 2006. No P11386 edition. Consumed 03.21.19. In memory of Thomas. Original $5.75 bottle properly stored and cellared 13 yrs.

A: A dirty chocolate brown pour shows no signs of effervesce or head formation.

S: Boozy bourbon-caramel figs. Rich sweet chocolate, with some whiskey fueled plums.

T: The flavor did show some signs of vinegar notes. Buttery caramelized raisins, figs, with some chocolate malts with a smooth booziness. Silty plums and honey campfire notes. On the hold some fruit of pear-apple-plum.

M: Full bodied viscosity, very slick and fluid on the tongue, a bit acidic.

O: Aged this for a certain occasion, cannot attest to how this fairs fresh, but heard reports this ages well for many more years to come. Cheers Thomas.
Apr 03, 2019
Photo of EMV
Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
2003 edition. Poured from a small medallioned bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip. Bottle #001722 to be exact.

L: Hazy mahogany pour. Scant head... no significant lacing. Looks a bit viscous/thick.

S: A blast of sweet caramel and brown sugar. Toffee and dark fruit.

T.F: Follows the nose. Sweet brown sugar, caramel, toffee, and light spice. Thick and rich... dark fruit with plum and fig. Mild hopping for bitterness but this is definitely dessert. Low carbonation... alcohol noticeable without being overly boozy.

O: Rich, complex, sweet, and delicious... definitely an experience and a beer worth seeking out. Dessert in a glass.
Oct 25, 2018
Photo of SLeffler27
Reviewed by SLeffler27 from New York

4.22/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Gem clear, dark mahogany with iridescent ruby highlights. There is no head or lace, nor is there any carbonation. A viscous film slowly slides down the wall of an Offero oversized wine glass.

The aroma is strong and earthy. Raisins, figs and dates fill the nose, while a light touch of smoky peat provides an accent. Warmth brings out sweet molasses.

Umami balances against bitter-sweetness and wins out. Reminiscent of Port wine, though it is less sweet. Almonds and a hint of anise are distinct flavors. The finish is long and mild, becoming fruity with cherries. Warmth subdues the umami, allowing cherries and cranberries to become the focus.

This beer is full-bodied and syrupy smooth, thought not palate clinging. Alcohol is as expected for 11.9% ABV, though more pronounced than one would anticipate from a bottle of such age. There is no carbonation though the tongue is slightly tickled and the texture is sticky.

This is one of two bottles. The other will continue to age. Thomas Hardy’s is a contemplative beer which I enjoyed side-by-side against J.W. Lee’s Harvest Ale of similar age. Each beer is unique, yet they have remarkable similarities. This one was highly enjoyable and exquisite for contemplation.

2004-P13761
Sep 30, 2018
Thomas Hardy's Ale (2003-2008) from Hanlons Brewery
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 761 ratings