J.W. Lees Vintage Harvest Ale - J.W. Lees & Co (Brewers) Ltd

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BA SCORE
95
world-class
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993 Ratings

THE BROS
100
world-class
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rAvg: 4.29
pDev: 13.99%
Reviews: 763
Hads: 230

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Brewed by:
J.W. Lees & Co (Brewers) Ltd

United Kingdom (England)

Style | ABV
English Barleywine | 11.50% ABV

Availability: Year-round. bottle (718), cask (28), on-tap (17).

Notes:
No notes at this time.

View: Beers (16) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by SaucyA:

SaucyA

Michigan

4.28/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2006

A - Into a snifter. No noticeable carbonation, aside from a scant bubbly head that quickly dissapeared to nothing. Body is murky brown, with quite a bit of random floaties. There's no yeast in here so I'm a little bothered. Rather unappealing.

S - Takes a turn for the good here. Caramel, toffee, alcohol, plum/prune, malty, Kraft carmels.

T - Here goes. Nearly what I expected, and hoped. Sweeet... but, good. Caramel, toffee, slight oxidation. Incredibly complex, yet nothing smacking me around. Not at all hoppy, and has the finish of 2007 Short's Anniversary part 1 that I love so much. Alcohol burn only noted in the tummy.

M - Syrupy, little to no carbonation, sugary.

D - Quite frankly, it's a little cloying, but anticipated. The alcohol is surprisingly not noted much aside from the buzz that seems to come on like a freight train.

Notes: My first TRUE english barleywine. For what it's worth, I'll definitely buy another bottle or two for the cellar. I can see this only getting better, and I'm curious to try the barrel-aged versions.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2008 20:00:56 | More by SaucyA

More User Reviews:

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4.25/5 rDev -0.9%

05-18-2013 22:03:43 | More by Photekut

raffy313

Texas

4.5/5 rDev +4.9%

05-18-2013 00:05:31 | More by raffy313

gpawned

Ohio

4.5/5 rDev +4.9%

05-17-2013 05:13:04 | More by gpawned

Tom-Peters

California

4.5/5 rDev +4.9%

05-13-2013 18:53:57 | More by Tom-Peters

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.25/5 rDev -0.9%

05-13-2013 18:43:41 | More by Slatetank

vrbulldog22

Ohio

4/5 rDev -6.8%

05-13-2013 02:07:52 | More by vrbulldog22

Bill235

Ohio

4/5 rDev -6.8%

05-12-2013 22:35:06 | More by Bill235

ipas-for-life

Virginia

4.25/5 rDev -0.9%

05-12-2013 15:56:31 | More by ipas-for-life

nbaeteer

Pennsylvania

4.66/5 rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

2010 poured into a wide bottom wine glass.

Appearance: Striking, flat light brown color with almost no variation from light. Very little if any head that completely dissapears very quickly.

Smell: Wow. Can they make scented candles that smell like this? Brown sugar, raisin, malt.

Taste: Complex sweetness up front with the alchohol showing up late. The kind of taste so powerfull you want to swirl it in your mouth as long as possible to hold onto it. So complex I might have to drink another one and revise this post.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, smooth, smooth. Perfect weight.

Overall: This feels like a beer I should be sharing with friends to celebrate a special ocassion. Now I understand the JW Lees following and price tag. This is in my personal beer HOF.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 06:11:19 | More by nbaeteer

jjheinrichs

Wisconsin

3.75/5 rDev -12.6%

05-09-2013 02:08:08 | More by jjheinrichs

bigclydeoliver

Ohio

2/5 rDev -53.4%

05-09-2013 01:01:51 | More by bigclydeoliver

mctizzz

New York

3.33/5 rDev -22.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

2006 Vintage.
This great brew has diminished into a flat sweet syrup with almost no hint of booze. I would like to try it after 2 years but this makes me question whether cellaring a brew for 7 years is even worth it. I have only had 3 beers now that have been cellared for over 5 years and this is the only one I know was far over the hill, live and learn...

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 22:12:26 | More by mctizzz